The American Volleyball Coaches Association released the first group of players named to the 2025 Division I Watch List for Player of the Year Award. After Penn State women's volleyball won the Big Ten and national championship titles, it's no surprise that the Nittany Lions are one of four schools with two selectees in group one.
The watch list began its reveal Tuesday, July 22, naming players in no particular order. All of Penn State's selections were named on the first day with eight other women. Players not on the original preseason watch list can still be added throughout the season. Midseason additions will be announced in October followed by November's semifinalists list. Dec. 15 is the likely date for the AVCA to release the finalists and the Player of the Year will be announced in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 19.
Penn State women's volleyball setter Izzy Starck and right side hitter Kennedy Martin named to Watch List for Player of the Year Award
Setter Izzy Starck and right side hitter Kennedy Martin were Penn State's selectees to the Player of the Year watch list.
Starck is the youngest player out of the first group as a sophomore. She was named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, AVCA East Coast region Freshman of the Year, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2024. The setter also made the AVCA All-American second team, All-Big Ten first-team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She was also voted to the NCAA State College Regional All-Tournament Team.
As a freshman, Starck played all 135 sets and started 37 matches, finishing with 1,483 assists in the season, which is the most by any Nittany Lion since 2008. She had 40-plus assists in 20 matches and 50-plus assists in five matches. On top of her assists, Starck recorded 342 digs, 112 kills, 99 total blocks, and 19 aces. She had a 0.268 average attack percentage as well.
Martin is a new face to Happy Valley. She transferred from Florida after the 2024-25 season. With the Gators as a sophomore, she made the AVCA All-American first-team, VolleyballMag All-American first-team, All-SEC first-team, and Louisville Region All-Tournament Team. The right side hitter was also an AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award semifinalist. For the first time in program history, she was named the All-Southeast Region Player of the Year. Martin was the NCAA Division I statistical champion for Points Per Set as well.
She played in 92 sets and started in 24 matches. Martin missed five due to an ankle sprain, but still recorded 512 kills with a .362 average attack percentage. She had an additional 146 digs, 64 blocks, 31 aces, and six assists in 2024. In every match at Florida (both as a freshman and sophomore), she tallied double-digit kills. In 53 matches, Martin became the fastest Gator to reach 1,000 career kills.
UCLA outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li, Creighton University outside hitter Ava Martin, Oklahoma outside hitter Alexis Shelton, Pittsburgh right side hitter Olivia Babcock and middle blocker Bre Kelley, and Texas A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and right side hitter Logan Lednicky were the other women named in group one.