FULL ALL-AMERICA LIST
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Five Penn State players were recognized by the AVCA with All-America honors Wednesday, led by sophomore Kaitlyn Hord with a spot on the first team. Senior Kendall White was selected to the second team, sophomore Gabby Blossom made the third team, and sophomores Jonni Parker and Serena Gray were named as honorable mentions.
Hord, a middle blocker, made a huge jump in her second season with the Nittany Lions, moving all the way up to the first team after receiving honorable mention recognition last season. She ranks second in the Big Ten and third in the nation in hitting percentage (.440) while averaging 2.65 kills/set. She ranks 23rd in the nation in total blocks (149) and 40th in blocks/set (1.27).
Hord improved in nearly every statistical category in her second season, averaging more kills/set, hitting a higher percentage, and averaging more blocks/set. She was the most consistent player on the team, hitting over .300 in 27 of the team's 33 matches. She hit over .500 in 14 matches and had at least five total blocks 18 times.
White will leave Penn State as the most prolific libero in program history with a record 1,994 career digs. That number, as well as her reception and passing abilities, led to her becoming the first libero in program history to earn three All-America honors, adding to her first team award as a junior and her third team award as a sophomore.
A team leader on the court, White fueled the team to a second-place finish in the Big Ten while earning the conference's Defensive Player of the Week award two times. She averaged 4.06 digs/set while helping the Lions hit .287 as a team. She recorded double-digit digs 29 times, including five matches with more than 20 digs. Her season high was 29 in a four-set win over Purdue.
Blossom earned a spot on the third team in her first season as the team's starting setter after guiding Penn State to the second-highest hitting percentage in the Big Ten. She averaged 11.36 assists/set, good enough for second in the Big Ten, and added 25 aces, 2.33 digs/set, and 0.32 blocks/set.
Blossom came up big in the postseason, helping Penn State hit .445 in a win over Cincinnati, .347 against Stanford, .336 in a win over Towson, and .295 in a win over Princeton. She recorded at least 50 assists in a match six times, including in a five-set win over Cincinnati in the NCAA Regional Semifinal. Her career high was set with 58 in a five-set win over Illinois in which the Lions came back after trailing 2-0.
In many statistical categories, Parker was better than she was as a freshman when she was a third team All-American. She averaged more kills/set (3.53 to 3.00), a higher hitting percentage (.264 to .260) and more aces/set (0.38 to 0.21), while adding 1.67 digs/set and 0.63 blocks/set. Like Hord and White, Parker concluded the regular season as a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection.
Gray is an honorable mention All-American for the second-straight season, adding to her honorable mention All-Northeast Region honor. The middle blocker was 31st in the nation with a .382 hitting percentage that was bolstered by an outstanding performance in the NCAA Tournament. She was voted to the Stanford Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .636 with 21 kills while not committing a single error on her 33 swings.
Penn State finished 27-6 on the season, competed in the NCAA Regional Final for the second-straight season, and was a part of the NCAA Tournament for the 39th-consecutive season.
