Megan Hodge
Encyclopedia
Megan Hodge is an American
indoor collegiate volleyball player who played for Pennsylvania State University
's volleyball team.
when she was 3 years old. Her parents, Michael and Carmen, are both former members of the U.S. Virgin Islands National Volleyball Team. Her mother, Carmen played volleyball at George Washington University
and her father played at the University of the Virgin Islands
.
Hodge began playing volleyball at age 12, and when she started, she could not stop. She attended Riverside High School
where she was one of the most dominant young players in the nation, as she posted a four year total of 1,596 kills, 319 blocks, 647 digs, 286 aces and 130 assists. Hodge was hailed as the best girls' volleyball player in North Carolina history.
She was a four-time Pac-6 all-conference selection and was the Pac-6 Player of the Year two times, including a unanimous selection in 2006. She participated on the USA Youth and Junior National Teams, where she was voted the Most Valuable Player and "Best Attacker" at the 2004 NORCECA Championships in Cataño, Puerto Rico
.
Hodge played club volleyball for North Carolina's "Triangle 18's" where she was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the North Carolina Regional Championships for the 18's Gold age division and became the first ever player from the Carolina region to be named to the all-Tournament team at the USA Junior Olympic Girl's Volleyball Championships.
After being named the North Carolina Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior, she was named the 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year for volleyball. Hodge was considered the top high school recruit for the class of 2006 and got over 150 scholarship offers from various universities, such as volleyball powerhouses Stanford, Southern California
, Washington
, and Long Beach State. She, along with two other top 10 high school recruits, led Penn State to the consensus number 1 recruiting class ranking for the Class of 2006.
Penn State career highlights include scoring the championship winning kill in the 2007 NCAA championship over Stanford, and the championship kill in the 2009 championship against Texas and being named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a freshman, the first freshman to accomplish the feat.
Hodge is a four-time First Team All-American and was named the NCAA National Championship Most Outstanding Player in 2007 and 2008.
. She had a career high 20 digs against Michigan
and also had 11 double-double matches on the year.
She made Big Ten history by becoming the first freshman to be named Player of the Year in the then-23 year history of the award. She also became the first ever volleyball player to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year and AVCA National Freshman of the Year in consecutive seasons. She became just the third true freshman in seven years to be named a First Team All-American.
In the 2007 NCAA Tournament
, she led Penn State to their first NCAA final four appearance since their last NCAA title in 1999. She saved one of her best performances for their 3–2 win over top seeded Stanford in the national championship, as she recorded a season-high 26 kills and had a key serving string in the decisive fifth game win, serving 6 straight points. Her performance in this match led her to be named the NCAA championship Most Outstanding Player, joining former Penn State players Terri Zemaitis (1997) and Lauren Cacciamani (1998 & 1999) to be named the Championship MOP. In addition, Hodge was also named a First Team All-American for the second consecutive year and was a Honda Sports Award
nominee for the top volleyball player in the country.
In Big Ten play, Hodge had 246 total kills and averaged 4.10 kills per set, en route to being named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection for the third consecutive year. Penn State went 20–0 in the Big Ten and didn't lose a single set.
In the 2008 NCAA Tournament
, Hodge was named the NCAA University Park Regional Most Outstanding Player after having a combined 28 kills with just 4 errors against regional opponents Western Michigan
and California. In the NCAA National Semifinals in Omaha
, Hodge had a season high 23 kills against Nebraska
in the five set win. The following night, Hodge was named an AVCA First Team All-American for the third consecutive year.
In the National Title match against Stanford, Hodge had a match high 16 kills with just 2 errors and added 14 digs and 2 blocks to lead the Lions to their second consecutive NCAA championship, capping off an undefeated year. She was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year, becoming only the third player in NCAA Tournament history to earn the award two times.
Hodge was also named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second time.
In the National Title match against Texas, the Nittany Lions went down two sets to none but under Hodge's leadership Penn State was able to come back and win it. Hodge tallied 21 kills in the five-set match, one of which came on the final point of the match.
