Freshmen continue to show growth for Penn State women’s volleyball Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian Sep 17, 2018
Playing three games in 24 hours is a daunting task for any team, but No. 5 Penn State handled the challenge with relative ease this past weekend.
The Nittany Lions bounced back from a difficult west coast road trip and went on the road again, this time to the nation's capital, and swept Howard on Friday night, before dispatching Buffalo and American the following day.
Penn State cruised past Buffalo with no trouble at all, before facing a very apt American team that managed to take the third set, before the Nittany Lions rebounded and clinched the fourth set to seal the match.
After coming out on top in the trifecta of matches, Penn State improved to 9-1 on the season and gained some necessary momentum with Big Ten play starting in just a few days.
As has been evident in the past few weeks, Penn State will go as far as its young freshmen group allows.
The Nittany Lions have a few experienced players on the roster, those that have been there before, which include Kendall White, Bryanna Weiskircher and Nia Reed.
But, it will be the first-year members of the squad who will end up determining if Penn State is a legitimate contender in the Big Ten or still a year or two away from fighting for a title.
This weekend’s matches were a perfect example of how this young group continues to grow with each and every week.
On Friday, Penn State was led by the tandem of Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker.
Hord continued her torrid start to the season with another solid performance, totaling six kills and hitting for a percentage of .312 in the match.
She was joined by Parker, who played arguably her best all-around match of the season. The freshman hit .500 while racking up six kills and three service aces on the evening, providing Penn State with the spark it needed to fend off a late charge from Howard.
The Nittany Lions faced another challenge the following day as they would be without the services of Nia Reed.
Playing without one of the senior leaders proved to be a non-issue for Penn State, thanks to the performances it got from a few new faces.
Freshman Allyson Cathey made her first start as a Nittany Lion and played a crucial role in Penn State’s straight sets victory.
Cathey finished with a career-best 13 kills and hit .550 in the match against Buffalo. On defense, she also finished with three digs, a career best. She was aided by fellow freshman Serena Gray, who added a career-high 11 kills of her own to contribute to the victory.
In the team’s second-straight game without Reed, it was Parker who took center stage.
The budding star finished with 17 kills on the evening, shattering her previous career-high of 11, while Gray and Cathey each finished with 10 kills to lead the Nittany Lions to victory.
As Penn State’s freshmen continue to establish themselves with each week, the real challenge of winning tough, physical matches in the Big Ten looms on the horizon.
This weekend was a valuable confidence boost for a young side that is about to face a grueling schedule for the next three months, in what is arguably the best volleyball conference in the country. Bayleigh Hoffman’s ‘Bubbly’ Personality Benefiting Penn State Volleyball Ethan Kasales | Onward State | 9/5/18
Bayleigh Hoffman is living the dream of every girl who grew up playing volleyball in Pennsylvania, spending her final season of collegiate eligibility as a walk-on defensive specialist for Russ Rose’s Nittany Lions.
The fifth-year senior from York, PA, played indoor and beach volleyball for Louisiana-Monroe after graduating from Dover Area High School, but there came a point when she wanted to transfer closer to home.
“It was kind of the homesick type of thing,” Hoffman said. “It just wasn’t for me. I didn’t think it was the lifestyle I wanted. I’m from Pennsylvania, so I came home. I have a bunch of friends that go here and obviously having a Penn State degree is an awesome thing to have.”
After Hoffman applied and got in to Penn State, she had the opportunity to play with alumna Roberta Holehouse McGuiney, who was a two-time national champion libero for the Nittany Lions from 2005- 2008.
“She was like, ‘You should contact coach. Do it. Why not?’ That was kind of the whole thing,” Hoffman said. “I tried out last January. Coach said, ‘This is tough. This is really hard. Is this something that you want to do?’ I said, ‘Let’s find out.’ So here we are.”
Hoffman has played various positions during her volleyball career, lining up at setter and even outside hitter at times. She’s been part of the rotation at defensive specialist for the Nittany Lions early in the season, seeing action in four of the first five matches.
Hoffman is one of only four seniors on this year’s roster, joining setter Bryanna Weiskircher, outside hitter Nia Reed, and North Carolina graduate transfer Taylor Leath.
Hoffman came off the bench in the first and third game of a 3-0 sweep of Navy and generated four points each time she headed to the service line, drawing praise from Rose afterward. He discussed what she brings to the team Tuesday.
“Bayleigh’s a more mature player, having played the game a little bit longer,” Rose said. “I think because she was a sand player that she’s probably a little more comfortable with the serving-passing part of the game, because when you play doubles, you’re not as dependent on everybody else, you’re not serving 16 percent of the time. You’re serving every other time.”
Junior libero Kendall White said Hoffman’s upbeat personality has been a positive influence on a team that features eight true freshmen who are trying to figure things out on the fly.
“Bayleigh is just very bubbly. We like that about her,” White said. “She’s really positive every time she comes on the court, in practice, it’s who she is all the time.”
Freshman Jenna Hampton is typically the first defensive specialist to enter a given match for the Nittany Lions, while Hoffman and junior Emily Sciorra provide a nice change of pace for Rose. “She’s not a very physical kid and I think that she’ll still have some challenges associated with how physical the Big Ten is,” Rose said of Hoffman. “Certainly we’ll see that this weekend as we up the level of competition by playing Stanford and Oregon.”
The Nittany Lions, who moved up a spot to No. 5 in this week’s AVCA poll, will travel to face No. 4 Stanford this Friday at 11 p.m. ET. After spending their first two weekends at home, they won’t return to Rec Hall until October 5 when Maryland comes to town.
Hoffman’s journey to Penn State has been a winding one, but neat stories like hers have a way of giving a young team some perspective. Last season, Jennifer Halterman walked on to the team after coach Rose saw her peppering in the IM Building and struck up a conversation.
Rose has developed 44 different players into All-Americans during his first 40 years as head coach of the Nittany Lions, but he also has a knack for finding these diamond-in-the-rough players and welcoming them into the program with open arms — provided they can keep up.
Playing at a place like Penn State is no easy task for even the nation’s most highly recruited prospects, so seeing a player like Hoffman make an impact so soon after joining the team is certainly a fantastic storyline to keep an eye on as the season moves forward. Penn State women’s volleyball’s Bryanna Weiskircher is ready to take on a leadership Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian | 9/6/18
Bryanna Weiskircher has always been a winner.
At every level of her volleyball career, she has done nothing but win big matches while putting up consistently solid numbers each and every night.
It’s gotten to the point where her teammates know exactly what to expect, no matter the opponent, location or situation.
“[Bryanna] is always training in the gym and is just rock solid on the court,” junior libero Kendall White said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, you know what you’re going to get from her.”
A native of Rockford, Illinois, Weiskircher was a three-year captain and three-time team MVP at Boylan Catholic High School. She won two AAU championships with her club volleyball team and capped off her career by being recognized as a 2013 First-Team All-American by Under Armour.
Upon enrolling in Penn State, the current fifth-year senior redshirted in her first season, a campaign that saw the Nittany Lions take home their seventh NCAA National Championship in 2014.
Since then, Weiskircher has played in over 100 matches and has become one of the premier setters in the nation.
Four years removed from her first season as a member of the Nittany Lions, the All-Big Ten candidate is now one of the eldest members on a team loaded with young talent.
“Yeah it’s pretty much the ‘old people’ and the ‘young people’ when it comes to this team,” Weiskircher said. “For me it’s just about trying to take care of my job and hope that they follow my lead.”
Weiskircher came into Penn State with the likes of Simone Lee, Haleigh Washington and Ali Frantti, all tough acts to follow when it comes to being a good team leader.
When asked about what she has tried to imprint on the freshmen, the four-year starter simply stated what the upperclassmen told her a few short years ago.
“I’ve just tried to instill the Penn State culture in them,” Weiskircher said. “Every play matters, every match matters, and listen to what the coaches say because that will make you better.”
While setter is not exactly the most glamourous position when it comes to volleyball, coach Russ Rose knows just how important a veteran setter is to the team.
“I think Byanna has always had a great understanding of the game and a great skillset,” Rose said. “She’s calm, she’s a great leader and knows what the expectations are for her and the team.”
In his 40th year of coaching, Rose acknowledged that while they have disagreed on certain things in the past, his relationship with Weiskircher has only continued to grow stronger in recent months.
In turn, she spoke about the impact Rose has had on her career and Penn State volleyball as a whole.
“Obviously [Rose] is an absolute legend and he’s built this Penn State culture from the ground up, so that we can play at one of the best programs in the country today,” she said. “What I really like about him is actually his very dry sense of humor. He makes us laugh just with some of the simple things he says sometimes.”
Initially, Weiskircher had to wait her turn before she could develop into a dominant setter.
She sat behind Micha Hancock in 2014, a three-time First-Team All-American selection who was instrumental in Penn State’s run to a national championship that December.
That year on the sidelines allowed Weiskircher to understand what it takes to win a championship at the highest level of NCAA volleyball.
In her final season, Weiskircher is playing like she fully intends on getting back to the Final Four and hanging another banner from the rafters in Rec Hall.
“I expect a lot of myself this season, all of us do,” Weiskircher said. “The expectation every year is to be competing for a national championship and it’s possible as long as we continue to get better and progress every day.”
Kendall White Cementing Herself Among Penn State Volleyball’s All-Time Greats Ethan Kasales | Onward State | 9/13/18
Kendall White is well on her way to becoming the most decorated libero in Penn State women’s volleyball history.
The junior from Zionsville, IN, surpassed 1,000 career digs during the first weekend of the season and is on track to break Kaleena (Walters) Davidson’s program record of 1,957. White is also the first Penn State libero since Davidson in 2005 to be named an AVCA All-American, earning a second-team nod last December.
