UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three Penn State women's volleyball players were named All-Big Ten by the conference office on Wednesday. Allie Holland and Kashauna Williams were first-team selections, while Seleisa Elisaia landed a spot on the second team.
Additionally, the Lions had Alexa Markley voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Katie Clark was the team's recipient of Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Williams picked up her first All-Big Ten honor, adding to her two All-Big West awards during her time at Long Beach State before she came to Happy Valley for her final season. The outside hitter leads the team in kills/set (3.42) and had double-digit kills 20 times during the regular season. Williams's top eight kill totals all came against nationally-ranked opponents, including a season-high 24 in a five-set match against Ohio State. She averaged 3.64 kills/set in Big Ten matches.
Holland leads the team and ranks eighth in the Big Ten in blocks/set (1.37) while hitting .322 with 2.24 kills/set. The middle blocker was solid in conference play, ranking second on the team in points (257.0) while averaging 2.26 kills/set and 1.30 blocks/set. Holland, who received her first All-Big Ten honor, had five or more blocks in a match 18 times, including a season-high nine three times. She had nine blocks in two big Penn State wins, five-set victories over nationally-ranked opponents Stanford and Oregon.
Elisaia adds the All-Big Ten award to the All-Big West honor she earned during her time at UC Bakersfield before coming to Penn State for her final season. The setter ranks third in the Big Ten in assists/set (10.38) overall and second in Big Ten matches (10.60). An all-around player, Elisaia also contributed 2.24 digs, 0.75 kills and 0.70 blocks/set during the regular season. She was voted Big Ten Setter of the Week three times.
Markley came on strong during the Big Ten portion of the schedule and was voted the conference's Freshman of the Week two times. The outside hitter averaged 2.00 kills/set and 0.40 blocks/set during the regular season. She played a key role in Penn State's successful run up to the postseason, totaling double-digit kills in four of the final five matches. All four of those double-digit kill performances came against nationally-ranked opponents, including 11 on .321 hitting in a four-set win over No. 9 Minnesota. Markley is Penn State's first Big Ten All-Freshman honoree since 2018.
Clark played a pivotal role in Penn State's run to a 42nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Her versatility and ability to play both as a hitter and a blocker helped the Lions early on. She then stepped into a full-time starting role at middle blocker following an injury midway through the season and has been outstanding since that time. Clark ranks fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.366). She hit .374 in conference play and averaged 0.74 blocks/set.
Penn State opens the NCAA Tournament at home Friday with a first-round matchup against UMBC at 7:30 p.m. The winner will play the winner between Yale and UCF in the second round on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
The 2022 Penn State women's volleyball season is presented by McLanahan's.
