The nation’s best women’s volleyball team was given a nice collection of hardware by the Big Ten on Tuesday.
No. 1 Penn State saw Simone Lee honored as the Player of the Year and Haleigh Washington was the Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the conference coaches — fitting since the senior pair paced the Nittany Lions all season, though they had a lot of help.
“It’s a collective effort,” said Russ Rose, who was named the Coach of the Year in a vote of the media, during a media session Tuesday. “People can look at the stat sheet and say it’s Haleigh and Simone, but those are just two of the players that carry a heavy load.