Jonni Parker Among 30 Candidates For Senior CLASS Award

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball co-captain Jonni Parker is among 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award.

Parker is joined on the list by several other Big Ten standouts, including Wisconsin’s Sydney Hilley and Dana Rettke, Michigan’s Paige Jones, and Nebraska’s Lexi Sun, whose Huskers will play Parker and Penn State Friday at 7 p.m. at Rec Hall.

Parker has been Penn State’s most consistent player on offense in 2021 and is well on her way to leading the Nittany Lions in kills for the fourth straight season. The Casstown, Ohio, native has 182 kills and 88 digs heading into a highly anticipated match against No. 10 Nebraska.

Parker, an early childhood education major, is in the midst of her student teaching this fall at an area elementary school. Russ Rose gave his thoughts on Parker becoming a teacher earlier this week during his Tuesday press conference.

“I think she’ll be a great teacher because I just think she’s such a positive, upbeat person who, whatever group she interacts with, whether it’s young people or older people or people with hearing disabilities, she does the right thing, says the right thing,” Rose said. “It’s been great having her in the program.”

Parker is an excellent representative of the Penn State community. Her positive influence on the next generation of girls’ volleyball players and young people in general is visible every time Parker signs autographs, poses for photos, and chats with fans after matches.

Florida’s Thayer Hall, Utah’s Dani Drews, Pitt’s Kayla Lund, UCLA’s Mac May, Baylor’s Avery Skinner, and Kentucky’s Alli Stumler are other notable names on the list of 30 candidates, which will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season. Penn State great and Olympic gold medalist Haleigh Washington won the award in 2017.