Kennedy Martin Transfers To Penn State Volleyball

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

First-Team All-American Picks Penn State

Kennedy Martin announced her transfer from Florida to Penn State women’s volleyball on Wednesday morning, as the 6-foot-6 pin hitter from Fort Mill, South Carolina, picked the Nittany Lions over several other top programs.

A two-time AVCA All-American, Martin earned second-team recognition as a true freshman in 2023 and first-team accolades in 2024. She led Division I in points per set last season (6.28) and was one of only two players to finish above 6.0 in that stat category (Evansville’s Giulia Cardona was the other at 6.24). Martin, who was a semifinalist for the 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year, has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Martin shared the news on her Instagram account, saying, “I’m thrilled to announce my commitment to Penn State to continue my volleyball journey! This opportunity means the world to me, and I’m so thankful for everyone who helped me get here — my coaches, teammates, family, and friends. Your support has made all the difference. I can’t wait to be a part of such a strong and storied program.”

Graphic: C Mathias

Photo via: Kennedy Martin/Instagram

Martin visited Penn State’s campus earlier this week and also reportedly made a trip to the University of Wisconsin since entering the transfer portal on May 1, the first day of the two-week spring window for women’s volleyball players that closes May 15.

Martin donned her new Penn State uniform for a photo shoot with her parents at Rec Hall and toured University Park with the coaching staff. Her father, Ruvell Martin, played nine seasons with five different teams as a wide receiver in the NFL from 2004-12.

Standout at Florida and in High School

Martin missed several matches last season due to an ankle injury and still finished with 512 kills in 24 matches (5.57 per set). She hit .362 in 2024 — up from .298 as a freshman — and will arrive at Penn State with 1,159 points, 1,004 kills, 356 digs, 176 total blocks, 62 aces (31 per season), and 18 assists.

Martin had a career-high 33 kills on December 7 in a 3-2 win on the road at Kansas in the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. The full match replay (as well as just the fifth set) can be found at the bottom of this article for those who want to watch what Martin can do at her very best.

The Gators lost to Stanford in four sets in the Sweet 16 before head coach Mary Wise announced her retirement after 34 seasons in Gainesville on February 6, 2025. Martin was the first player in Florida program history to be named AVCA Southeast Region Player of the Year as a sophomore. Martin stuck around for the spring semester under new head coach Ryan Theis, whose Marquette squad lost to Penn State in four sets in the Sweet 16 at Rec Hall December 13, but ultimately decided to enter the portal and go elsewhere to finish her college career.

Martin was one of 12 players who won gold medals with USA volleyball at the 2024 NORCECA Women’s U21 Continental Championship last June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The U.S. swept all five matches on its way to the gold, beating Puerto Rico in the championship. Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye, Texas’ Ramsey Gary, and Nebraska’s Andi Jackson and Bergen Reilly were some of the other notable players on that team.

As a senior at Nation Ford High School in 2022, Martin took home Gatorade South Carolina Volleyball Player of the Year honors. New teammates Izzy Starck (Florida) and Maggie Mendelson (Utah) also previously received Gatorade State Player of the Year nods.

Transfer Portal Success Continues for Coach Katie

Martin is the third player to join the Nittany Lions via the transfer portal this offseason, as fellow pin hitter Emmi Sellman (previously at Ohio State) and setter Addie Lyon (Saint Louis) committed to Penn State on December 16 and January 18, respectively. Sellman, a rising sophomore, enrolled in classes at Penn State ahead of the spring semester, while Lyon, a fifth-year senior, just wrapped up her degree this week and will arrive in State College soon.

Martin, Sellman, and rising redshirt sophomore Caroline Jurevicius, who was instrumental in Penn State winning its eighth NCAA national championship in 2024, will give Starck quite the trio of starting pin hitters at her disposal. Starck, the fifth player in Penn State program history to be named AVCA National Freshman of the Year last fall, led Division I with 1,483 assists during her dazzling debut campaign.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley and her staff have arguably utilized the transfer portal better than any other program in college volleyball, as transfers Jess Mruzik, Camryn Hannah, Taylor Trammell, and Caroline Jurevicius were all on the floor for championship point in Louisville, Kentucky, last December, and the NCAA title wouldn’t be back in Happy Valley without them, nor without Maggie Mendelson and Jordan Hopp.

Martin coincidentally made her collegiate debut against the Nittany Lions with a match-high 18 kills, 11 digs, and five total blocks at Amalie Arena in the Road 2 Tampa Bay Invitational that began the 2023 season. Florida prevailed 3-1 against Penn State that night in Tampa. Now, she’s a Nittany Lion.