Russ Rose Then (2018): “Kendall’s strength as a player, as always, is her confidence and her competitive nature. With the new roster there is no definitive answer where she’ll have to play defensively, but she is a confident person, and I know she’s a good passer. She’ll have to provide excellent leadership both on and off the floor, and I would expect her to be able to continue to make significant contributions as a player and a leader.”
2018 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: Became first Penn State libero to be named AVCA First Team All-American … was the first Penn State libero to earn All-America honors in back-to-back seasons … voted AVCA All-Northeast Region … voted the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year … unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten selection … earned a spot on the NCAA Palo Alto Regional All-Tournament Team … voted Preseason All-Big Ten … named to the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team …received two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards (10/1, and 11/26).
Season Recap: Played all 34 matches and 118 sets … ranked 3rd in the Big Ten in digs/set (4.73) and 4th in total digs (558) … set the program’s single-season record for digs in the 25-point rally scoring era with 558 and the digs/set record with 4.76 … helped hold opponents to .170 hitting on the season and helped the Lions as a team set the program record in the 25-point era with 14.74 digs/set … averaged 5.43 digs/set against top-50 opponents … recorded two 30-plus dig matches during the season, becoming the first Penn State player to have multiple matches with 30-plus digs in a season … at Purdue (10/10) recorded 27 digs and 5 assists in a 3-1 win … vs. Nebraska (10/13) registered 25 digs and a season-high 3 aces in a 3-2 win … at Nebraska (11/2): finished with 31 assists in a 5-set match … at Illinois (11/10) registered a season-high 32 digs and added 2 aces in a 5-set match … Minnesota (11/23) tallied 27 digs and 1 ace in a 3-2 win … Wisconsin (11/24) finished with 26 digs in a 5-set match.
NCAA Tournament: Appeared in all 4 of Penn State’s NCAA Tournament matches … vs. Howard (11/30) posted 14 digs and 2 aces in the NCAA First Round … vs. Syracuse (12/1) recorded 14 digs in the NCAA Second Round … vs. Washington (12/7) registered 16 digs and 2 aces in a 3-0 win in the NCAA Regional Semifinal.
Before Penn State: Was a 4-year letterwinner at Cathedral … as the team’s libero, helped the Irish become the first Indiana 4A team to post an undefeated record (36-0) in 2015 on the way to an Indiana Class 4A state title … earned Indiana all-state first team honors from 2014-16, as well as second-team laurels in 2013 … picked up all-city honors from 2013-16 … served as team captain at Cathedral in 2015-16, earning team MVP honors in 2016 … selected as the Indy Star Player of the Year and Cathedral’s High School Female Athlete of the Year in 2015-16 … named Indiana’s volleyball Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2015-16 … earned 2015 PrepVolleyball.com High School All-America honors … selected to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA volleyball team in 2015 … played club volleyball with Munciana, earning AAU All-America accolades in 2015-16.