Head coach Russ Rose has routinely praised White’s confidence and competitive nature since she stepped foot on campus and won the starting job as a freshman in 2016. Two years later, she’s providing a key veteran presence on a team that features 10 newcomers.
“She’s been a great match for Penn State,” Rose said. “If the ball is close to going in the crowd, she’s not going to slow down. She’s going to fly into the crowd to save the ball, and that’s always been the style of play I like to see in Rec Hall.”
If you ask White or one of her teammates what quality of hers has contributed most to her success, you’ll likely hear a common response.
“I would say I’m kind of crazy. That’s the best part of my game. At least coach says he likes that about me,” White said. “You have to be a little bit crazy to play defense. Wanting to get hit in the face all the time is the name of the game.”
White, who’s averaging a little more than 16 digs per match, showcased her tremendous athletic ability in a sweep of Temple, laying out for a rare libero kill that easily should have earned a spot in SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
Outside hitter Nia Reed and setter Bryanna Weiskircher are the only two players on this year’s roster who own a national championship ring. The duo redshirted in 2014 when the Nittany Lions won their seventh NCAA title in a sweep of Brigham Young in Oklahoma City.
While White has yet to jump in on a championship dogpile at midcourt with her teammates, she’s played in her fair share of big matches.
She’s done everything from upsetting the No. 1 ranked team in the nation to earning a Big Ten title and a Final Four appearance. Albeit in a tight 3-2 loss, her career-high 32 digs came against top-ranked Nebraska at Rec Hall her freshman year.
White’s experience, as well as that consistent intensity, is what skyrockets her value for a team like the Nittany Lions with more freshmen on the roster than upperclassmen.
“Kendall’s presence is very steady. Every game it’s the same,” Reed said. “Kendall’s crazy, but we need that. We need that steady force on the court — someone who’s always focused, always knows what’s going on — and that’s Kendall.” There’s no doubt White and the Nittany Lions will be ready when the Cornhuskers come to town on October 13. The last time Penn State beat Nebraska was November 29, 2014. Since then, the Huskers are 7-0 against Rose’s squad.
“We live for that,” White said of playing on the biggest stages. “We have Penn State on our backs. That’s why we came here. We came here to win a national championship. We came here to win always.”
Nebraska has eliminated Penn State from the NCAA tournament in heartbreaking fashion each of the last two seasons. In 2016, the Nittany Lions were a point away from sweeping the Huskers in the Sweet 16 before eventually losing 3-2. Last December, Nebraska won its fifth national championship after beating Florida in four sets.
As has been the case the last five times these two programs have met, White will be flying all over the court, diving for digs only she can reach. The 5-foot-5 spark plug goes way back with one of Penn State’s touted freshmen, right side Jonni Parker. The two were club teammates with the Munciana Samurai in Indiana.
Just like White, Parker’s been a starter since day one for the Nittany Lions, who brought in eight freshmen to secure the nation’s top-ranked 2018 recruiting class this summer. When Penn State won its then-record seventh national title, a mark that has since been tied by Stanford, the team featured — you guessed it — eight freshmen.
“We’ve always had talent here. Talent’s not the problem,” White said. “What we need is team chemistry. What we need is a team that’s going to play hard, with heart. Talent only gets you so far. This team, I think, has what it takes. We just have to find it.”
Chasing Greatness Jonni Parker’s Journey
Tom Shively | goPSUsports.com | 10/7/18
One of the bright young faces of Penn State Women’s Volleyball, freshman Jonni Parker can be seen in her element taking charge at Rec Hall during any given match.
But it’s what you don’t see that makes Jonni Parker’s story so fascinating.
Parker was born with significant hearing loss, never quite being able to hear her surroundings as well as others at her age.
“I was born with it, and I just couldn’t hear as well as other normal children,” Parker said. “I had a significant hearing loss in both ears. I realized it around age four and then I got hearing aids. That was a little bit of an adjustment just to get used to the responsibility of putting them in every day, taking care of them and stuff like that.”
Parker has a rare condition in which she can only hear at about 40 percent in her left ear and 45 percent in her right. There was a point where she didn’t know if the condition would worsen or if she’d even lose her hearing completely.
“When they first caught my hearing loss, they predicted that by age 16 I’d be deaf,” Parker said. “Thank goodness I’m not. My hearing has stayed the same over the last couple of years, so it’s not going to get any better but it shouldn’t get worse either. I never had to learn sign language, I did speech therapy a little when I was younger, but that was it.”
Parker never envisioned playing volleyball growing up, opting instead for basketball and softball. Her older sister, Paige, played volleyball, so she was around the game, but she didn’t actually start playing until several years later.
“When I was little, I always said volleyball was Paige’s thing. I was never ever going to play. I was a basketball and softball kid. But when I was 11, my mom told me just to go out and see what I could do (on the volleyball court). I ended up playing on a 13s team. I was a catcher in softball, so I had to pick between softball and volleyball because of my knees. I ended up choosing volleyball, and I never really liked basketball.”
Parker always hung around with her sister, playing with the older kids and acting older than her age, something her sister noticed when she was at a young age.
“She’s always been kind of my tagalong," Paige said. "I always drove her to school and she always was around when I wanted to hang with my friends. We’ve been very close ever since she was born. I always wanted a sibling, and when she was born I got pretty excited.”
Paige even went as far to become an audiologist because of the reaction she saw when Jonni was finally able to hear with her aids. Paige said the look she saw on Jonni’s face was unforgettable when she could hear everything around her, even the flush of a toilet. Paige still uses Jonni as an inspiration today, keeping a picture of Jonni on her desk at work. Everytime a patient comes in and is skeptical about hearing loss or getting hearing aids, Paige tells them about how her sister has had hearing aids since she was born and continues to lead an exceptional life.
“People don’t realize how much of a role hearing plays until they lose it, and we can at least bring it back for most people,” Paige said. “I saw that look on Jonni’s face and I knew I wanted to make other people feel that way.”
“My sister is my role model ever since I can remember,” Jonni said. “For her pursuing what she wanted to do because of me, it meant the world to me.”
Jonni says her family is one of her biggest motivators, never allowing her to settle and always challenging her to earn respect.
“She’s always been driven, and I think she’s kind of advanced beyond her years,” Paige said. “A lot of that is probably because she did hang out with older kids. She was always at our sleepovers, helping us make cookies and things like that.”
“They’ve always told me to not let anything stop me from doing what I want,” Jonni said.
Since arriving at Penn State, Jonni has stood out to her teammates both in the way she carries herself off the court and her leadership on it.
“She’s a tough kid in all aspects of volleyball and life in general. She’s really impressive to not let anything effect her and change the way she would take on life,” senior setter Bryanna Weiskircher said. Not always the most social, Jonni quickly found her niche on the team with the other student-athletes.
“Jonni’s kind of a shy kid until you get to know her, but then she lets her sarcasm and personality come out some,” Weiskircher said. “She’s definitely quiet, but she’s smart, especially in volleyball. She has a high volleyball IQ and she’s really competitive. She loves to win and it shows on the court. I knew about (her hearing loss) when she came in, and she doesn’t really let it affect her in any way. She jokes about it sometimes and kind of sets off the light mood about it.”
To Paige, Jonni has always been a determined person, never taking her mind off tasks until she completes them. Even then, she has her mind set on a new plateau.
“She never has an end point,” Paige said. “She’ll have a goal, reach towards it, and then it’s not enough and she goes after something else. She’s always ‘chasing greatness’, and she wears a necklace that I bought her with that slogan on it.”
Those are words she continues to live by today.
White, Gray Earn B1G Weekly Honors goPSUsports.com | 10/1/18
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's volleyball team saw junior libero Kendall White and freshman Serena Gray honored by the Big Ten Conference office for their play at Michigan State and Michigan as White was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Gray was named Freshman of the Week.
White led the team defensively over the weekend, helping hold the two opponents to a combined .120 hitting percentage. Against Michigan State, White scooped up 11 digs, while dishing out four assists and an ace. She also was perfect in serve receive and held Michigan State to just .082 hitting. Against Michigan, she scooped up 15 digs for 5.00 digs per set, adding one assist and helped hold the Wolverines to just .150 hitting.
Gray was a monster, both offensively and defensively, all weekend. Gray averaged 2.33 kills per set on .545 hitting percentage, while averaging 2.00 blocks per set. She also added three digs and finished with 20.0 points on the weekend. Against Michigan State, Gray put down five kills on .500 hitting, while adding a team-high six blocks. Against Michigan State, Gray was second in kills with nine, hitting .571. She again led the team with six blocks and added three digs.
White earns her first Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season, and the fourth of her career, while Gray garners her first career weekly honor, becoming the third Nittany Lion rookie to claim the Freshman of the Week honor this season. Kaitlyn Hord(9/10) and Jonni Parker (9/17) were both honored earlier this season.
White, Gray, and the rest of the Blue & White return home for the first time in over a month as they host Maryland at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, October 5.
True Blue Blood
Kaitlyn Hord is following her father as a Division 1 student-athlete, but in a different sport
Will Desautelle | goPSUsports.com | 9/29/18
Kaitlyn Hord knew it wouldn't be easy telling her father, Derrick, she was giving up basketball to focus on volleyball in high school. It's even harder when the parent in question is a former member of the legendary University of Kentucky basketball program.
"It wasn't the best time of his life," Kaitlyn said laughing. "He didn't talk to me for the rest of the day after I told him, but I think he's happy with the decision and where it has led me."
Hord, a freshman middle blocker, is off to a remarkable start for the ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. The third-ranked overall prospect in the 2018 high-school recruiting class has totaled 48 blocks through 13 matches, good for second on the team, while committing only three blocking errors.
Hord was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on September 10, becoming the first Penn State recipient of the honor since Haleigh Washington in 2014.
