Kaitlyn Hord, Jonni Parker Named AVCA All-Americans

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball juniors Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker were named AVCA All-Americans for the third straight season Wednesday morning.

Hord earned a spot on the third team following honorable mention and first-team laurels the last two years and was among 42 players who were recognized on the three All-American teams released before tomorrow’s Final Four. Parker received honorable mention for the second season in a row after being named to the third team as a freshman in 2018.

Hord finished third on the team with 147 kills this spring and led Penn State’s defense with 79 total blocks in 16 matches. Her .421 hitting percentage is currently fourth in the Big Ten, as Wisconsin is the only team from the conference remaining in the NCAA tournament.

Hord hit below .300 only twice all season and performed her best in some of Penn State’s biggest matches. The Lexington, Kentucky, native had 23 kills and 17 blocks during the Minnesota series and tallied 13 kills and five blocks against Texas in a 3-1 loss in the Sweet 16 last Sunday.

Parker led the Nittany Lions in kills for the third straight season with 194 and currently sits at 958 heading into the fall. She was outstanding against the Longhorns, tallying a team-high 20 kills, 12 digs, and four blocks. Parker has been extremely reliable since arriving on campus and has started all 83 matches the Nittany Lions have played the last three seasons.

Hord and Parker both received AVCA All-Northeast Region recognition last week and were joined on the All-Big Ten teams by classmate Gabby Blossom, who routinely worked the ball to them in her second season as Penn State’s starting setter. All three will be back this fall and have two years of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA’s pause of individual eligibility clocks.

“We’ve learned a lot this season,” Parker said following the loss to Texas. “It’s been a long season and we’ve seen a lot of growth in a lot of areas. I’m excited to see what we can do, because we have a lot of returning players. The growth and what we’ve learned and the lessons on and off the court we’ll definitely take into this offseason and into this fall. It’s a quick turnaround. I’m excited to see what we can do.”