Dec. 16, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. - The two-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State women's volleyball team (36-0) had four players honored as AVCA First Team All-Americans. Seniors Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) and Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.), and juniors Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) and Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) were Penn State's four honorees. Freshman Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) earned Honorable Mention honors. Penn State's four selections to the first team are the most by any school in 2009. The AVCA National Player of the Year will be announced at the AVCA All-America banquet on Friday, Dec. 18.
Hodge is the only four-time First Team recipient among the 42 athletes chosen to this year's teams. She is only of five student-athletes selected as repeat First Team honorees joining teammate Glass, California's Hana Cutura, and Texas' Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker. The accolade is the third honor of Glass' career, the second for Wilson and Brown who both earned second team laurels in 2008, and the first for Dorton.
The AVCA honors First, Second and Third Team All-America selections, with each team consisting of 14 players per squad, along with recognizing Honorable Mention selections. The Nittany Lions are the only team with four first team selections and their five total honorees are the most of any program. Texas was the only other school with multiple first team selections with two.
Penn State's five selections bring the program's total number of All-American selections to 63 since 1979. Head coach Russ Rose has now coached at least one All-American in 30 of his 31 seasons at the helm of the Nittany Lion program.
Glass picked up her second straight First Team AVCA All-America honor. She was selected to the Second Team in 2007. The All-Big Ten First Team honoree leads the Big Ten and is fourth in the nation with 12.02 assists per set. Glass has guided the Nittany Lions to a nation-leading .394 attack percentage and teammate Wilson to a nation-best .559 hitting percentage. Glass has totaled 1,358 helpers this season and four of her top hitters are attacking at a .357 clip or better. She also ranks third on the team with 263 digs (2.33 digs per set) and has contributed 96 total blocks. Glass was named to the Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team last weekend after the Lions defeated Florida and Cal.
Hodge, the 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, is just Penn State's fourth four-time All-American. The outside hitter is attacking a .399 clip for the season, which ranks eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten. She has tallied a squad-best 527 kills and her 4.75 kills per set also ranks eighth in the country and first in the league. Hodge has also contributed 267 digs (2.41 digs per set) to rank second on the team and 76 total blocks. She heads into the National Semifinal with 2,109 career kills, which ranks second on Penn State's all-time career kills list. Hodge was honored as the Gainesville Regional Most Outstanding Player.
Brown, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree and a 2008 Second Team AVCA All-American, was selected to the Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team last weekend after helping the Nittany Lions defeat Florida and Cal to advance to the National Semifinals. She is attacking a .357 clip heading into Penn State's match with Hawaii, which ranks 34th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten. For the season, she has totaled 324 kills (3.00 kills per set), 28 service aces, 166 digs and ranks second on the team with 97 total blocks.
Wilson currently leads the nation with a .559 attack percentage and is on par to set the NCAA single-season record. For the season, Wilson leads the team with 175 total blocks and her 1.55 blocks per set ranks fourth in the nation and second in the Big Ten. Wilson has also contributed 317 kills to rank third on the squad. Wilson, a two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, was the Big Ten Player of the Week three times in 2009. She was named to the Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team after guiding Penn State to victories against Florida and Cal.
Dorton earned the first national honor of her career after being named AVCA Honorable Mention. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year, as well. A five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Dorton is fourth on the team with 255 kills and has tallied 62 total blocks.
The Nittany Lions continue their quest for the 2009 NCAA National Title on Thursday, Dec. 17 versus Hawai'i. Penn State takes on the Rainbow Wahine at 9 p.m. in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (103.1FM) in State College and surrounding areas and around the world for free on GoPSUSports.com. Air time Thursday night will be 8:30 and will include extensive pre- and post-match interviews with head coach Russ Rose, assistant coach Dennis Hohenshelt and select players. You will be able to email comments and questions during the broadcast to Dean and Craig at PSUVolleyball@gmail.com. Also, you can follow the Nittany Lions' trip to Tampa on Twitter, by following @PSUVolleyball and Susanpsusports.