UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Four Nittany Lions earned Big Ten postseason awards, as announced by the conference this morning. Penn State women's volleyball highlighted the All-Big Ten team as one of just two programs to have at least three selections.
Senior Megan Courtney and redshirt senior Aiyana Whitney earned spots on the All-Big Ten team, joined by sophomore Haleigh Washington, who was tabbed a unanimous selection. Senior Kendall Pierce rounded out the group as Penn State's sportsmanship honoree.
Penn State and Minnesota were the only two teams to garner three All-Big Ten selections, while Wisconsin and Nebraska each had two honorees apiece. Including Penn State, this year's All-Big Ten team features 14 student-athletes from eight different programs in the conference.
Whitney earns her second consecutive postseason award, having been named an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2014. The 2014 Second Team AVCA All-American has made significant contributions to Nittany Lion offense this season, having started all 31 matches. Ranked second on the team with 3.09 kills per set, she's posted double digit kills in 10 of the last 16 matches, including seven of the last nine outings. Her .346 hitting percentage also ranks second on the team and seventh in the conference. Whitney's also ranked second on the team with 1.15 blocks per set, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten standings. She's posted at least two blocks in all but two matches this season, highlighting the year with a career-high outing in 3-2 win at Michigan, totaling 18 kills and eight blocks.
Washington also garners her second straight conference postseason honor. The 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was frequently among the nation's best in hitting efficiency throughout the season. Her .442 hitting percentage presently ranks third nationally, first in the Big Ten and eighth on the Penn State single-season all-time list. In the Nittany Lion record book, her .453 career hitting clip is slated second all-time. Washington's also leading the team with 1.39 blocks per set, helped out by multi-block performances in 30 of Penn State's 31 matches this season. Washington was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times this season and set a career-high mark with 11 total blocks in a win against St. Johns, marking the second highest tally in a single-match 3-set outing in Penn State program history.
Courtney's Big Ten postseason award is the first of her career. The 2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player is presently leading the team with 3.11 kills per set, having recorded double figure kills in 13 matches this season, including eight of the 16 conference matches she played in. Courtney also joined an elite group this year as she became just the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to reach the 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career digs milestone. Courtney highlighted the year with her third career 20-plus kill performance in a 3-2 victory against Minnesota at home in Rec Hall. She followed that match with two more 20-plus dig performances, totaling a career-high 23 digs on the road at Northwestern.
A team captain this year, Pierce's leadership has extended much further than on the volleyball court. A three-time All-Big Ten Academic honoree, she has been a consistent presence in the back row. Having earned four starts at libero this season, she's been in the libero spot for the las three consecutive matches. The 2014-15 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar was also selected as one of 30 candidates nationwide for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. She's also co-president of Penn State's Athlete's Take Action, an anti-bullying program for middle school students.