Former Penn State women[apos]s volleyball Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kaleena Walters begins her first season with the defending national champion Nittany Lions.
Walters 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 comes back to Penn State after spending the last two years as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston under head coach Jason Kepner, a former Nittany Lion men[apos]s volleyball All-American.
[quote]I am excited for Kaleena to return to Penn State,[quote] said head coach Russ Rose. [quote]She was a very passionate student-athlete who worked extremely hard from the minute she arrived on campus and I anticipate that those qualities will continue.[quote]
A native of Mt. Lebanon, Pa., Walters 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]I am both excited and honored to be back at Penn State in this new role,[quote] said Walters. [quote]I have always loved PSU and I am looking forward to contributing to the University and the program once again. It is a great opportunity for me to work with and learn from Coach Rose and (assistant coach) Dennis (Hohenshelt) and to help continue the great run of success that Penn State volleyball has had.[quote]
A 2005 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Walters 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.
Walters 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.