The middle-blocker put together an illustrious volleyball career before starting at Penn State, leading Henry Clay High School to just the second state title match appearance in Kentucky history by a public school. She was also a member of the 2016 U.S. Girls' Youth National Training Team and the USA Girls' U18 World Championship 2017 team.
Such elite talent is rare, but Hord's athletic genes may have in part been passed down from Derrick, who played for the Wildcats from 1979-82 and was selected in the third round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kaitlyn was also a basketball player through middle school and did not pick up volleyball until the beginning of high school. While Derrick knows that Kaitlyn made the right decision to pursue volleyball instead of the sport he used to play, he acknowledges that it was difficult for him to accept Kaitlyn giving up basketball at the time.
"We laugh about it now…it was difficult to take at first because she was a good basketball player and had a lot of potential, but the enjoyment just wasn't there for her," Derrick said. "It took me a few days to get over it, but I wanted her to be happy and when she said she wanted to pick up volleyball I was behind her, and I think overall she made the wise decision."
Kentucky basketball and Penn State volleyball are among the premier programs in the nation in their respective sports, and Derrick has enjoyed every moment of watching Kaitlyn now compete for a top- tier program in her sport.
"I get a lot of pleasure out of watching her play and watching the team play," Derrick said. "She has put in the work and I'm proud of her for that."
Derrick added that while some parents are much tougher on their kids to work hard, Kaitlyn always naturally had a great work ethic.
"I never had to be tough on her because she liked to go out and practice a lot. She's always been one to want to get better and better," Derrick said.
Throughout Kaitlyn's young athletic life, Derrick would have her write down her goals and things that she wanted to work on, and after each practice the two would spend time reviewing them. Kaitlyn also has always used Derrick's success as a former athlete as motivation to achieve her goals.
"I've always kind of been in competition with him and want to get to his level and beyond," Kaitlyn said. "He's definitely been a great motivation piece for me."
Kaitlyn committed to Penn State in her sophomore year of high school, and both she and her dad were drawn by the welcoming nature of head coach Russ Rose and his staff along with all the current players. When the Hord family first visited Penn State in 2015, the Nittany Lions were the top-ranked team in the country at the time and set to take on second-ranked Stanford at Rec Hall. Before the match Rose had several of his players introduce themselves to Kaitlyn, and that moment particularly resonated with both Kaitlyn and Derrick.
"They were about to play on national television and it stuck in our mind that if they had that kind of time when they were about to play on national TV for a recruit, this is unbelievable. No other program was like that in terms of the coaching," Derrick said.
Rose and the staff also called a professor from the university, who came to the match and introduced himself to Kaitlyn after they found out what she was interested in academically.
"Penn State was very different from other programs in that it welcomed me with open arms and took me right under its arm from the get go," Kaitlyn said.
Kaitlyn was also enticed by the distinguished tradition of Penn State volleyball and seeing the success of numerous players during their time at Penn State as well as afterward at the Olympic and national level, which is where she aspires to be one day.
Derrick has used his experiences as an athlete for a blue-blood college basketball program to give Kaitlyn advice on the lifestyle of a Division I student-athlete as she continues her journey playing for a blue- blood women's volleyball program.
"I just try to be as upfront as I can about the memories that I had and remind her that as hard as she worked in high school to get there, it's going to continue to get even harder," Derrick said. "It will also take even harder work to get better and stay on top because everyone wants to knock off the best teams."
Kaitlyn says the biggest thing that she has learned from her dad is to enjoy being a college athlete because it flies by and to keep looking forward to the next opportunity.
"He has taught me that if I'm not doing so well I need to keep my head up because there will always be another game," Kaitlyn said. "I should always give it my best and go at it full force because I have nothing to lose."
"She has always had a good head on her shoulders," Derrick said. "I think it's a blast to be able to watch her play for a program like Penn State and we feel very blessed that she is able to play for Penn State and for Coach Rose."
Hancock, Courtney Selected for FIVB World Championships
Penn State women’s volleyball alumni Micha Hancock and Megan Courtney were selected to the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team that will represent the United States at eh FIVB World Championship goPSUsports.com | 9/21/18
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 21, 2018) – Micha Hancock (Edmond, Oklahoma) and Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) are two of 14 players selected to the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team that will represent the United States at the FIVB World Championship Sept. 29 to Oct. 20 in Japan. Team USA, ranked second in the world, will be attempting to defend its World Championship title won in 2014 in Italy.
Hancock, a setter in her second year of training full time with the U.S. Women's National Team, has played in 57 sets during the 2018 season including three starts on an exhibition tour of Brazil in August that resulted in a 4-0 record against the fourth-ranked team in the world. She served as the back-up setter during the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League this year, which ended with Team USA winning gold and the $1 million top prize. Among her highlights during the VNL was coming off the bench in the VNL Final Six pool play to rally the Americans to victory over Turkey.
Hancock has tallied 29 points on the season including 15 aces (0.26 per set). She has added 1.07 digs per set in her limited court time as the primary backup setter.
"Micha is a fierce competitor and leader, and those qualities helped her stay prepared for her moments of competitive opportunity during Volleyball Nations League, including helping us change the course of some critical matches," U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. "She's also having a tangible effect on the high level of training in our gym."
Courtney, a libero for Team USA, will be making her first World Championship appearance. She joined the U.S. Women's National Team full time in 2017 as an outside hitter, but switched to libero for the 2017 USA Volleyball Cup and 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup that ended with the Americans winning bronze.
Courtney had a late start to the 2018 season after recovering from an ACL tear suffered on the second day of training with her pro club in Poland last fall. During a home exhibition match against Japan and four exhibitions in Brazil, Courtney eased back into the libero position. She averaged 2.33 digs per set in 15 sets played, along with a .366 receiving efficiency on 93 chances. Courtney started three of four matches in Brazil, all USA victories.
"Megan has worked extremely hard returning to play after a knee injury last year, so the whole program was happy to see her back in action in Brazil during our August tour there," Kiraly said. "Now she's looking to take her game beyond where it was prior to her injury, and making great strides."
The FIVB Women's World Championship is played every four years in the second year of the Olympic quadrennial. The Americans begin defense of their 2014 title in Kobe, Japan, as they face Azerbaijan (Sept. 29), Trinidad & Tobago (Sept. 30), Korea (Oct. 2), Thailand (Oct. 3) and Russia (Oct. 4) in the first- round Pool C. The top four teams in Pool C advance to the second round (Oct. 7-11) in Osaka. The top three teams from the two second round pools move on to the third round held Oct. 14-16 in Nagoya, followed by the semifinals and medal matches on Oct. 19-20 in Yokohama.
The U.S. qualified for the FIVB World Championship as the defending champion. The U.S. is 26-4 overall in 2018, including gold medals at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and Pan American Cup.
Taylor Leath’s Homecoming Proving Huge For Penn State Volleyball
Ethan Kasales | Onward State | 9/21/18
Taylor Leath is the only graduate transfer to have ever been accepted into Russ Rose’s program during his 40 years as head coach of Penn State women’s volleyball.
The outside hitter earned her undergraduate degree in political science from North Carolina before reaching out to Rose to see if there would be an opportunity for her to come home to Rec Hall.
Leath was born in Gainesville, FL but moved to the State College area in fourth grade, starring for State High just down the road from campus.
Rose didn’t have enough scholarships in his 2014 recruiting class to extend an offer to Leath out of high school, as Simone Lee, Ali Frantti, and Nia Reed had already been committed to Penn State for quite some time. However, he jumped at the chance to bring Leath onboard this offseason.
“When she graduated and reached out about coming here, we were very interested in that opportunity,” Rose said. “It came at a great time for us. We needed somebody with the experience she has and how calm she is as a player.”
Leath immediately provided a veteran presence for the Nittany Lions, who have eight true freshmen on their roster this season. Rose has routinely praised Leath’s passing and blocking skills, calling it a “seamless transition” incorporating her into the starting lineup.
She led North Carolina to a 3-2 victory over the Nittany Lions during opening weekend of the 2016 season, tallying 18 kills and 16 digs in front of friends and family at Rec Hall. She went on to claim ACC player of the year and a second-team AVCA All-American nod that season.
Leath’s parents used to drop her and her older sister, Randi, off at Rec Hall to practice their skills when they were still in middle school. Rose would occasionally spot the self-proclaimed “gym rats” having fun down on the court and offer a few pointers.
“It’s such a surreal experience,” Leath said of playing for the Nittany Lions. “I grew up with Penn State volleyball. I grew up watching players like Megan Hodge and Deja McClendon.”
Leath is the first State High product to play for Penn State since Maggie Harding, a defensive specialist who graduated in 2013. Leath is currently researching the connection between athletes and social issues in the College of Communications.
Leath surpassed 1,000 career kills in a 3-1 win over American last weekend in Washington, D.C. She’s started all 11 matches for the Nittany Lions this season and leads the team in kills with 88.
“Taylor’s great at communicating back there when we’re in serve-receive,” junior libero Kendall White said. “She’s a very experienced player, so having her IQ on the court is awesome — passing, hitting, no matter where it is on the court. That’s why she’s one of our captains.”
Leath said her experience at North Carolina helped prepare her for the role she’s assumed this season, playing under the spotlight every night in the Big Ten. Understanding different leadership styles and how to be consistent were two of her biggest takeaways from her time in Chapel Hill. Another benefit of transferring to Penn State for graduate school was the opportunity to reunite with her long-time friend Nia Reed. The high-flying duo has caused plenty of headaches for opposing defenses this season.
“I’ve known Nia forever,” Leath said. “You can’t help but always remember why you love volleyball, why you’re happy to play, and why you’re happy to just live life when you’re with her.”
Bryanna Weiskircher, who’s in charge of finding them with perfect passes as the team’s setter, said Leath has the same business-like mentality as her on the court.
