The tables below show the three middle blockers who are on the Penn State 2026 Spring Roster, along with the three middle blockers (Maggie Mendelson, Jordan Hopp, and Catherine Burke) whose names are in red in the tables and who were on the 2025 roster, but graduated and transferred. The statistics are from Penn State’s 2025 season, except for Ryla Jones, whose statistics are from Pitt’s 2025 season.
The quick take: Although Mendelson and Hopp were big losses at the position, Ryla Jones was a huge get for Coach Katie and her staff. With her 2025 Pitt statistics, she would have ranked second among Penn State’s middles last season at 1.90 points/set (just ahead of Jordan Hopp’s 1.85 points/set), as would her 1.29 kills/set. Her .382 hitting percentage would have been tops among all Penn State’s middles. She also put up impressive blocking statistics — her 1.18 blocks/set would have led Penn State’s middles in 2025.
Gabrielle Nichols,who showed promise in 2025 as a true freshman, is the sole returning middle blocker from Penn State’s 2025 squad. She’ll definitely be in contention for significant playing time in 2026. Newcomer Kendall Northern — ranked #13 nationally by Prep Dig for the 2026 Class — brings impressive credentials from her high school and club career, and was a standout in the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Volleyball Game. She’ll also be in the mix for playing time in 2026.
We’ve also posted stat comparisons for Penn State’s 2026 outside hitters. In the upcoming days we’ll be posting stat comparisons for the rightside hitters, the setters, and the defensive specialists. So check back on DigNittanyVolleyball.com or the DigNittany Forum.
Middle Blocker Offensive Stats
| # | Name | SP | MP | MS | Pts | Pts/S | K | K/S | E | TA | Pct | A | A/S | SA | SA/S | SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Mendelson, Maggie | 108 | 31 | 29 | 285.0 | 2.64 | 237 | 2.19 | 56 | 499 | .363 | 17 | 0.16 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 07 | Jones, Ryla [2025 Season at Pitt] | 83 | 28 | na | 157.5 | 1.90 | 107 | 1.29 | 26 | 212 | .382 | 6 | 0.07 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
| 05 | Hopp, Jordan | 103 | 30 | 26 | 191.0 | 1.85 | 125 | 1.21 | 41 | 271 | .310 | 16 | 0.15 | 12 | 0.12 | 36 |
| 08 | Nichols, Gabrielle | 70 | 26 | 9 | 96 | 1.37 | 68 | 0.97 | 21 | 154 | .305 | 1 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.01 | 6 |
| 23 | Burke, Catherine | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.50 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
| 01 | Northern, Kendall | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
Middle Blocker Defensive Stats
| # | Name | SP | MP | MS | BA | BS | Blk | Blk/S | BE | Digs | Digs/S | RE | BHE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 | Jones, Ryla [2025 Season at Pitt] | 83 | 28 | na | 95 | 3 | 98 | 1.18 | 7 | 17 | 0.20 | 2 | 0 |
| 05 | Hopp, Jordan | 103 | 30 | 26 | 84 | 12 | 96 | 0.93 | 9 | 34 | 0.33 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Mendelson, Maggie | 108 | 31 | 29 | 86 | 5 | 91 | 0.84 | 4 | 26 | 0.24 | 0 | 0 |
| 08 | Nichols, Gabrielle | 70 | 26 | 9 | 44 | 5 | 49 | 0.70 | 1 | 10 | 0.14 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Burke, Catherine | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.67 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 01 | Northern, Kendall | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |