Penn State women’s volleyball captains Jonni Parker and Gabby Blossom fielded questions from the media Wednesday afternoon during the first player press conferences of the 2021 spring season.

Blossom and Parker discussed their anticipation for the upcoming season and shed light on several of their new teammates like freshmen Annie Cate Fitzpatrick and Maddy Bilinovic and Memphis transfer Hannah Flowers.

Parker earned a spot on the preseason All-Big Ten team alongside Penn State middle blockers Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray. The Nittany Lions open their season Friday at 6 p.m. against Michigan in Ann Arbor. Below, find the full transcripts from Parker and Blossom’s press conferences.

Jonni Parker

Q: I wanted to ask you about the masks and everything. I asked coach [Rose] yesterday if they had to pay any extra attention to you with your hearing aids. What has that experience been like? How have you had to adjust?

“Honestly, it hasn’t been that bad. I just have to kind of pay attention to what mask I wear. The gaiters have been great. They don’t sit on my ear, so they don’t affect my hearing aids as much, but there are some times — like if I were to wear a normal cloth mask — if the straps are thicker, they sit right on top of my hearing aids and that sometimes causes difficulties, but honestly, it hasn’t been that bad. All my teammates and coaches, it’s still, ‘Huh? What did you say?’ Because we all read lips when we’re in the gym and stuff like that. It hasn’t been that bad and everyone’s been really great about working with each other if they can’t hear or don’t know what each other says.”

Q: What was your reaction when you guys finally got your schedule and the season was finally coming to fruition?

“When the schedule first came out, I was like, ‘Alright, it’s happening. Let’s go. Let’s get to work.’ We’re all really excited for the season to finally be here. When we got the schedule, it was like it was real. We knew it was happening. We were excited. We got in the gym and got to work and that’s been our attitude ever since. Let’s have some fun and finally see someone else across the net, but we’re all really excited.”

Q: What were some creative ways you were able to train this offseason and how was it having extra time with family?

“Well, one, for the training for the offseason, it was kind of nice because you got to spend a little extra time fine-tuning things that you wouldn’t normally get to and working on different connections with different players. Since we did lose seniors last year like Kendall [White], Tori [Gorrell], Kristin [Krause], Keeton [Holcomb], and [Emily Sciorra], it was nice to spend a little extra time getting to play next to new people. That was nice. And spending time with family is, of course, always great. Family is very important to me in particular, and being able to spend a little extra time with them was even more great.”

Q: Now that you’re entering your junior season, you’re obviously a leader in the locker room. What’s it been like helping the team’s eight newcomers get acclimated to playing in Rec Hall and training in the offseason under such strange circumstances?

“I love helping them. If they ask questions, I’m glad they’re asking questions. I remember when I was younger, the older players did the same for me. It’s kind of nice to see — with gameday approaching this weekend, you can see the excitement — and not an overwhelming feeling, but like an, ‘I can’t believe it’s happening’ look in their eyes. It’s nice to be able to see that excitement and you’re like, ‘Yes! Get excited!’ It’s fun to play. The freshmen and the transfers have been really great, so it’s really nice to get to work with them.”

Q: When everything went to Zoom, was that more of an adjustment for you? Do you rely on lip-reading and do masks hurt that? How was your schooling maybe different from anybody else’s if it was?

“Honestly, I don’t think it was that much different. I guess with Zoom, I can turn it up as loud as I want, so that was a thing, but as far as the whole lip-reading thing, when we would play and the gyms would be loud and overwhelming and you couldn’t exactly hear certain things from the bench, that was one reason I always used lip-reading. But now, I guess, there are no fans or not as many fans, at least, so it will be a little easier to hear them. And my teammates always help me the same way communicating across the net or from the bench to the net and player-to-player, so honestly, it hasn’t affected me that much.”

Q: What are the biggest challenges of this consolidated schedule and how do you feel about playing these back-to-backs?

“As far as back-to-back play, the Big Ten conference is one of the few conferences that does normally play back-to-back. It could be easier in the sense that we only have to scout one team for a weekend. You don’t have to worry about two different teams for back-to-back nights, so that might be a little different. As far as traveling, it may be a little easier on people’s bodies and the mentality side of things. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see the first couple weekends if it’s different with different teams or the same teams. As far as the back-to-backs, you just have to make sure your body’s right, your mind’s right, and definitely just trust your instincts and go out there and have fun.”

Q: What stands out to you most about fellow Ohioan Maddy Bilinovic as a player and a person?

“Maddy’s great. She came in guns blazing. She went after everything. She was talking all the time on the court and was always getting extra reps — willing to help with anybody, coming in extra. She’s a great player and is always talking in the gym. You can always hear her no matter where she’s at on or off the court. She’s a great defender and passer and I can’t wait to see what she does this season.”

Q: Do you think the team’s mindset has changed at all entering the season after 400 days off and such a strange offseason?

“Wow, I didn’t know it was that many days off. It’s weird to hear that. Honestly, when we first heard we didn’t have a fall season, it was a little heartbreaking, but after that, we were like, ‘Well, let’s use this time to get better. Every day, let’s get better, let’s find something new to work on.’ Ever since then, it’s been excitement. Let’s get better. Let’s work hard always. Now that it’s getting even closer, everybody’s getting amped up even more.”

Q: You’ve been around some really good players in your time here at Penn State. How do you think this team stacks up and what sets it apart?

“This year’s team is definitely going to be up there. Each year, your goal is to leave the team better than it was the year before. I think that’s a mentality for a lot of Penn State players. You want to win a championship. You want to leave the team better than when you were younger. Right now, we don’t have any true seniors. We have one grad student. We’ll have a lot of experience this year and this next coming year of learning the game and stuff like that, so I’m excited to see where it takes us.”

Q: How has Gabby Blossom grown as a setter and what’s your relationship like with her as fellow captains?

“Gabby’s awesome. We can talk about anything and everything to help make the team better — better for each other, better for the coaches. As a setter, she always wants feedback, which is great, no matter good or bad. Especially with the middles, she’s constantly talking with the middles [about] ways to make them better and be available. Honestly, she wants to be the best she can be on the court. That’s what anybody wants. So she’s going to demand that from everybody.”

Q: How frustrating was it to live in a sense of uncertainty through the fall? What are the emotions now that it’s back?

“Like I said in the beginning, it was definitely heartbreaking and kind of unnerving, upsetting, but as time went on, we all kind of developed the attitude where you don’t know what’s going to happen and there’s going to be times when you may have people, you may not. It’s different things. We kind of developed the attitude where we have to be able to adjust. We have to be able to make changes on the spot. That’s what we grew into. Being comfortable with the uncomfortable situations. I think that’s what we’re all fighting for now. It’s just being able to adapt, being able to persevere through situations. I think a lot of us have grown through this time period as people on and off the court.”

Q: What’s it like being a role model for Katie [Schumacher-Cawley] and Dennis [Hohenshelt’s] kids?

“Their children are adorable and I love when we can see them. We see them or hear from them more often than some other children, especially now with no fans. It’s nice that we still have those kids out there who look up to us and we have people to be role models for. Lately, you don’t hear much of that anymore just because of COVID and not being able to do much. It’s nice to hear that there are still people who look up to us and are rooting for us from home.”

Q: Do you ever think about how short the break is going to be after this season and how that can impact both this season and next season?

“From here on until the end of the year, it’s going to be some crazy times, I’m sure, but that’s what we’ve been training for. We’ve been training our bodies and our minds to make sure we grow through whatever we can. We’re going to play this season as hard as we can, and then come that small break, we’re going to train and get stronger and prepare for fall.”

Q: If Penn State had a beach volleyball team, who would you choose to be your partner and why?

