Penn State women’s volleyball held its 12th weekly media availability of the 2021 season Tuesday afternoon before practice at Rec Hall.

Russ Rose and senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord answered questions ahead of Penn State’s road matches at Michigan and Michigan State this weekend. The Nittany Lions remained No. 15 for the second week in a row in the latest AVCA rankings after beating the Wolverines 3-1 and the Spartans 3-2 at Rec Hall.

Hord set a new career high with 24 kills Saturday night against Michigan State, hitting .535 in the win. Hord finished the weekend with 38 kills and 11 total blocks, helping the Nittany Lions improve to 17-7 on the season and 10-4 in Big Ten play. Hord has surpassed 20 kills three times this season.

Russ Rose

How would you assess Gabby Blossom and Jenna Hampton’s performance last weekend?

“I think there’s always a correlation between how one can impact the other. When Jenna plays well, it enables Gabby to have more options to do what we would like her to be able to do, but certainly I thought Jenna played well in both matches, as did Kait. I thought Adanna [Rollins] was exceptional on Friday night, and had a good match Saturday, but was exceptional on Friday. We need those sort of performances as we head down the stretch run, because everybody in the conference is talented and everybody’s playing for something. Part of sports is stepping up when needed.”

Having already played Michigan, what are some things that you learned from that match and what does the team need to focus on heading into Friday?

“They’re always really good at the things they do well. The outside hitters were on, and when they’re on, they’re capable of beating anyone. I thought they had a great match on Sunday against Maryland at a really challenging place to play. They had five hitting errors as a team. Maryland, which was leading the conference in blocking, had zero blocks. I think [Paige] Jones and [Jess] Mruzik are exceptional at their position. [May] Pertofsky was hurt last week when we played and [Kendall] Murray played. Murray played great. She blocked well. She hit really for a good number of kills and hitting percentage. They’re very strong, as are all the teams in the conference. It’s certainly a quick turnaround, so it’s not a week where I have to spend all of my time trying to come up with a new game plan, but there are some things that I think we’ll have to do better, because everybody plays better at home. That’s just the nature of the conference.”

What impresses you about Michigan State and Naya Gros, in particular?

“Michigan State is always a real handful, just because of how physical they are. I think her blocking is good, but I think her slide hitting is as good as any of the middles in the conference. That’s probably as big an impact as she makes in blocking is her ability to score as an attacker. Last year, when we played at Michigan State, [Sarah] Franklin didn’t play, but I had seen video of her. Now, after seeing her live, she’s just really an exceptional talent who takes a big swing at the ball. I really liked everything about her game.”

Terry Pettit mentioned joyful play as a common denominator among championship teams. What are your thoughts on that notion?

“Well, I would say that would be a nice goal. I think Terry is certainly right, and I would say, on some of our best teams here at Penn State, we had a certain level of joyful participation in things. But winning is stressful and competitive in nature. Sometimes, joy and competition maybe don’t really run parallel, but certainly if one were to say something as a talking head, that would be a good statement.”

You weren’t able to take a foreign tour this summer. What are the importance of those trips and do you anticipate them coming back in the future?

“Well, you know, it’s funny that you ask that, because I sent a memo out and requested about it today. I think foreign tours are really beneficial for teams, because it gives teams, in some cases, extra practice time. I never really embraced the value of the extra practice time, I just always thought going to a foreign country and playing volleyball and having the players have an opportunity to experience something different was always beneficial to team development as much as play. We’ve been on a number of them, and we’re two years past when we wanted to go on our last one, so COVID has certainly had an impact on the industry, whoever is involved in that industry.  It kind of messes up some athletes that they don’t get to have the foreign tour in their career, because their calendar is going to run out as far as being in college when the school revisits their next foreign trip.”

How have you seen Kaitlyn Hord elevate her game this season?

“I think Kaitlyn is doing a real nice job offensively. She’s always been a really strong blocker. I think part of the next step for her, in my mind, is just taking a more active leadership role in the team’s welfare and development. I think, a week ago, she was in the top one or two in the conference in hitting percentage, so that’s kind of a good indication of the impact she has. It’s tough when your middle has the most kills, though. That’s tough to carry over. There are other formulas, I think, in my years coaching, that give you a better chance of success than your middle leading the team in kills.”

What are some things that Adanna Rollins is doing well lately, especially against Michigan?

“I just thought she played with a lot of confidence and had a little more pep in her step. She had a different role at Minnesota. The teams that she played on were really good, and her role on those teams was to keep them being really good. Here, she has some other responsibilities. We need a little more offense out of her than they required at Minnesota, but she had great training there, so it’s not like we have to start over again. I was really pleased how well she played, because we’re missing a couple people at some key positions, so it’s great when somebody steps up.”

What was it like when the team finally scored that ninth point and you heard the noise from the Rec Hall crowd?

“That’s a great event to be a part of and it’s good to bring some attention to that community. Not just Jonni, but we have a manager who also is hearing-impaired. I thought it was a good bit of noise. We were waiting. I’m glad we weren’t down 20-9 when it happened, but I saw that it was the second time we did it when Michigan State visited. It’s not like we’re planning to do it with Michigan State, it just was arbitrarily selected, I guess.”