“Whenever she gets a kill or something, she’ll look you dead in the eye and her eyes get really wide,” Weiskircher said. “It’s super cool because I have that same kind of intensity where I’m not always jumping around screaming, but it’s more of a ‘Hell yeah, let’s get this thing done’ kind of thing.”
Rose said he thinks Leath’s potential stretches far beyond her achievements on the court.
“She’s a really mature young woman,” he said. “I think she has a lot more to offer the university community than just thinking we’re going to have her hidden away in athletics. I think she can be a spokesperson for a number of issues and groups on campus.”
Returning home: Taylor Leath’s journey back to Happy Valley
Ben Jenkins | The Daily Collegian | 9/27/18
For Penn State graduate transfer Taylor Leath, State College is home.
Her story in central Pennsylvania began during fourth grade, when her family moved to the State College area.
Quickly, Leath was immersed in the game of volleyball, playing in the shadows of one of the greatest collegiate volleyball programs in the country.
A self-proclaimed “gym rat,” Leath and her sister grew up around Penn State volleyball. Throughout her childhood Leath spent hours at Rec Hall, learning the ins and outs of the game from the man who would eventually become her future head coach, Russ Rose.
“Her parents used to, kind of, drop her and her sister off in Rec Hall,” Rose said. “I’d teach them how to play when they were young kids just entering high school.”
Leath remembers those days well, and she smiles and laughs while talking about those childhood memories inside the home of Penn State volleyball.
“At that time, I was so young and dumb,” Leath said. “He’d be talking to me and he’s Russ Rose, a legend, and my eyes would just be wandering around.”
Whether Leath took anything from those experiences or not, when she made it to ninth grade, her talent was immediately on full display.
As a freshman, her high school head coach Chad Weight made the decision to make her a starter on the varsity volleyball team. He also realized something right away: Leath already had the ability and work ethic to be a successful volleyball player at the highest collegiate level.
“She also played club every year, so she had a span of months of offseason training where she just kept developing and developing her game,” Weight said.
As her time at State High wound down, Weight remembers just the type of high school player she developed into.
“She didn’t end up playing her junior year due to an injury,” Weight said. “In her senior year, she was probably one of the best players in the entire state of Pennsylvania.”
When the recruiting process began, Leath’s main intention was to use volleyball to get a good education.
“When I was making my initial decision, it was much more academically focused,” Leath said. “Volleyball was really secondary.”
Leath didn’t find herself on Rose’s radar in that year’s recruiting cycle as there wasn’t any room remaining for another outside hitter in the recruiting class.
That meant Penn State wasn’t an option. Though back then, and even now, Rose acknowledged Leath was talented and deserved a shot somewhere, even if it wasn’t donning a blue and white jersey.
“When she was a senior in high school, she was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state,” Rose said. “She was a terrific player.”
For her, not playing for her hometown Nittany Lions was something she was okay with, and something she viewed as a new opportunity rather than defeat.
“I had a lot of room to grow,” Leath said.
As the decision on where to play grew closer, Leath began to focus in on three or four of her top schools. One stood out the most, however — North Carolina. A school where she immediately felt comfortable the moment she set foot on campus.
“It felt like a home away from home,” Leath said. “I chose UNC because that’s where I wanted to go.”
Looking back at that decision now, Rose knows it was the best move for Leath’s career.
“I thought North Carolina then, and now, was a great place for her to go,” Rose said of his program’s first-ever grad transfer. “I’m a big fan of the coach at North Carolina and I thought she would have a great career there.”
Rose was right, as Leath assembled an impressive three-season career at North Carolina, including numerous conference and national awards, coming mostly during her redshirt sophomore season in 2016.
In that season, Leath was named the ACC Player of the Year, as well as a member of the AVCA All- America Second Team, leading the team with 374 kills, hitting .252. She also compiled 299 digs, 70 blocks, 20 assists and 19 service aces.
With the importance of academics in mind, Leath was also a member of the All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll, an achievement she earned three times.
In her entire Tar Heel career, Leath finished with 928 kills, hitting a combined .218, 624 digs, 183 blocks, 38 assists and 42 service aces .
After graduating from North Carolina with a degree in political science, Leath immediately prepared for graduate school and set out to find a solid fit.
Something weighing on her mind was her final year of NCAA eligibility, which she still had due to redshirting her freshman year.
Through this, all signs pointed back to where her volleyball cycle began: Rec Hall.
“It was a no brainer,” Leath said. “At Penn State, I knew the coach, I knew Nia (Reed) and I knew Bryanna (Weiskircher). I knew I’d be able to transition seamlessly.”
On Sept. 15, wearing Penn State blue and white, Leath recorded her 1,000-career collegiate kill in a match against American University.
Leath leads Penn State in kills with 104, is second in digs with 85 and third in blocks with 27. To most, including her high school coach, the milestone came as no surprise.
“You put all that stuff together, with her hard work and the time she puts in, and I’m not surprised at all,” Weight said.
Now, as both a Penn State women’s volleyball player and as someone earning her master’s degree in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications , Leath sometimes thinks about the people playing high school sports right down the road at State High, just like she was a few years ago.
“I hope that I’m able to be some sort of role model,” Leath said. “I hope to be someone they can look up to.”
Bryanna Weiskircher Featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays
Ethan Kasales | Onward State | 10/8/18
Penn State women’s volleyball setter Bryanna Weiskircher checked in at No. 9 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays for her spectacular kick save against Ohio State.
Weiskircher finished with a match-high 34 assists in Saturday night’s sweep of the Buckeyes at Rec Hall. She discussed her circus save, which resulted in a rare kill for defensive specialist Jenna Hampton, following the victory.
“Jonni [Parker] picked up the tip and I was on the floor behind her because I was going for it too,” Weiskircher said. “I knew Serena [Gray] wasn’t going to get there, so I just kind of stuck my foot out and kicked it up.”
Weiskircher tied Parker for the team lead in digs with six versus the Buckeyes, who beat Penn State 3-1 on Sept. 23 in Columbus. Weiskircher added a block and a service ace to help her team improve to 13-3 on the season.
The Rockford, Illinois, native fills a captaincy role for the Nittany Lions and is one of only two players on the roster who own a national championship ring from 2014. Fellow redshirt senior Nia Reed, who tallied a career-high 15 kills Saturday, is the other.
Earlier this season, head coach Russ Rose described what makes Weiskircher different from some of the setters he’s coached in the past. She currently leads the team in assists (516) and service aces (17).
“She’s calm and she’s a good leader,” Rose said. “She knows what the expectations are for her. I think coaches probably have a lot more meetings with their setters than I have with Bryanna, because I’m confident that she has a good handle on the game.”
Nia Reed’s return from injury is a welcome sight for Penn State women’s volleyball
Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian | 10/1/18
It would be an understatement to say that Penn State missed the services of Nia Reed.
The senior outside hitter was leading the team in most offensive statistical categories before she missed the last four matches with an undisclosed injury.
In her absence, the No. 9 Nittany Lions went just 2-2, including two losses last weekend to start off Big Ten conference play with a record of 0-2, for the first time since 2000.
Reed actually made the trip to Ohio State last Sunday but could only watch as the Nittany Lions lost their second straight game and fell to 9-3 on the season.
But she was back on the court this weekend and there was a noticeable difference in how Penn State played against two tough opponents.
Reed was a little rusty in her return, but she ultimately was instrumental in leading the charge for Penn State on offense.
In the Nittany Lions’ victory over Michigan State, the senior tallied seven kills, two digs and two blocks.
For a team in desperate need of a victory, Reed’s impact could not be overstated.
Her presence elevated team spirits and Penn State wasted no time in jumping all over the Spartans on Friday.
The Nittany Lions scored 12 of the first 15 points in the opening set and routed the Spartans fairly easily in the first frame.
This momentum carried over into the remainder of the match as Penn State swept Michigan State for a pivotal road victory, their first in the Big Ten.
On Sunday, the Nittany Lions faced another stiff road test against No. 17 Michigan.
On the final day of a nine-match road trip, Penn State dispatched the Wolverines in large part to the play of its senior leaders.
Redshirt senior Bryanna Weiskircher dished out 35 assists, adding seven digs, two kills and a service ace. Taylor Leath tallied seven kills and three blocks. She also added four digs to aid the visitors on defense.
Reed was sharp as well in the match, tallying seven kills and three blocks. But, arguably her most important contribution was just being on the floor.
The Nittany Lions were given a noticeable boost in morale with her inclusion in the starting lineup, and with Michigan focusing on Reed, it allowed the Penn State freshmen to shine. Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray totaled a combined 19 kills and four blocks on the day, and their composure on the road would not have come without the presence of Reed in the lineup.
As Big Ten play heats up, the health of Reed will be imperative to Penn State’s success going forward.
Penn State women’s volleyball’s Jonni Parker takes home Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honor
Ben Jenkins | The Daily Collegian | 9/17/18
For the second week in a row, a Penn State freshman has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Last week, the award went to Kaitlyn Hord for her strong play against two ranked foes in Stanford and Oregon during the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.
This week, the award belongs to outside hitter Jonni Parker for her performance at the American Volleyball Classic hosted by American University.
Named the Most Valuable Player, Parker finished the three-game tournament with 32 kills, including her career-best and team-high 17 kills to propel the Nittany Lions to a 3-1 victory over American on Saturday night.
Along with her 32 kills, Parker also finished the weekend with four assists and five aces to add to her offensive numbers.
On defense, the six-foot-one freshman added 11 digs and nine blocks.
She led the Nittany Lions with 41.5 total points in the weekend, finishing with a .373 hitting percentage.
The Casstown, Ohio native is also currently second on the team in both kills and service aces.
