UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The eighth-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team picked up two awards from the Big Ten on Monday after posting home wins over Indiana and No. 15 Purdue over the weekend. Kendall White was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, while Gabby Blossom was named the Setter of the Week for the third time in four weeks.
White put up huge numbers despite the team playing just seven sets last week, totaling 43 digs (6.14/set). She had 14 digs in a sweep over the Hoosiers on Friday and then put up a season-high 29 in a four-set win over the Boilermakers on Saturday. Her performance on Saturday was bolstered by nine digs in the opening set and 10 digs in the third set.
White has won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award seven times during her career.
Blossom guided a Penn State offense that hit .301 in the win over Indiana and then topped that with a .305 percentage in the victory over Purdue. She averaged 12.86 assists over the two matches.
Blossom is the first Penn State player to win three Big Ten Setter of the Week awards in a season since Micha Hancock in 2014.
The Lions (19-4 overall, 12-2 B1G) have two road matches this week, starting with a matchup of nationally-ranked teams when they take on No. 25 Illinois on Friday at 8 p.m. (ET). They will play at Northwestern on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The 2019 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
