Sept. 4, 2016
BOULDER, Colo. ââ'¬"The bar is set exceptionally high when it comes to Penn State women's volleyball. As is human nature, reaching that bar cannot always be obtained. Despite a disappointing road trip results wise, the Nittany Lions can still take some positives out of their first trip to Boulder in program history.
Penn State, participating for the third year in a row in the Big Ten/ Pac-12 Challenge, was unable to earn a road win against either the Colorado Buffaloes or the No. 9 Stanford Cardinal. The Nittany Lions, who have had turnover on both their coaching staff and in their starting lineup, are still working through some early season adjustments.
Despite the losses on Saturday and Sunday, associate head coach Salima Rockwell feels that the Nittany Lions are close to turning a new page early in the 2016 season.
"Obviously you game plan for a different outcome and you never prepare for what happened," Rockwell said after the match against Stanford. "All we can do is focus on what we did well in these matches and move forward from there."
One aspect of the Nittany Lions' game that was noticeably different on Sunday in comparison to Saturday was the level of competition. After looking flat at times against Colorado, Penn State showed fire and grit against the ninth-ranked Cardinal.
"I definitely think our level of competition was higher," Rockwell said. "I thought our communication on the court was better as well. It's good to see that growth in certain areas but we are still looking to play better. You can tell that in the locker room too, I think the girls would go out and play again tomorrow if they had the chance."
Though volleyball is a team sport, certain individuals shine through on a consistent basis. Newcomer Kendall White has been that bright spot for Penn State early on. As a freshman, White has already established herself as a vocal presence both on and off the court and one of the leaders on the team. White, the libero for the Nittany Lions, has totaled 78 digs (4.11 per set) in just five games. The dominance in the back row is impressive and the coaching staff has taken notice.
"I thought Kendall White has been one of our best players so far this season," head coach Russ Rose said. "She has done very well so far for us and we expect it to continue."
Both the stats and performances from the young libero speak for themselves, but arguably what is more impressive is the way that White has already stepped up to be one of the leading voices on the floor.
"We're lucky to have her," Rockwell said. "She's doing an amazing job and Coach [Rose] always says that leaders emerge. That's exactly what Kendall is doing. That's one of the reasons why we recruited her. She's tough and she competes all the time and that is Penn State Volleyball."
Penn State will look to flip the script on the road next weekend traveling to Syracuse, N.Y. for a three match tournament. The quick turnaround will give the Nittany Lions just two full days home in State College before returning to the road, meaning the focus needs to continue to be high for the team.
"It's always a challenge getting back, but the team is used to it," Rockwell said. "The biggest thing is that we get a lot of rest and get ahead on school work so that we are fresh and ready to go."
Penn State will face Siena on Friday at 10 a.m. before taking on Hofstra and Syracuse on Saturday.