----
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indoor collegiate volleyball player who played for Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
's volleyball team.
Early life and high school
Hodge was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Her family moved to Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
when she was 3 years old. Her parents, Michael and Carmen, are both former members of the U.S. Virgin Islands National Volleyball Team. Her mother, Carmen played volleyball at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and her father played at the University of the Virgin Islands
University of the Virgin Islands
The University of the Virgin Islands is a public university located in the United States Virgin Islands.-Academics:The university has five academic divisions: Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing, and Science and Mathematics. UVI offers several graduate degree programs and...
.
Hodge began playing volleyball at age 12, and when she started, she could not stop. She attended Riverside High School
Riverside High School (North Carolina)
Riverside High School is a four-year public high school located in Durham, North Carolina. The current principal is Jackie Tobias. Opened in 1991 , the school currently enrolls approximately 2100 students and is one of seven high schools in the Durham Public School System...
where she was one of the most dominant young players in the nation, as she posted a four year total of 1,596 kills, 319 blocks, 647 digs, 286 aces and 130 assists. Hodge was hailed as the best girls' volleyball player in North Carolina history.
She was a four-time Pac-6 all-conference selection and was the Pac-6 Player of the Year two times, including a unanimous selection in 2006. She participated on the USA Youth and Junior National Teams, where she was voted the Most Valuable Player and "Best Attacker" at the 2004 NORCECA Championships in Cataño, Puerto Rico
Cataño, Puerto Rico
Cataño is a municipality located on northern coast of Puerto Rico bordering the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent to the north and east by San Juan; north of Bayamón and Guaynabo; east of Toa Baja and west of Guaynabo and is part of the San Juan Metropolitan Area. Cataño is spread over 7 wards and...
.
Hodge played club volleyball for North Carolina's "Triangle 18's" where she was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the North Carolina Regional Championships for the 18's Gold age division and became the first ever player from the Carolina region to be named to the all-Tournament team at the USA Junior Olympic Girl's Volleyball Championships.
After being named the North Carolina Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior, she was named the 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year for volleyball. Hodge was considered the top high school recruit for the class of 2006 and got over 150 scholarship offers from various universities, such as volleyball powerhouses Stanford, Southern California
USC Volleyball
The USC Trojans women's volleyball team is currently coached by Mick Haley, who began in 2001. Under Haley, USC became the first repeat NCAA Volleyball National Champion in 2002-03 since Stanford in 1996-97...
, Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, and Long Beach State. She, along with two other top 10 high school recruits, led Penn State to the consensus number 1 recruiting class ranking for the Class of 2006.
Penn State
Hodge is a 6'2"1/2 all around outside hitter, and she can jump and touch 10 feet, 8 inches.Penn State career highlights include scoring the championship winning kill in the 2007 NCAA championship over Stanford, and the championship kill in the 2009 championship against Texas and being named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a freshman, the first freshman to accomplish the feat.
Hodge is a four-time First Team All-American and was named the NCAA National Championship Most Outstanding Player in 2007 and 2008.
2006 (Freshman)
In her first season, she led the Big Ten and the team in points per game (5.57) and kills per game (4.83), and was also second on the team in service aces (39) and digs (303). Her 551 kills ranks sixth on the Penn State single-season record chart and is the highest for the rally-scoring era, and she also became only the seventh Nittany Lion Player to tally over 500 kills in a single season. She posted a career high 27 kills in the comeback win over Texas on September 8. She tied the school record for kills in a three game match with 25 in the sweep of NorthwesternNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. She had a career high 20 digs against Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and also had 11 double-double matches on the year.
She made Big Ten history by becoming the first freshman to be named Player of the Year in the then-23 year history of the award. She also became the first ever volleyball player to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year and AVCA National Freshman of the Year in consecutive seasons. She became just the third true freshman in seven years to be named a First Team All-American.