Penn State women’s volleyball’s Kaitlyn Hord takes home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors
Ben Jenkins | The Daily Collegian | 9/10/18
After Kaitlyn Hord’s strong weekend in the middle for the Nittany Lions, the freshman from Lexington, Kentucky has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
The award is the first Big Ten weekly honor for the Nittany Lions this season, and Hord is the first Penn State recipient of the Freshman of the Week honor since Haleigh Washington in 2014.
In the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge hosted by Stanford, Hord was a steady force on the court, putting together two complete performances in a row.
Against Stanford, Hord was responsible for seven kills, hitting .500 for the match while adding five blocks on defense.
In the best match of her young Penn State career, Hord finished the Nittany Lions’ 3-0 straight-sets victory over No. 18 Oregon with 16 kills, hitting .556 for the match, as well as adding seven blocks.
In almost every statistical category, Hord had career highs against the Ducks, including kills, points, digs and blocks.
Her 16 kills against the Ducks are a team high on the season as well.
Behind strong play, Penn State women’s volleyball’s freshman middle blockers establish themselves
Jake Aferiat | The Daily Collegian | 9/13/18
Kaitlyn Hord was a key member of Penn State volleyball's top-ranked recruiting class for 2018.
The Lexington, Kentucky native has quickly proven why, leading Penn State in hitting percentage at .475 and blocks with 26 — earning her keep and putting both people and the Big Ten on notice in the process.
Hord took home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, an award teammate Nia Reed said that Hord was unaware of, following her play against Stanford and Oregon during a weekend in which Hord had 23 kills and 12 blocks.
But for all the early success Hord's had, Reed still insists that she's a secret weapon of sorts for the Nittany Lions.
"Here she comes in as a freshman, puts people in body bags and does what she does," Reed said. "She's a string bean and she goes on the court and no one even knows how good this girl is because she's so skinny and doesn't have a lot of muscle yet."
While Hord might not have a lot of muscle yet, she's been a bona fide producer for the Nittany Lions and one of the most integral members of one of coach Russ Rose's most unique squads in recent history.
This year's Penn State team contains of the program's first ever grad transfer in Taylor Leath, returns only one All-American in Kendall White and has seen freshmen start in four of seven matches played this season.
For many of the freshmen, earning playing time has been a dependence on them coupled with their performance.
"We're certainly more dependent on this freshmen group right now because there've been times where both freshmen middles were out there or we had Allyson [Cathey], Jonni [Parker], Gabby [Blossom] or Jenna [Hampton] all out there," Rose said. "At some points in time, we've had five or six freshmen rotating in and out with Kendall [White] as the only veteran."
As a part of the platoon of freshmen who Rose has come to rely on, Hord has endeared herself to the 40-year head coach with her work ethic and demeanor.
Rose did admit, however that Hord, like all of the freshmen, still has to adjust to the college game and continue to improve.
"She's young and she does the things she's comfortable doing," Rose said. "She's played well but I'm also realistic to the fact that she's young and there's a real big learning curve. But she works hard and has a real positive disposition, so those are all positive things." Hord is the most recent in a long list of prolific middle blockers to wear the blue and white and she looks to fill the gap left by three-time All-American and 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Haleigh Washington.
Though Washington isn't around to impart wisdom on her or fellow newcomer middle blocker Serena Gray, the upperclassmen have taught Hord and all of the freshmen valuable lessons.
"We haven't really played together a lot, but we're not playing as individuals which is a good thing," Hord said. "Even if we make mistakes, we shake it off and we're making sure that every person is positive with themselves."
Washington, along with Simone Lee, Heidi Thelen and Abby Detering were some of the recent keys for Penn State for nearly the entirety of their tenures playing for Rose and they exuded a similar positivity, while also laying the framework for success and a path for these freshmen to follow.
That fact weighs heavy in the mind of Serena Gray who feels it's imperative to not let Lee, Washington or any other alumni of the program down.
"There are so many girls who came before us who built this program up. We have the responsibility to uphold that," Gray said. "Every year, Penn State is held to a higher standard than most schools. We're tied for the most national championships and with that comes the responsibility to not tear down what others have built up."
Gray is already leaving her mark and doing her part to make sure that the pedigree and clout of the program are upheld.
She's one of only two freshmen to have started every match for Penn State, she's second on the team with a .356 hitting percentage and second in blocks with 25 and it appears as though she's already trying to take a page out of the Kaitlyn Hord playbook.
"She can read the game and tell where the setter's going before the ball is released, which is something I wish I was better at," Gray said. "She's working hard in transition every time to get up and that's something I want to work on."
The Temple City, California native is also keenly aware of the hard work that entails playing for Penn State, with Taylor Leath and fellow upperclassmen reminding Gray and all of the freshmen not to waste time and make practice count.
Rose has taken notice of Gray's concerted efforts to improve and said that while she still has room to grow, she was also benefited by playing such stiff competition in Oregon and Stanford.
"Serena like all of the freshmen is a work in progress, but she's picked up some things that were valuable over the weekend because they got a chance to see a number of All-American players that were playing on the other teams from Minnesota and Stanford."
Penn State women’s volleyball sweeps weekend set behind strong play from Kendall White
Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian | 9/4/18
Sacrificing her body and applying the same level of tenacity to her play is second nature for Kendall White — at least that’s how coach Russ Rose feels.
“Kendall has been a great addition for our program,” Rose said. “I know that she will show up every day, no matter the opponent or situation, and play with a lot of heart and intensity.”
Fresh off a season in which she was named a second-team All-American by the AVCA, the junior libero has been on a roll through the first two weekends of the Nittany Lions’ 2018 campaign.
A catalyst on defense in both matches, White was a major factor in Penn State’s straight set victories over Temple on Friday and Texas A&M on Saturday .
“I thought Kendall was really dialed in,” Rose said. “She passed well and played great defense, which obviously helped us out a lot.”
White paced the Nittany Lions on defense throughout both matches, and her contributions against Temple bailed out Penn State on a number of occasions.
The Zionsville, Indiana, native posted 13 digs and three assists against the Owls, with her lone kill in the match coming with the score tied late in the third set. This was part of a 12-3 run that secured the set and match win for the Nittany Lions.
White followed that performance up with 15 digs, three assists and two service aces the following night against Texas A&M.
She set the tone early, with six of her digs and both of her service aces coming in the first set, allowing Penn State to dominate the opening frame and coast to a fairly-routine win.
In her first two years as a member of the Nittany Lions, White was one of the younger members on a squad that was chock-full of veterans, including three other AVCA All-Americans on last season’s team. But things are a lot different this year.
One of the few upperclassmen on a team dominated by first-year starters, White is accepting of her natural leadership role and has faith in what this Penn State side can achieve this year, and going forward.
“The freshmen have already come a long way from when they first got here,” White said. “What we need is team chemistry and I believe that our squad has what it takes to play with the heart and determination required to win big matches.”
While she has embraced being a leader on and off the court, White has also learned a lot from the freshmen in the last few months. “Initially I wasn’t quite used to playing with so many new faces, and I had to improve my own communication skills on the court,” she said. “I feel like I have already become a better player in my very short time with them.”
Penn State OH Nia Reed Returns to Lineup after two week Hiatus
Derek Johnson | volleymob.com | 10/2/18
After last appearing in the middle of September, Nia Reed made her return this past week with a pair of matches on the road against Michigan State and Michigan. Reed is the team-leader in scoring per game.
A 6’1″ fifth-year senior pin, Reed posted 14 kills (2.33 per set) in the two matches and hit .216 in the process along with five blocks (0.83 per set). Penn State also won both matches in sweep fashion, outscoring the opposition 151-112 as they improved to 11-3 and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Without her, the team went 2-2.
Her playing ended that stretch of four straight matches without Reed for the Nittany Lions. They won the first two without her against Buffalo and American, with her last match before that a 10 kill effort against Howard. The team began Big Ten play without her as well, falling to Minnesota in straight sets and getting upended in four at Ohio State.
A native of Fort Lee, New Jersey, Reed appeared in just 23 sets across her first two seasons of play. She saw more time last season for a Final Four team when she played in 52 sets in 25 matches, notching 1.29 kills per set on a .247 clip and 0.40 blocks per set. This year though has been a breakout final season for Reed, who is currently posting per set numbers of 3.42 points, 3.00 kills on a .269 mark, 0.70 blocks and 0.53 digs.
Those points per set and kills per set mark actually lead the team. Additionally, no one else is currently eclipsing the three kills per set threshold.
Mostly filling her role when she was out of the lineup, for some undisclosed reason, was freshman Allyson Cathey. The youngster has appeared in eight matches with Reed, but all four of her starts this season have come sans-Reed. In those four, she recorded 3.29 kills per set on a .243 clip, 0.86 blocks per set and 0.43 digs per set.
Penn State’s season continues this Friday at home against Maryland, their first home conference match of 2018. They’ll round out the weekend by hosting Ohio State, to see if Reed truly is the difference against the Buckeyes.
Nia Reed’s Return Key To Penn State Volleyball’s Winning Streak
Matt Sniegowski | Onward State By Ethan Kasales 10/19/18 4:03 am Penn State outside hitter Nia Reed is playing the best volleyball of her life right now. The redshirt senior from Fort Lee, New Jersey led the Nittany Lions to an enormous 3-2 win over Nebraska with a career-high 20 kills last Saturday in Rec Hall. Following a sweep of Rutgers Wednesday night, Reed has recorded 57 kills in the team’s last four contests. The Nittany Lions are riding a seven-match winning streak, conveniently coinciding with Reed’s return to the starting lineup. She missed four matches due to injury earlier this season, but her resurgence has been a huge reason for Penn State’s success of late. Junior libero Kendall White described Reed’s importance to the team after the Nebraska victory. “She was on when we needed her to be on. She was there to score when we needed her to score,” White said. “She came out in the fifth set and was like, ‘We’re winning this game.’ And that’s what we need — our fifth-year girls coming in, leading the freshmen, taking charge, and making those money ball plays.”
