Russ Rose Then (1990): “Leanne’s lack of experience prevented her from starting the entire season. Athletically, she’s the best athlete we’ve got. Hopefully, the Sports Festival will open her eyes and she’ll learn what we need from her. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to rely on her this season. We do need her.
1990 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: If not for teammate JoAnn Elwell, Leanne Kling would have been recognized as collegiate volleyball’s premier hitter in 1990 … her .4373 hitting percentage was 2nd nationally to Elwell’s .4833, a mark that is the 4th-highest all-time … Kling’s percentage ranks 8th in NCAA Division I history .. . a First-Team All-Atlantic 10 and Second-Team All-Mideast Region selection in her 1st season as a starter … was 2nd (behind Elwell) on the A-10 blocks per/set chart … named to the Penn State Preview and Penn State Classic all-tournament teams .
Season Recap: Played in 42 of 45 matches and 126 of 140 sets … totaled 320 kills (3rd on the team) … led the team in block assists (128), was 2nd in solo block (36) and total blocks (164), and 3rd in service aces (28) … twice named as A-10 Player-of-the-Week … registered 10 or more kills 13 times … season-highs: 18 kills vs . Pittsburgh (Oct. 14), 9 digs (four times) and 10 blocks vs. Southern Illinois … competed at the 1990 National Sports Festival.
Before Penn State: Kling was recognized by Volleyball Monthly as one of the top 50 collegiate prospects in the country … a middle blocker and 4-time all-conference selection at Shippensburg HS, she earned First Team All-State honors her senior season … competed in the inaugural Pennsylvania East-West all-star match … member of the Cenn-Penn junior team … won gold medal in the 300-meter hurdles and captured the silver in the 100-meter hurdles in the 1989 state track and field championships … also ran on 4x 100 relay team which claimed the bronze medal. .. earned 4 letters as a basketball forward.