2007 (Sophomore)
Hodge recorded 4.60 kills per game and had 561 kills on the year. She was the only player to play in all 122 games of the season. Hodge was also tied for second on the team for service aces (35), and also had 310 digs, good for second on the team. Hodge also had a 96% service reception clip, as she recorded only 33 service reception errors in 833 attempts. She finished the season leading the team in total points, as she was responsible for 644.5 total points and 5.28 points per game. She helped Penn State to a 20–0 Big Ten record and their record fifth consecutive conference title.In the 2007 NCAA Tournament
2007 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on November 29, 2007 with 64 teams and concluded on December 15, 2007 when Penn State defeated Stanford 3 games to 2 in Sacramento, California for the program's second NCAA title....
, she led Penn State to their first NCAA final four appearance since their last NCAA title in 1999. She saved one of her best performances for their 3–2 win over top seeded Stanford in the national championship, as she recorded a season-high 26 kills and had a key serving string in the decisive fifth game win, serving 6 straight points. Her performance in this match led her to be named the NCAA championship Most Outstanding Player, joining former Penn State players Terri Zemaitis (1997) and Lauren Cacciamani (1998 & 1999) to be named the Championship MOP. In addition, Hodge was also named a First Team All-American for the second consecutive year and was a Honda Sports Award
Honda Sports Award
The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
nominee for the top volleyball player in the country.
2008 (Junior)
As a junior, Hodge led a team consisting of six All-Americans with 470 total kills on the year on a .349 hitting percentage. She led the team in kills 21 times and ended 2008 fifth all-time on Penn State's career kill list with 1,582. Hodge was also named an ESPN The Magazine First Team All-American.In Big Ten play, Hodge had 246 total kills and averaged 4.10 kills per set, en route to being named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection for the third consecutive year. Penn State went 20–0 in the Big Ten and didn't lose a single set.
In the 2008 NCAA Tournament
2008 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 4, 2008 with 64 teams and concluded on December 20, 2008 when Penn State defeated Stanford, 3 sets to 0, in Omaha, Nebraska for the program's third NCAA title....
, Hodge was named the NCAA University Park Regional Most Outstanding Player after having a combined 28 kills with just 4 errors against regional opponents Western Michigan
Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrarily selected region in the U.S. state of Michigan in its Lower Peninsula. There is no official definition for what constitutes "West Michigan." The area of West Michigan may also include parts Southern Michigan.-Definition:In general,...
and California. In the NCAA National Semifinals in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Hodge had a season high 23 kills against Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball
Nebraska is home to one of the nation's most storied collegiate women's volleyball programs. The Nebraska women's volleyball team has won three NCAA Women's Volleyball National Championships, in 1995, 2000, and 2006 and has had three NCAA National Runner-Up finishes in 1986, 1989, and 2005 as well...
in the five set win. The following night, Hodge was named an AVCA First Team All-American for the third consecutive year.
In the National Title match against Stanford, Hodge had a match high 16 kills with just 2 errors and added 14 digs and 2 blocks to lead the Lions to their second consecutive NCAA championship, capping off an undefeated year. She was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year, becoming only the third player in NCAA Tournament history to earn the award two times.
2009 (Senior)
Her senior year, Hodge's 560 kills helped to once again lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to an NCAA championship. She was named a First Team All-American for the fourth time in a row.Hodge was also named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second time.
In the National Title match against Texas, the Nittany Lions went down two sets to none but under Hodge's leadership Penn State was able to come back and win it. Hodge tallied 21 kills in the five-set match, one of which came on the final point of the match.
