UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Kennedy Martin was named as one of 14 semifinalists for the AVCA Division I National Player of the Year award on Thursday. The first seven semifinalists were announced, while the next seven will be announced Friday.
Martin is a semifinalist for the sport’s top award for a third-consecutive season, including each of her two seasons with the Nittany Lions. She currently ranks first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in points/set (5.57) and first in the conference and seventh nationally in kills/set (4.85) while hitting .347.
Martin has excelled against top competition this season, hitting .368 while averaging 5.79 kills, 2.62 digs, and 0.79 blocks per set in Penn State’s nine matches against teams that were nationally-ranked at the time of the match, excluding an outdoor match against Kentucky at Wrigley Field.
Penn State is playing its best volleyball of the season during a current eight-match winning streak, and Martin has led the way. The senior is hitting .384 while averaging 5.71 kills. 2.42 digs, and 1.06 blocks per set during that stretch, which includes five wins over nationally-ranked opponents. She was especially strong in a week that the Nittany Lions posted road wins over then-No. 19 Minnesota and then-No. 7 Wisconsin, hitting .500 with 34 kills and 12 digs against the Gophers and .328 with 28 kills, 12 digs, and three aces against the Badgers.
Martin’s play has not gone unnoticed. She earned one AVCA National Player of the Week honor and has won each of the past three Big Ten Player of the Week awards.
The AVCA started naming semifinalists for the Player of the Year Award in 2024. Penn State has had a player make the list in each of the first three seasons, with Jess Mruzik being named as a semifinalist in 2024 and Martin doing so in 2025 and 2026.
The 2026 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.