UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's volleyball seniors Kaitlyn Hord, Jonni Parker and Erika Pritchard were voted to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team by the league's 14 coaches on Monday. Additionally, the Nittany Lions were picked as the third-best team in the powerhouse conference.
Hord is a three-time All-American after earning third-team recognition following her junior season. The middle blocker earned a spot on the first team as a sophomore and was an honorable mention as a freshman. She has been named to the All-Northeast Region Team three times and the All-Big Ten Team three times. Hord made the All-Big Ten first team in each of the past two seasons after landing a spot on the second team as a freshman.
Parker was a third-team All-American as a freshman and followed that with honorable-mention All-America status in each of the next two seasons. She made her presence felt immediately for the Lions, earning AVCA Northeast Region Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in her rookie season and has been one of the team's most consistent performers since. She needs just 42 more kills to reach the 1,000-kill milestone.
Pritchard is set to make her debut for Penn State after playing four seasons at Maryland under head coach Adam Hughes, a former Penn State assistant. She is already well known in the conference, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors in her sophomore and senior seasons for the Terrapins. Statistically, she has been one of the most prolific players in the league during that time, totaling 1,526 kills, 859 digs and 239 total blocks.
Only Wisconsin and Nebraska were picked ahead of Penn State in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Behind the Lions in fourth through sixth were Minnesota, Purdue and Ohio State. Those first six teams are all ranked in the top 12 of the AVCA Preseason National Poll.
No. 12 Penn State opens the season with three matches at the UCF Challenge on Friday and Saturday. The Lions play Georgia Tech (10 a.m.) and St. John's (4 p.m.) on Friday, and UCF (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday. Georgia Tech and UCF were both NCAA Tournament teams last season, while St. John's qualified two years ago.
The 2021 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
2021 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. WISCONSIN
2. Nebraska
3. Penn State
4. Minnesota
5. Purdue
6. Ohio State
7. Illinois
8. Michigan
9. Northwestern
10. Michigan State
11. Rutgers
12. Iowa
13. (tie) Indiana
(tie) Maryland
2021 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
| Name | School | Yr. | |||||
| Taylor Landfair | Minnesota | So. | Outside Hitter | Plainfield, Ill. | |||
| STEPHANIE SAMEDY | Minnesota | Sr. | Opposite | Clermont, Fla. | |||
| Nicklin Hames | Nebraska | Sr. | Setter | Maryville, Tenn. | |||
| Lexi Sun | Nebraska | Grad. | Outside Hitter | Encinitas, Calif. | |||
| Temi Thomas-Ailara | Northwestern | Jr. | Outside Hitter | Glenwood, Ill. | |||
| EMILY LONDOT | Ohio State | So. | Opposite | Utica, Ohio | |||
| Kaitlyn Hord | Penn State | Sr. | Middle Blocker | Lexington, Ky. | |||
| Jonni Parker | Penn State | Sr. | Right Side/Setter | Casstown, Ohio | |||
| Erika Pritchard | Penn State | Grad. | Outside Hitter | Middletown, Md. | |||
| Hayley Bush | Purdue | Sr. | Setter | Union, Ky. | |||
| GRACE CLEVELAND | Purdue | Sr. | Outside Hitter | Bloomington, Ill. | |||
| SYDNEY HILLEY | Wisconsin | Grad. | Setter | Brooklyn Park, Minn. | |||
| DANA RETTKE | Wisconsin | Grad. | Middle Blocker | Riverside, Ill. | |||
| Devyn Robinson | Wisconsin | So. | Middle Blocker/Right Side | Ankeny, Iowa |
Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS