Dec. 8, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State women's volleyball earned five AVCA DI All-Northeast Region honors, as selected by the America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) this morning. Redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney and sophomore Ali Frantti highlighted the group with their second straight All-Region nod. Senior Megan Courtney and sophomore Haleigh Washington joined Whitney and Frantti on the All-Northeast Region team, while redshirt freshman Bryanna Weiskircher earned honorable mention honors.
The five All-Region honors brings Penn State's total number of selections to 90 in program history, while also marking the fourth consecutive year the Nittany Lions have earned at least four in a single season. Penn State's five honorees also marks the first time since 2012 that Penn State has had five Nittany Lions earn All-Region distinction.
Penn State also has more All-Northeast selections than any other program in the region, with four selections making up the 14-member All-Northeast region squad and one of six in the honorable mention category.
Whitney earns her second consecutive All-Northeast region award, having also picked up her second straight All-Big Ten honor a week ago. The 2014 second team AVCA All-American has been a key contributor to Nittany Lion offense this season, having started all 33 matches. Leading the team with 3.11 kills per set, she's posted double digit kills in 12 of the last 18 matches, including both NCAA Tournament matches this season. Her .356 hitting percentage also ranks second on the team and fifth in the conference. Whitney's also ranked second on the team with 1.12 blocks per set, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten standings. She's posted at least two blocks in all but two matches this season, highlighting the year with a career-high outing in 3-2 win at Michigan, totaling 18 kills and eight blocks.
Selected as the 2014 All-Northeast Freshman of the Year, the All-Region honor is the second straight for Frantti. An AVCA second team All-American, Frantti has been one of the Nittany Lions' top offensive contributors for the second consecutive season. Averaging 2.64 kills per set, Frantti's led the Penn State offense in kills on nine occasions, recording double figure kills in 14 matches this year. Frantti's had double digit kills in six of the last eight matches, leading the team with 12 kills in the NCAA first round match against Howard and tying for first on the team with 14 kills against Dayton. On the Penn State all-time list, her 2.94 career kills per set ranks 17th in program history. Frantti's 2014 honors include spots on both the Penn State Classic and the Golden Dome Invitational All-Tournament teams.
Washington's All-Northeast Region award is the first of her career. She previously garnered her second straight conference postseason honor a week ago. The 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was frequently among the nation's best in hitting efficiency throughout the season. Her .443 hitting percentage presently ranks third nationally, first in the Big Ten and eighth on the Penn State single-season all-time list. In the Nittany Lion record book, her .451 career hitting clip is slotted second all-time. Washington's also leading the team with 1.40 blocks per set, helped out by multi-block performances in 32 of Penn State's 33 matches this season. Washington was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times this season and set a career-high mark with 11 total blocks in a win against St. Johns, marking the second highest tally in a single-match 3-set outing in Penn State program history.
Courtney has earned a spot on the All-Northeast Region team for the first time in her career. She was previously honored as the 2012 All-Region Freshman of the Year, while also earning honorable mention distinction in the same year. A week ago, she earned her first career Big Ten postseason award. The 2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player is presently ranks second on the team with 3.04 kills per set, having recorded double figure kills in 13 matches this season, including eight of the 16 conference matches she played in. Courtney also joined an elite group this year as she became just the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to reach the 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career digs milestone. Courtney highlighted the year with her third career 20-plus kill performance in a 3-2 victory against Minnesota at home in Rec Hall. She followed that match with two more 20-plus dig performances, totaling a career-high 23 digs on the road at Northwestern.
Weiskircher's All-Northeast Region honorable mention selection marks the first postseason award of her career. Having earned the starting setter position this year, she's directed the Nittany Lion offense to a .297 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth nationally and also leads the Big Ten conference. She's also paced three of her top attackers to .250 or better hitting efficiency this year. Weiskircher has highlighted her first season as Penn State's starting setter with 10 double-double (assists/digs) performances, having also earned Big Ten Setter of the Week honors (11/2). She was also selected to the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, Penn State Classic and USF Invitational All-Tournament teams this season.
Penn State is set to make its 13th consecutive trip to the NCAA regional semifinals this week, traveling to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Hawaii (28-1) in the round of 16 Friday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET in Wells Fargo Arena. The matchup will stream live on ESPN3.