Reed gets ready for a serve in the sweep of Ohio State on Oct. 6. Head coach Russ Rose certainly noticed the lack of Reed’s physical presence on the court during road losses to Minnesota and Ohio State. “We lost both matches in conference play when we didn’t have Nia,” Rose said. “She makes a big difference in how we play. Nia’s a point scorer. In rally-score volleyball, you need point scorers.” Reed, a three-time Gatorade State Player of the Year at Immaculate Heart Academy, is one of only two players left on Penn State’s roster who own a national championship ring from 2014. She and setter Bryanna Weiskircher redshirted that season. “My mindset is totally different,” Reed said of her return. “When I step on the court I always want to kill the ball, but knowing that at any point it could be your last swing, it really gives you that extra drive for sure.” Reed and the Nittany Lions delivered the program’s 17th Big Ten championship last fall, advancing all the way to the Final Four before losing to the Cornhuskers in Kansas City. If Penn State is going to capture a record eighth national title in December, Reed will be a driving force behind it. When she isn’t breaking down film of upcoming opponents, lifting, practicing, studying, or traveling with the team, Reed often turns to her favorite hobby to relax. “I do all my own paintings,” she said. “I have a lot of canvas paintings all over my room. I think when my sister turned 7 I did it with her as just something to do around the house, then I really got into it. I sketch and do stuff like that just to clear my mind.” Reed celebrates a kill against the Buckeyes with teammates. Penn State’s roster features eight true freshmen, including starting middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord, who Reed immediately noticed would make a significant impact. “I remember in preseason she went a day where she had probably 15 blocks in a row. Nobody could get the ball past her,” Reed said. “She comes in as a freshman, puts people in body bags, and does what she does. She’s definitely a dominant force on the court.” Graduate senior Taylor Leath, who transferred in from North Carolina for her final season, has known Reed since their early high school years. Now teammates, they have done an excellent job taking over for All-Americans Simone Lee and Ali Frantti. “She’s one of the people who can always make you smile,” Leath said of Reed. “You can’t help but always remember why you love volleyball, why you’re happy to play, and why you’re happy to just live life when you’re with her.” Penn State women's volleyball's Kendall White brings her winning mentality to the court
• Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian
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Libero Kendall White (3) leads the team huddle after the game against Rutgers at Rec Hall on Wednesday October 17, 2018. The Nittany Lions sweep the Scarlet Knights 3 sets to 0. Ken Kalbach
Durable, hardworking and consistent are a few descriptors that have always been synonymous with Kendall White . The junior libero has won at every level throughout her volleyball career, while playing nearly every set in the process.
A four-year letter winner at Cathedral High School, White earned Indiana All-State first team honors in leading her team to an undefeated record (36-0) in 2015, on the way to an Indiana Class 4A state title as the team’s libero .
In her three years at Penn State, White has played every set in all 82 matches thus far . Her consistent play and vocal leadership on and off the court is one of the things that stood out to coach Russ Rose when he recruited her four years ago.
“Kendall is exactly who I thought she would be when I recruited her,” Rose said. “She plays hard every match and never complains, even when I’m being unfair with her at times.”
White was named to the Big-Ten All-Freshmen team in 2016 and followed that season up with a year in which she was named an AVCA Second Team All-American, and was first libero to earn All-America status for Penn State since Kaleena Walters in 2005 .
Her durability and commitment to the success of the team is something that has endeared her to Rose over the years.
“She’s a tough kid, I’m a big fan of her accountability,” Rose said. “Kendall definitely knows when she is having a bad performance and has no problem getting in the gym the next day and working hard to bounce back.”
White stepped into the starting rotation during her freshman year and never looked back.
However, she was surrounded by All-Americans and veteran leaders in her first two seasons at Penn State; players that had been there before and knew how to win a championship at the highest level of NCAA volleyball.
This season the libero has had to adapt to a new role as one of the older members of a team that is primarily composed of freshmen. Even with the drastic change in the composition of the roster, her mentality and approach remains the same each time she takes the court.
“I think that it was a little bit of an adjustment period at first in adapting to the play styles of the freshmen, and just learning how to communicate and play as a team,” White said. “We all want to win every match, that’s our goal. At the end of the day, I’m going to keep doing whatever I can to help the team win, and that will not change.”
Her experience as a member of an NCAA Final Four team has given White a different perspective on how to win in the Big Ten, and beyond.
This is an understanding that she has tried to imbue on the younger members of the team as the conference portion of the season rolls on.
Well on her way to another All-Big Ten season, the junior is focused on one thing: getting back to the Final Four and finishing the job.
“I think we’re getting better each week, and this team has barely scratched the surface of its potential,” White said. “Obviously the objective for us is to win a national championship, and that will only come with continuing to improve each time we take the floor.”
Player of the Year watch: Fiery and flashy, libero Kendall White fuels Penn State
• • Save • By Vicki L. Friedman | Nov 15, 2018 Special to espnW
Courtesy Penn State
Penn State's Kendall White says heart and drive are the most important qualities in a libero. Each week during volleyball season, we'll recognize a player whose recent performances reinforce her place among the best in the nation. Consider it our way to check in on, or in some cases introduce, the personalities who will shape the race for espnW player of the year. When Penn State's Russ Rose trekked some 500 miles to recruit a libero, here's what he had in mind. "I wanted somebody who's a good passer and who's physically and mentally tough and durable," said Rose, in his 40th season coaching the Nittany Lions. "You have to play all the time and you have to play hard. It's a position that requires a lot of contact with the floor and many times contact with other people who are in the way."
Rose found everything he needed with an exclamation mark in Kendall White.
In watching seventh-ranked Penn State (21-6) this season, it's almost impossible for the eye not to rest on the unabashed junior, who is spunky, loud, fearless and, admittedly, "a little crazy" in both life and her approach to the scrappiest position on court.
"I chug a Red Bull before every match," said the Zionsville, Indiana, native.
Then White plays as if she's advertising the highly caffeinated energy drink, bouncing about between points and constantly roving during them in an attempt to prevent any sliver of the ball from touching the floor.
"You have to be a little bit crazy to want people to hit balls at your face," she said. "This position is all about heart and all about drive. I like it because it says a lot about a person."
In high school, an opponent blasted what looked to be a sure kill right between her eyes, but White dug it. "I couldn't see for two minutes, but we got the kill so I knew I was good," she said proudly.
White is the sort who not only doesn't back away from challenges; she seeks them out. Roller coasters are her thing; Disney's Tower of Terror is her favorite. Karate is therapeutic for her. She's a fan of paintball after a recent experience. She's even adventurous with food.
"My teammates are all about, 'Chipotle. Chipotle. Chipotle,' " she said. "I want to go Mediterranean or Peruvian. I'll try anything. And I'll eat all-meat pizza that's been on the stove for four days."
White is also a communicator who isn't afraid to prompt her younger teammates -- Penn State has 10 newcomers -- to hustle harder. Big matches inside of Rec Hall? Nobody's more hype that White.
"She's who she is and I think I've been a good match for her and her for me," Rose said. "That's not to say there's not times when I need to put my hand on her shoulder to rope her back in, but sometimes I don't have enough rope."
White has played in 96 straight matches since setting foot on campus in August 2016. She has scooped up 443 digs this fall, putting her at 1,405 for her career. She's just the third Nittany Lion to surpass 1,300 digs during her junior season. Twice this fall White has recorded 30-plus digs in a match (31 vs. Nebraska on Nov. 2 and 32 against Illinois on Nov. 10). She is on pace to surpass Kaleena (Walters) Davidson, whose 1,957 career digs are the most in school history. White, who earned second-team All-America honors last year, is the first Penn State libero to reach that milestone since Walters was named to the first team in 2005.
Growing up, White, 5-foot-5, followed her older sister, Sloane, into volleyball, preferring the setter position first. (Sloane played for the College of Charleston. Younger sis Payton is a libero at Auburn.)
"I didn't listen when they said short people couldn't play because I'm a very competitive person," she said. "I loved setter until I was 12. Then I played in a drill to see who was the most effective player on the team. We had a contest to see who could get the most digs. I beat out our libero. Ever since then, I've been a libero."
She might hate to lose more than she enjoys to win. Her dad schooled her in coordination with agility ladders when she was a toddler. Participation trophies were trashed.
"That's why I hate Little League," she said. I chug a Red Bull before every match. Kendall White
Still, she never dreamed she'd be playing for one of volleyball's most storied programs. White wore her first Penn State volleyball T-shirt at 10 years old. Playing for Rose seemed like a remote pipe dream even after she realized he was recruiting her.
Then she got that memorable phone call, picking up her cell inside the bathroom stall of a Mexican restaurant where her family was having dinner in Zionsville.
"Do you want to be a Nittany Lion?" Rose asked.
"I committed in .2 seconds," White said.
She's loved it ever since. "I never visited before I committed," she said. "But I knew I wanted to play for Coach Rose. I want to win a national championship and a Big Ten championship and I know I'm going to do that here."
One of those goals is already checked off, as Penn State, a final four team in 2017, won the Big Ten title last fall. White asked Rose if she could spend the night with the conference trophy. Rose granted her wish as long as she could return the hardware intact. She buckled it into the front seat of her Hummer and roared away. It's a statement vehicle, said her teammate Jonni Parker, that everybody recognizes on campus.
"Kendall drives a big, white Hummer," she said. "It fits her personality. It's big and flashy and just so out there. Everyone knows it's her."
Women's Volleyball 11/15/2018 9:00:00 AM Will Desautelle, Student Writer
Taylor Leath Providing a Bridge in a Familiar Territory
It is not common to find a player who mirrors the journey of Penn State's Taylor Leath.
