The Nebraska volleyball team added a talented transfer Sunday, when four-time All-America middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord announced that she will play her final season with the Huskers.
Hord earned All-America recognition each of her four seasons at Penn State, including first-team honors in 2019, second-team accolades in 2021 and third-team recognition in 2020. She was an honorable-mention All-American as a freshman in 2018.
Hord has one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted all student-athletes an extra season of eligibility due to the global pandemic. She will join the Nebraska program this summer, and Head Coach John Cook says Hord is a great addition for the Huskers not only because of her talent, but because of her personality and character.
“Our coaches and team are very excited that Kaitlyn chose to become a Husker,” Cook said. “We felt we had a need for more depth at the middle blocker position when evaluating our 2022 roster. Throughout the recruiting process, we already knew Kaitlyn was a great player but we discovered she is a wonderful young woman who embraces dreaming big. She is a great fit with our program and will be a tremendous addition to our team culture.”
A Kentucky native, Hord totaled 1,022 kills, 522 blocks and hit .409 in her four seasons at Penn State. She ranks in the top five among all active Division I players in career hitting percentage and blocks per set (1.31).
Last season, Hord had 345 kills on a .394 attack percentage with 165 blocks. She ranked fourth nationally in blocks and 20th in attack percentage. The pandemic limited Penn State to a 16-match schedule during the 2020-21 season. Hord had 147 kills and 79 blocks during the Big Ten-only schedule, ranking 14th nationally in hitting percentage (.421).
As a sophomore in 2019, Hord was a first-team All-American after producing 310 kills and 149 blocks while attacking at a .440 clip that ranked third nationally. Hord was an honorable-mention All-American as a freshman in 2018, when she had 220 kills and 129 blocks.
In addition to being a four-time All-American, Hord was a four-time All-Big Ten selection. She was a first-team pick the past three years after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Hord has also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten team each of the last three seasons.