“I think I would have to pick either Jenna Hampton or Emily Oerther, because they both have that ball control, they both can swing and place a ball. They’re great defenders and they both played sand before, so their experience would help me out, whereas Ohio, we don’t see that as often.”

Q: What went into picking No. 9?

“No. 9 has always just been a family number. It’s been my number since I can remember. I remember when I played basketball when I was little, I was upset because I couldn’t be No. 9. The No. 9 has always been in my family, and it will be forever.”

Gabby Blossom

Q: How does having two straight matches against the same opponent change anything and what are some of the difficulties that could come with that?

“It’s definitely going to be different. We’re used to playing one team and then traveling that same night to a different city to play a different team, so I guess this weekend will be a test of that. I think in the Big Ten it will be a challenge because every team is really good, so playing the same team back-to-back that’s really good could be a challenge, but it will be nice to be in the same city twice. You don’t have to travel right after a game. But I think we’re just really excited to play, so any opportunity we get to play, we’re excited for it.”

Q: What are Hannah Flowers’ best traits as a player and what kind of role do you expect her to play this season?

“Hannah Flowers is great. She’s a grad student. She’s actually from St. Louis where I’m from, so I’ve known her for a while, but to now be teammates with her is just amazing. It’s really cool. She’s mature. She’s a good hitter. I think she does everything really well. I think she does her job well. She’s a really encouraging, positive person and brings a lot of energy to the gym, so I’m excited to get to play with her.”

Q: Has it been hard acclimating eight newcomers to the team this offseason given how strange it’s been?

“I think one of the good things, if you can say, from COVID is we got a long time to bond before we go out and play a game. I think every year brings new things with new people, but we did have eight, which is a lot of people. I came in with a class of eight. We got to know people really well. We got to know our teammates really well. The COVID bubble really makes it that we’re just together and it’s our team. I think it was really nice that we got to know people really well in a short amount of time.”

Q: What was your reaction when you guys finally got your schedule and you came to this realization that the season was happening after this long delay?

“Oh, my goodness. It was amazing. I think, as an athlete, you love to play more than anything. Finally getting the schedule and the news that we were good to go was incredible. We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, so we’re just really lucky we get to play.”

Q: What do you love most about playing volleyball?

“I love how much of a team sport volleyball is. I love my teammates. I’ve been lucky that I’ve loved my teammates from club to high school to college. I think it’s so special and that’s probably my favorite thing about volleyball. I love how competitive it is and I love that it’s a true team sport. I have really great teammates who go through all the ups and the downs with me.”

Q: Have you thought about the idea that next season is going to start so soon after this one ends and how you’re going to handle that transition?

“No, I honestly haven’t. I’m excited to play, so if it’s back-to-back, it’s back-to-back. I think we’re just excited that we’re playing right now and what comes down the road is going to happen. We’re just going to need to be how we are now just expecting things to change and get news on the fly, but I think just the opportunity to compete is amazing and we’re really excited. If we do that back-to-back, that will be great.”

Q: Now that 400 days have passed since Penn State last took the court and the offseason has been so long and so many things have changed, do you think the team’s mindset has changed at all entering this season?

“No, I think it’s just an excitement. I think if we were playing in August like normal, if we’re playing in January like we are in two days, I think that excitement is always there. I think the first weekend is so exciting and so new, especially having a new team, it will just be fun to play a different team. It’s definitely crazy, but the excitement is taking over anything else right now.”

Q: How do you strike a balance between the predetermined and improvised aspects of the game?

“I think that’s what’s exciting about volleyball is something is always happening. I think that makes it fun to watch but even more fun to play. When you get older, you realize you control what you can control. The outside stuff, you’ve just got to let it go and handle it. I think it’s more of a mindset. You know nothing is going to be perfect. Nothing you practice is going to be perfect. It goes back to control what you can control.”