A graduate transfer who grew up in State College, Leath played her undergraduate volleyball career at UNC-Chapel Hill and led the Tar Heels to an upset victory over Penn State in Rec Hall during her sophomore season, but she now finds herself wearing a different Blue and White in her final season of eligibility.
Ironically, Leath had one of the better games of her career against Penn State in 2016, where she finished with a team-high 18 kills en route to a five-set win over the Nittany Lions. She would be named the ACC Player of the Year and an AVCA Second-Team All-American later that season.
While she may have haunted head coach Russ Rose and Penn State that night two seasons ago, she is now putting plenty of pressure on opponents as the leading hitter for the seventh- ranked Nittany Lions. Leath has brought a valuable combination of offense and leadership for an otherwise very young Penn State team this year.
Leath said the opportunity to finish her career back in her hometown and continue the historic volleyball lineage at Penn State has been a different experience because it has taught her to hold herself to the high standards Rose expects of his players.
"When you put on a Penn State jersey, there are so many greats and there is a tradition that comes before you," Leath said. "There is a certain standard of great performance that is expected from you and actually having to represent Penn State for what it is has pushed me to be uncomfortable with being comfortable."
Despite being raised in Penn State territory and knowing Coach Rose since she was a young girl, playing for the Nittany Lions out of high school wasn't in the cards for Leath.
After four years at North Carolina, Leath knew she wanted to pursue a master's degree, and she also saw an opportunity to explore a new volleyball experience as a graduate transfer.
"I had known that I wanted to get my master's, but I also wanted to have a different experience with volleyball," Leath said. "I had a great experience at UNC, and I also had an opportunity that not a lot of people have to be able to have a great experience at one school and then go somewhere else and have a different experience to see how things are done differently,"
Leath was seeking the combination of not only a different experience but also a comfortable setting where everything would not be completely foreign to her. Penn State provided the perfect storm of offering a differently-run volleyball program, while simultaneously allowing her to return to a place of familiarity.
"I knew that I wanted to be somewhere that I would not be uncomfortable," Leath said. "I ended up reaching out to Coach Rose because I've known some of the girls here and I knew coach and I thought it would be a good fit."
Leath added that as a graduate transfer, she has only one year left, and that coming to Penn State allowed for a seamless transition.
"I didn't want to go somewhere where everything from the town, school and culture were completely new, and here at Penn State I was familiar with the town," Leath said. "I also was really good friends with Nia (Reed) and knew Bryanna (Weiskircher) and some other girls who had gone here and loved the experience, so I thought that Penn State would be a good fit for me."
The Nittany Lions have aided from her on-court production, but arguably the most valuable factor that Leath has brought to this year's Penn State team is her ability to relate to both the upperclassmen and the freshmen and bridge the gap between the two ends of the spectrum.
"I have these things that I can connect with some of the older girls since I have gone through the life of a collegiate athlete already, but at the same time I am able to relate to the freshmen because there are so many things that are new, and so many things that I have no clue about here, such as the different routines, so it's a way for me to relate to both groups and have this shared identity with them," Leath said.
Leath, along with fellow senior Bayleigh Hoffman, who is also in her first and final season with the program, has played a crucial leadership role on this year's team. She pointed out that her and Hoffman's journeys have helped make the team a very close group both on and off the court.
"The team is at a place where we mesh really well — we have really good chemistry not only on the court, but off the court, and I think that's one of those things that is special about this team," Leath said. "There are a lot of people that help bridge things and there is such a mix of personalities to help get rid of the separation between upperclassmen and freshmen," Leath said.
With only three more regular season games left to be played, including two against ranked opponents, Penn State will need Leath to help lead the way as the Nittany Lions make a final push going into the postseason.
WTAJ WEB 1ST: Leath's Long Trip Back Home
By:
• Peter Terpstra
STATE COLLEGE, PA (WTAj) - One of Penn State volleyball's top hitters went to high school in State College - but took a longer route to play for her hometown Nittany Lions.
Taylor Leath is a fifth-year senior who has quickly become a mainstay in the Penn State lineup. She attended State College Area High School after moving around the country.
"I was born in Gainesville, Florida. I then moved to another part of Florida called Clearwater, Florida. After that we moved to Alabama. After that we moved to Pennsylvannia," Leath said.
The family settled in to State College and then college volleyball came calling. Leath started her career at North Carolina. She became one of the elite hitters in the ACC.
She suffered a torn ACL as a senior in high school which allowed her to redshirt her freshman year at North Carolina. That gave her one more year of eligibility to spend at Penn State.
"Not only did it allow for me to end up here but it allowed me to become who I am today," Leath said.
Women's Volleyball 11/10/2018 10:00:00 AM Tom Shively, Student Writer
Weiskircher Finishing Strong in Fifth Year
An All-American her senior year of high school, fifth-year senior setter Bryanna Weiskircher wasn't used to sitting on the bench. But upon arriving at Penn State, she sat behind senior setter and All-American Micha Hancock on the depth chart.
Weiskircher redshirted her first year in State College, and while it wasn't easy, she understood the value of an opportunity to learn behind a player like Hancock.
"It was tough, but at the same time I traveled, I practiced, I ran B side, I did everything other than play in matches," Weiskircher said. "I was warming up, I was doing everything and it was knowing that if something were to happen and I would have to step in and throw my redshirt away, then I was willing to do that to help the team. But yeah, I definitely really wanted to play. It helped me to the point I'm at now where we have eight freshmen and I have to be the 'adult' of the group."
In addition to learning from Hancock, redshirting helped her understand the game of volleyball more and be ready for when her time came to lead this year's crop of young players, especially reserve setter Gabby Blossom.
"(Gabby's) crazy," Weiskircher said. "She's a lot of fun and goes really hard and it's been great to have someone who wants to learn from the older kids. She wants to get as good as she can be while she can, because she's going to be the older setter next year and it's going to be one of those things where she has a short amount of time to grow up. I was kind of the same way with Micha."
Weiskircher did have the benefit of not going on this five-year journey alone, as redshirt senior outside hitter Nia Reed was there with her along the way, allowing them to create a special bond.
"Nia and I knew each other before and we both committed sophomore year of high school," Weiskircher said. "We were friends, hanging out, going to camps together and playing each other and all that. So it's been a lot of fun, just getting to know her and being with her and knowing her personality, just knowing that we were going to be in this together through the full five years. She's a character for sure."
A native of Rockford, Illinois, Weiskircher has a chance to return this weekend as the Nittany Lions travel to face Northwestern and Illinois. While she's in a fifth year and doesn't necessarily know a lot of the current players from club, it still presents an always-anticipated chance to return home.
"I know some of them from watching film, last year I knew a few more of the girls because they were my age and I was playing with them and against them in high school and club."
More than anything, Weiskircher is excited to return to the hub of culture and life that is Chicago.
"It's really exciting. I wish it was like a month ago so I could see all my family since they're coming for senior night, but it's a lot of fun and I absolutely love Chicago," Weiskircher said. "Being here is completely different from being in the city where everything is just like bright lights and excitement. I love State College and everything, but it's nothing like Chicago."
Coming toward the end of the season, Weiskircher and the other seniors only have so much time remaining on the team. While that sense may be overwhelming, Weiskircher tries to table it for the most part.
"I try not to think about it, but sometimes I'm at home and I'm like 'Wow, I only have like a month of guaranteed practices left.' It's one of those things where you try to tell the younger kids that it goes by really fast, and that's something you hear all the time as you go through the program, and then it finally gets here and you finally understand how fast it went. We have to understand that we can't take anything for granted, because who knows what's going to happen."
Only so many opportunities remain, and despite deep runs into the NCAA Tournament the last two years, the team understands that nothing is given this late in the season.
"It's crazy that we only have three weeks left of conference," Weiskircher said. "You only have so many practices and for-sure games left. It's that time of year when we're trying to put together some finishing touches and it's tough because people aren't always healthy and we can't always do everything. But everyone is really excited and everyone is to the point where it's time to turn it on and get going."
With her season and career winding down, Weiskircher reflected on how she thought she would never leave Penn State, but now that the time has come, she understands how special her time in University Park is and how much she appreciates it.
"I knew after my freshman year that I was going to be here for five years, and that really felt like forever," Weiskircher said. "(Head) coach (Russ Rose) jokes and tells me that I've been here for nine years now and I'm like yeah pretty much. But it feels like just yesterday that I was a freshman, coming into the Penn State program and just getting after it. It's something you don't quite understand until you experience it."
Jonni Parker’s Versatility, Athleticism On Full Display For Penn State Volleyball
Matt Sniegowski | Onward State By Ethan Kasales 11/16/18 4:08 am Jonni Parker arrived at Penn State as one of the nation’s top volleyball prospects, yet the freshman right side is already exceeding the loftiest of expectations. Parker, who hails from Casstown, Ohio, was ranked the No. 14 overall recruit in the 2018 class, earning Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as a senior at Miami East High School. A spectacular play she made in her team’s state championship win went viral in the volleyball community. Parker originally committed to her home-state Buckeyes, but later decided to reopen her recruitment, bringing Penn State into the picture. A visit to campus and a handful of conversations with head coach Russ Rose sealed the deal. She currently leads the Nittany Lions in kills with 260 through the first 27 matches of the season. The 6-foot-1 Parker has started all of them and is firmly in the mix for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Parker is third on the team in service aces with 21 heading into Saturday’s senior night match against Northwestern at Rec Hall. Only Jenna Hampton and Bryanna Weiskircher have more than the former Under Armour All-American. “Jonni’s played a lot of volleyball. She has a good awareness of the game and I think she’s very competitive,” Rose said. “She has a good sense of understanding where her skill set fits in. She’s certainly not an overpowering player, but she plays bigger than her size.”
