Former Penn State women[apos]s volleyball Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kaleena Davidson enters her fifth season with the Nittany Lions.
Davidson was the starting libero for the Nittany Lions from 2002-05 and still stands as the all-time career digs leader (1,957) as well as holding the top three single-season dig marks. She returned to Penn State for the 2009 season after spending two years as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston.
[quote]Kaleena has hit the ground running,[quote] said Rose. [quote]She[apos]s familiar with Penn State and has an awareness of how I like to run the program. She understands the expectations I have of both the staff and the players. I think she[apos]ll continue to make those positive contributions. The great advantage of hiring someone from Penn State is that I know they love Penn State and are committed to the program and the players. They want to make sure the players have everything they need to be successfull both athletically and academically. She knows how I am and can be a buffer with young players when they need someone to help them handle the demands I place on my team.[quote]
A native of Mt. Lebanon, Pa., Davidson was a member of the College of Charleston staff whose teams captured two regular-season Southern Conference championships, also winning the tournament title in 2007 and advancing to the NCAA First Round. She coached six all-conference players and two Freshmen of the Year, also assisting in recruiting, player development, game management, team travel and budget along with the day to day management of the volleyball program.
[quote]It has been an honor to be back at Penn State and to work with such an accomplished program,[quote] said Davidson. [quote]Penn State does a great job of supporting our program and players and the team[apos]s success is a large part about the hard work of so many people. Cameron and I have both enjoyed our time here and are looking forward to continuing the traditions of our program and Penn State.[quote]
A 2005 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Davidson helped her Penn State squads to a four-year record of 116-19 and was a member of three Big Ten Championship squads, finishing with a league record of 69-11 and starting the current streak of six consecutive conference championships. Along with her single-season and career digs records, she also owns the single-match records for three, four and five games, setting a school record with 44 digs in a match against Minnesota on Oct. 2, 2004.
Davidson joins a team that returns four starters from last season[apos]s 38-0 National Champion team that set an NCAA record for consecutive games won at 111 and became the first team at any level of NCAA women[apos]s volleyball to close out the regular season without dropping an individual set.
Davidson, formerly Walters, and her husband Cameron, who serves as the team[apos]s strength coach, reside in Bellefonte, Pa.