Q: What’s been the most challenging part of all the COVID protocols and everything you’ve had to follow and how does that change the dynamics of your practices and how you prepare for matches?

“The first thing we had to get used to was the mask, because I know, me personally and most of my teammates, we had never worn a mask when we worked out or played volleyball. It was getting used to that. We had an incredible staff that really helped us integrate into that. Since we came back this summer, we had team Zooms all throughout quarantine and we knew that we had to be willing to adapt on the fly and just handle anything that comes at us. Again, that goes back to having a really great staff and really great teammates is knowing that we were in it together. We knew that if we did everything we could that we had a chance of having this season. Everything was working toward being able to play a game, so I think we’re just really excited. We kind of knew it was going to be a lot of change and a lot of things coming really fast and changing day-to-day. We’re still being told that things can change day-to-day, but again, we have really great people who help us through it.”

Q: What stands out to you most about Annie Cate Fitzpatrick as a player and a person?

“AC is great. Not having a season in the fall semester, it just let us as a team have great relationships with each other. I think she’s great. She brings a ton of energy. She goes really hard. Some people might say she’s small, but I would take her on my team any day. I love her. I think she brings so much to the team and I’m really excited for her Penn State career and that I get to be a part of it.”

Q: What adjustments do you think the team will need to make without big Penn State crowds in Rec Hall every weekend or intimidating crowds on the road?

“That’s probably the saddest part about COVID is that we don’t get the fans and the crowds in the gym like we’re used to. I know we have a great following that will be watching us online and we love that and we’re so lucky. I think that’s one of the reasons Penn State volleyball’s the way it is is because of all the support we get, but it’s definitely going to be sad. It’s going to be weird being in Rec Hall without the crowd and the band and just everyone who makes it so special for us. Again, we knew that. That’s something we knew with COVID that if we were going to play, we had to understand there probably wasn’t going to be a crowd. It makes us have to control our own energy. That’s something we talk a lot about at practice is there’s not going to be the 5,000 fans at Rec Hall who are giving us energy and motivation. It’s going to have to be us. It’s definitely going to be different, but we’re just lucky we get to play. On the road, the same thing. Big Ten volleyball has a great following no matter where you are. It’s definitely going to be different, but we’re just really excited to play.”

Q: If Penn State had a beach volleyball team, who would you choose to be your partner and why?

“We really honestly never play beach. We play some in the summer just for fun. If I had to pick anyone, I would probably pick Jenna [Hampton] for multiple reasons. One, she’s from Florida and she grew up playing beach a little bit. Another reason is she’s good all the way around. She used to be an outside in high school, so she can do all the skills really well, and she’s one of my best friends. To be able to play with her would be fun, but honestly, I would play with anyone on my team and have a really good time.”

Q: If a high school setter asked you for advice on the fundamentals, what would you tell them is most important?

“I have a couple things. No. 1, I would just say be confident. I think being a setter, one of the hardest things is to be confident. Just because there’s so much going on and there’s so much on you to make sure everything is going well, but if you’re the setter, there’s faith in you from your coaches and your teammates, so you have to have faith in yourself and confidence that you can do what you do and confidence in your training. But I think fundamentally, what I was always taught and what I always go back to is just get square. Square up to your target. I think that’s something that stays with you from the time you’ve just learned volleyball to me right now being a college setter is just make sure you’re square to your target, but more than anything, just be confident and have fun.”

Q: What has your experience been like as a member of Penn State’s Student Athlete Advisory Board?

“I love SAAB. I was lucky I joined it last year with Kristin [Krause] and Emily [Sciorra], who are now graduated and doing amazing things post-volleyball and post-Penn State. It’s just a great opportunity to get to know and interact with other athletes and there’s a lot of cool, different sections of SAAB that allow us to be involved with the community and the school and just different networks of people. It allows us to make a difference, which I think is one of the best parts of being an athlete, especially in a community like Penn State.”