Career outside US
In November 2010 she joined Carnaghi Villa Cortese a volleyball team that play in Italian Serie A1.----
Career Statistics
| Season | GP/MP | Kills | K/Game | Errors | Total Attempts | Percentage | Assists | Service Aces | Digs | Solo Blocks | Block Assists | Total Blocks | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 114/35 | 551 | 4.83 | 213 | 1253 | .270 | 32 | 39 | 303 | 13 | 64 | 77 | 635 |
| 2007 | 122/36 | 561 | 4.60 | 182 | 1278 | .297 | 40 | 35 | 310 | 9 | 79 | 88 | 644 |
| 2008 | 115/38 | 470 | 4.09 | 126 | 985 | .349 | 33 | 20 | 242 | 8 | 41 | 49 | 518 |
| 2009 | 120/38 | 560 | 4.67 | 116 | 1197 | .371 | 40 | 13 | 295 | 5 | 78 | 83 | |
| Total | 471/147 | 2142 | 4.55 | 637 | 4713 | .322 | 145 | 107 | 1150 | 35 | 262 | 297 | ' |
College
- Four-time First Team AVCA All-American (2006–09)
- Four-time unanimous First Team All-Big Ten (2006–09)
- Four-time First Team AVCA All-Mideast Region (2006–09)
- 2010 Honda-Broderick CupHonda-Broderick CupThe Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
- 2010 Honda Sports Award Winner in Volleyball
- 2009 Honda Sports Award nominee
- 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year
- 2009 Academic All-American of the Year
- 2009 Gainesville Regional Most Outstanding Player
- 2008 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player
- 2008 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team
- 2008 NCAA University Park Regional Most Outstanding Player
- 2008 Volleyball Magazine First Team All-American
- 2008 Big Ten Player of the Week (12/1)
- 2008 CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American
- 2008 Academic All-Big Ten
- 2008 Chicago Classic All-Tournament Team
- 2008 Hawaiian Airlines Classic All-Tournament Team
- 2008 Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten
- 2007 Volleyball Magazine First Team All-American
- 2007 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player
- 2007 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team
- 2007 Honda Sports AwardHonda Sports AwardThe Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
nominee - 2007 Penn State Golden Volleyball for reaching 1,000 kills
- 2007 Penn State Female Student Athlete of the Week (9/10, 12/19)
- 2007 Academic All-Big Ten
- 2007 AVCA National Player of the Week (9/10)
- 2007 Big Ten Player of the Week (9/10)
- 2007 Penn State Classic Most Valuable Player
- 2007 Yale Classic All-Tournament Team
- 2007 Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten
- 2006 AVCA National Freshman of the Year
- 2006 AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year
- 2006 Volleyball Magazine First Team All-American
- 2006 Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year
- 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year
- 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
- 2006 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
- 2006 NCAA Seattle Regional All-Tournament Team
- 2006 LSU Classic All-Tournament Team
- 2006 Penn State Invitational All-Tournament Team
- 2006 Texas Invitational All-Tournament Team
- 2006 Big Ten Player of the Week (9/25, 10/23, 11/27)
High School
- Four-time Pac-6 All-Conference (2003–06)
- Three-time USA Volleyball Carolina Region Most Valuable Player (2004–06)
- Two-time North Carolina Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year (2005–06)
- Two-time Pac-6 Player of the Year (2005–06)
- Two-time Prepvolleyball.com All-American
- 2006 Prepvolleyball.com #1 "Senior Ace" (top recruit)
- 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year
- 2006 Volleyball Magazine National High School Player of the Year
- 2006 National High School Coaches Association National High School Senior Athlete of the Year
- 2006 News and Observer North Carolina High School Female Athlete of the Year
- 2006 Mizuno Volleyball All-American
- 2006 Volleyball Magazine "Fab 50"
- 2006 AAU All-American
- 2006 North Carolina Regional Championship Most Valuable Player
- 2006 USA Junior Girl's Olympic Volleyball Championships All-Tournament Team
- 2006 Paul Williamson Award
- 2006 Pac-6 Athlete of the Year
- 2004 NORCECA Championships Most Valuable Player
- 2004 NORCECA Championships "Best Attacker"
- 2004 Prepvolleyball.com National Junior of the Year finalist
- 2003 Prepvolleyball.com National Sophomore of the Year finalist