I understand you play golf. Have you ever had a hole-in-one?

“No, unfortunately I’ve never had a hole-in-one, but I’ve played with people who have. I’ve never witnessed one live. I was in Florida a few years back and played with three older guys. Each of them had multiple holes-in-one, so maybe it’s in my future.”

Do you anticipate any of the seniors coming back next season?

“We’ve had a conversation with a couple of them. A couple of them have plans to do something else. We’re still talking with some about if this is the right thing for them to go on and continue to do. You’ve got to be all in to do it, so that’s probably the most important thing.”

Allie Holland has shown some nice efficiency this season. How have you seen her learn from Kaitlyn and improve her game?

“Well, I think Allie works really hard. I think good things happen when you work really hard. They’re not similar athletically. They play the same position, but they’re two different types of individuals. I think Allie works hard. I think she’s learning and there’s probably a lot of pressure on her to have to perform, because she has to play. There’s no real sub at that position. Well, that’s not true. I guess there is a sub. Katie Clark could go in. I think Allie is continuing to develop. Everybody responds differently. I’m sure some players would respond to people being real warm and fuzzy. I’m just more of a direct person and tell the players, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do to be better. This is what the team needs from you.’ The statistics are indicating whether you’re meeting those expectations or exceeding them or below what the expectations are. I think that’s part of life. You can’t always surround yourself with rainbows and butterflies.”

How much time do you spend on skill-building and scrimmaging in practice?

“At the beginning of the year, we spend more time on it. I think, as the season progresses, we spend less time on it. If we had unlimited practice time, I would spend more time on it and still try and have some time allocated for team development, because I think, at the end of the day, you need all of those things. I don’t think you can learn skills through playing, but I think there are certain attributes that players have to have based on the position that they play that requires some individual time to polish up that skill set.”

Kaitlyn Hord

How would you assess Gabby and Jenna’s performance last weekend?

“They played really well and are super deserving of those honors. I’m sure everyone saw Jenna’s insane little flip into the crowd, and then Gabby had like 100-and-some assists and another double-double. They’re just super deserving of it, because they always play hard.”

You seem to be able to adjust and hang in the air pretty well. Is that something you’ve always done?

“Yeah, I guess I’ve always had a little bit of hangtime. I used to play basketball as a kid and liked to block shots. I think that’s kind of the same concept as the three-step approach, then you have a little time to watch where the ball is and where the defense is. It kind of carries over a little bit.”

What was the team’s reaction to Jonni starting her new non-profit organization Chasing Greatness? How excited are you for her?

“Super excited. I got asked this question in the press conference [after the Michigan State match] and I just said that Jonni’s a great human being and it’s a great cause. Anything we can do to help her, we’re going to be right behind her.”

What’s your relationship like with fellow Lexington native Taylor Trammell of Purdue?

“We played on the same high school team and in the same club. I’m super proud of her and have watched her come a long way. She’s doing some great things. I’m very proud of her.”

How have you seen Allie Holland improve this season? You have two of the top hitting percentages in the conference.

“I mentioned before that she’s just a great blocker, and now she’s adding that slide to her game, and she’s super effective with it. Obviously, it’s shown in her numbers. She’s adding a lot more pieces to her game, so it’s exciting to watch.”

How have you seen Erika Williams coming along so far this season in practice?

“She was hurt, but now she’s starting to actually do things in practice. She’s a great player. She’s super fast. Again, a really good blocker. She’s really speedy in her attack, so it will be exciting to watch her in the upcoming years as a middle and watch her progress.”

How important is joyful play out on the court and just having a good time with your teammates?

“I think that’s the only way to stay sane. If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be doing it. Joyful play is I think the only way you should play volleyball.”

What motivates you?

“I have a lot of things that motivate me, but the main one is just making my parents proud and showing them that all the past club tournaments they drove me to and spent all that gas money on is actually worth it.”

Do you have pro volleyball aspirations whenever your career at Penn State wraps up?

“Yeah, pro volleyball and then hopefully Olympics and a gold medal. That’s in the back burner of my mind all the time.”

What are some things you’ve learned from watching Haleigh Washington play?

“Some things she’s good at that I wish was easier said than done is just her fire. I’m not much of an emotional person, but she sure is, on and off the court. I think that that helps her teammates get fired up and everything, so that’s something that I love to watch when she plays is just the fire behind her game. Very impressive to watch.”

How have you seen Quinn Menger improve? She seems to be serving a lot lately.

“Quinn has a heck of a serve. It has a lot of movement. Her defensive play is getting a lot stronger, too. Very excited to see her improve in these upcoming years and the rest of this season, too, and get some time out there.”

What stands out to you about Michigan and Michigan State having already played them?

“Definitely the pipe. That’s something that we’re not used to seeing, just because a lot of teams are outside-heavy. These teams, when their outsides go backrow, they’re still feeding them the ball. Of course, [Sarah] Franklin from Michigan State is a really good player — very intense to play against, but made it a good match. She’s just an all-around solid player.”