Before the 2018 season began, one question was repeatedly asked about Russ Rose's new-look Penn State team. How would the Nittany Lions replace numerous key contributors whose eligibility expired after last season?
Competing for a national championship while returning just one full-time starter is no easy task, especially after graduating two First-Team All-Americans in Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington.
While landing the No.1 recruiting class in the nation created plenty of optimism for the future, few anticipated the monumental impact that some of these freshmen would have this season.
Right side hitter Jonni Parker, for example, was Penn State's leading hitter through the regular season with 311 kills and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year on Wednesday.
"It's definitely a big accomplishment, and I couldn't have done it without my coaches and teammates or the support of my friends and family," Parker said. "I think it's a crazy accomplishment just because this year's freshmen class across the Big Ten had such a huge impact this year."
Freshmen middle blockers Serena Gray and Kaitlyn Hord have also quickly become two of the better defensive players in the conference. Hord was named Second-Team All-Big Ten on Wednesday.
Gabby Blossom has also spelled Second-Team All-Big Ten setter Bryanna Weiskircher all season, while Jenna Hampton has formed a deadly back row duo with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kendall White. In addition, Allyson Cathey has frequently come off the bench and made some big plays.
"Our freshmen class has gotten so much better not just in the physical aspects of the game but also mentally being able to help each other out and being able to step up when we need to," Parker said.
While Penn State had its ups and downs in the regular season through a loaded Big Ten schedule, the Nittany Lions still secured the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"I think this season definitely had its highs and its lows, but through that we all came together as a team to secure some big wins and learn a lot from tough losses," Gray said.
Parker and Gray are both excited about playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their careers and feel ready to live up to the championship expectations that Penn State teams are faced with each year.
"It's exciting but at the same time I'm a bit anxious because I know the tradition Penn State has built up with how they perform in the tournament, so there are high expectations for our team, but I think if we play well and communicate effectively then we'll do well," Gray said.
Four other Big Ten teams also earned top eight seeds: Minnesota (No. 2), Illinois (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 6) and Nebraska (No. 7). However, Penn State defeated Nebraska and Minnesota in the regular season at Rec Hall.
Parker had her best match of the season against Minnesota last Friday, tallying a career-high 29 kills in a five-set thriller. That kind of effort against top-tier competition gives Parker a lot of confidence going into the tournament
"That gives me a lot of confidence just because I know I can do it and it's happened before so I just know that as long as I keep sticking to my guns, working hard and trusting my teammates I can continue to play well," Parker said.
While Penn State may have lost to Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin, three of those four matches went to five sets. Minnesota swept the Nittany Lions in Minneapolis in their first Big Ten match of the season, but in the last two months of the regular season, all four of their losses were five-set matches.
It may have taken some time for the freshmen to gel together, but Penn State is peaking at the right time and have shown lately they are more than capable of competing stride for stride with the top teams in the country.
"We are definitely an optimistic team, which is why when we do have big losses they are so disappointing because we know that on our best day we can compete with any team in the country," Gray said.
Gray also played maybe her best match of the season over the weekend against Wisconsin, posting six blocks and a career-high 12 kills.
"I think definitely playing against talented players, even though we weren't able to get a win, it definitely boosts my confidence and morale," Gray said. "Knowing that you played against players that good, and you came out okay gives you the confidence to do it again."
Last year's top-seeded Penn State team reached the semifinals before losing to Nebraska and coming up just short of claiming the Nittany Lions' eighth national championship. In order to replicate last year's deep run, the Nittany Lions will likely have to go through the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal, who they lost to in three sets (23-25, 20-25, 20-25) back in September.
This talented and confident group of freshmen have only gotten better since the beginning of the season though, and they are as dangerous as ever heading into the NCAA Tournament.
"This team can definitely go all the way," Parker said. "We can get a national championship if we work day in and day out and put in our hours and make sure that in the gym we make every rep count."