Parker has 65 blocks so far this season. A setter nearly her whole career, Parker has tremendous hands. She will routinely adjust to a ball in mid-air and leave the entire gym wondering how she possibly kept it off the ground. Parker’s older sister, Paige, was a talented outside hitter who dreamed of one day playing for Penn State before attending the College of Wooster. Jonni, on the other hand, preferred being a softball catcher growing up. It took some convincing from her sister, but Jonni eventually tried out for the Dayton Juniors when she was 11. She didn’t just make the team; she earned a spot on the 13U roster with the older girls. Later on in her club volleyball career, she and Kendall White joined forces for the Munciana Samurai in Yorktown, Indiana. White, a junior libero for the Nittany Lions who earned All-American recognition last season, described her first impression of a 15-year-old Parker. “The first impression I had of Jonni was that she was very quiet,” White said. “She’s definitely come out of her shell since then. She’s still quiet off the court, but now she’s very loud and boisterous on the court. I love her to death. I couldn’t say a bad thing about her.” Hampton said Parker’s natural leadership has inspired her to be more vocal. Considering this year’s team features just six returning players from last season, plenty of freshmen have been thrust into important roles. “Jonni’s a really good person and she’s a really good leader,” Hampton said. “I think she’s helped me build more confidence in being able to help others and be a leader as well.” Nia Reed is one of only two Nittany Lions who own a national championship ring from 2014, but the redshirt senior outside hitter has no qualms about letting Parker set the tone. “Me personally, I follow in Jonni’s footsteps,” Reed said. “I know it’s backwards but she always has a great night offensively.” On top of her hitting prowess, Parker boasts one heck of a jump serve. Her front-row teammates shield the back of their heads when she steps to the line to avoid a potential concussion. “Whenever Jonni goes up to serve [in practice], my arms turn purple,” Tori Gorrell said. “I definitely think it’s really impressive. It’s quite scary. Her serve is going to hit you in the face if you don’t get your hands there.”
Parker prepares for a serve in Penn State’s sweep of Temple. Despite hailing from Ohio, Parker was well aware of Penn State volleyball’s tradition of excellence at a young age. In particular, she looked up to a pair of program greats who helped the Nittany Lions win their most recent national title. “I’ve always admired Micha Hancock and Megan Courtney, just because they’re both all-around players,” she said. Ever humble, Parker hates talking about her accomplishments. Instead, she often shifts the focus to her teammates and how they’ve helped her succeed whenever possible. But her rise to becoming one of the Big Ten’s best is even more impressive when you consider what she’s gone through to get here. Parker was born with a rare condition that only allows her to hear about 40 percent in her left ear and 45 percent in her right. She’s worn hearing aids since age 4. It inspired her sister to study audiology so she could help others thrive like Jonni has. “It’s allowed me to do different things,” Parker said. “It’s allowed me to be aware of the court in different ways that most people don’t understand or see.”
Seniors reflect on their careers for Penn State women’s volleyball Caleb Wlifinger
No. 7 Penn State has no shortage of young talent across all positions.
However, the most important players on its roster are the ones that have already gone through a lot to get to where they are today.
A prime example of this is the career trajectory of outside hitter Nia Reed.
The redshirt senior barely played any meaningful volleyball at the collegiate level until this season.
This was in large part because she was playing behind Simone Lee and Ali Frantti , two All- Americans and in the case of the former, one of the best players in the nation.
“Nia’s story is an interesting one because she’s had to play behind All-American outside hitters in the past few years,” coach Russ Rose said. “I think that she’s always had great patience in how she has conducted herself in waiting for her opportunity to play, and there have been real flashes of brilliance from her this season.”
Much like her teammate, Bryanna Weiskircher has spent the majority of her career playing behind an All-American.
After redshirting in her freshman season, Weiskircher had a breakout season in 2015, before having to play behind Abby Detering for two consecutive seasons as Penn State’s backup setter. Despite all of this, she remained an integral part of Penn State’s core throughout the years and has embraced the leadership role that was thrust upon her at the start of this season.
“Bryanna has been here for over four years now, and I think she’s had matches this year where she has made great decisions and passed really well” Rose said. “Her career has been an up-and- down ride, but most of the time, she has a handle on what helps us win.”
In her first year at Penn State, graduate transfer Taylor Leath has been an integral member of a Nittany Lions’ team that has benefited from a veteran presence in the locker room.
A former ACC Player of the Year, Leath transferred to Penn State after four years at North Carolina.
Her experience and leadership that she has brought to the team are two qualities that Rose and her teammates value just as much as her ability to perform on the court.
“I’ve known Taylor for a long time, probably since we played together when I was 14,” Reed said. “Her experience and leadership abilities have been great for us, and to get the chance to graduate with one of my best friends means the world to me. I wouldn’t want to go out any other way.”
The last few weeks of the season also present an opportunity to give recognition to the older players that don’t see the court very often, but are just as important to the team as its starters.
One such player is Bayleigh Hoffman , a Pennsylvania native who played for Louisiana-Monroe, before eventually transferring to Penn State and spending her final year of collegiate eligibility as a member of the Nittany Lions.
The defensive specialist hasn’t played in many matches this season, but she has done enough to garner praise from her coach. “Bayleigh hasn’t had as many opportunities to play as the other seniors, but she’s worked really hard in her time here and has earned her spot on the team,” Rose said. “She’s a more mature player, and I think we need that.”
Nittany Lions welcome Michigan and Northwestern to Rec Hall
The last time that Penn State played No. 19 Michigan, it turned in one of its best performances of the season in a pivotal road victory back on September 30.
Nearly two months later, the Nittany Lions are once again in need of a victory.
The blue and white will play host to the Wolverines on Wednesday, before Northwestern comes to Happy Valley for senior night on Saturday.
Penn State has dropped three of its last five matches, with all three losses coming in five sets against ranked opponents.
In fact, the Nittany Lions have not beaten a ranked team since their five-set triumph over Nebraska on October 13.
While they have beaten Michigan once already this season, Rose and his players are well aware that the Wolverines are a side that will make the NCAA tournament and can present a serious challenge to anyone they face.
“I think Michigan has one of the best outside hitters in the conference in [Carly] Skjodt,” Rose said. “She and [Paige] Jones are a great tandem on the outside, and they’ve had some great wins this year. We’re going to have to play a lot better than we have in recent matches if we want to leave with a victory.”
A staunch believer in taking things one game at a time, Rose is not overlooking this weekend’s matchup against the Wildcats, even as next week’s slate of Minnesota and Wisconsin looms large in the distance. “I’m not looking ahead, that’s something I never do,” Rose said. “I know that Northwestern will do its best to come in here and try to reverse the result from last weekend, and we need to be ready for that challenge.”
Penn State women's volleyball sees its offense start to click at right time
• Ben Jenkins | The Daily Collegian
Right side hitter, Jonni Parker (9), spikes the ball over Michigan player at the win at the Recreation Hall on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 James Leavy
It’s been a roller coaster of a season offensively for Penn State. Some nights, it seems like the Nittany Lions can’t get out of their way, trading errors and kills back-and-forth in a dangerous manner. Once in a while, Penn State can still escape with a win, like when the Nittany Lions upset then-No. 5 Nebraska 3-2 in Rec Hall, hitting just .172 on the night.
Other times, like when Penn State traveled to Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers, the Nittany Lions couldn’t overcome their offensive woes, falling 3-2 while hitting just .114.
Against No. 19 Michigan on Wednesday night, however, things went much smoother for Penn State, controlling the pace of play through a strong offensive performance, which saw the Nittany Lions hit .361 as a team, with three strong individual performances leading the way.
“I was encouraged by the hitting this evening,” Russ Rose said. “I thought we hit well.”
While freshman Kaitlyn Hord and senior Nia Reed both hit over .500 on the night, with Hord finishing with eight kills and Reed leading the team with 16, another freshman, Jonni Parker, strung together her second strong performance in a row.
After hitting .302 with 16 kills her last time out in Penn State’s 3-2 loss to No. 4 Illinois, Parker had another strong night against the Wolverines, hitting .440 with 13 kills on offense, while adding nine digs defensively.
“I guess you can say it’s just starting to click,” Parker said. “I’m just starting to be smarter with my shots.”
While ebbs and flows are just a part of volleyball, Penn State seems to be hitting a stride, and it’s coming with just a few weeks left until the NCAA Tournament approaches.
“We’re hitting .260 for the year,” Rose said. “So if you can hit better than your season average, you feel good about that.
Even with things going well for Penn State against Michigan, the Nittany Lions know they have to keep up a high level of play throughout the last three matches of the regular season, especially with ranked matchups against No. 3 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin looming at the end of next week.
“Everybody in the conference is good,” Rose said. “And everyone is playing for something.”
Still searching for a collective identity, Penn State women’s volleyball prepares for Northwestern and Illinois
• Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian
Despite what its record may indicate, No. 7 Penn State has not been the model of consistency this season. Sitting in fourth place in the Big Ten conference standings , the Nittany Lions started conference play with two consecutive losses, before rattling off nine straight wins, only to drop two of their last three matches .
Penn State is not yet mathematically eliminated from Big Ten contention, but it is highly unlikely the Nittany Lions will repeat as champions of the nation’s toughest conference.
While most would have predicted that Penn State would not be as successful as last year’s team, a roster that included five All-Americans, its recent struggles have highlighted a specific issue within this particular team —a lack of a collective identity.
“I think that we’re still trying to figure out our identity,” freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord s aid. “I believe that we’re a very strong team when we play within ourselves, but then there are other times when we make careless mistakes and don’t play to our strengths.”
The Nittany Lions have not looked like a championship-contending side for large chunks of the season.
This can be attributed to a myriad of factors, mainly that of experience.
In 2017, the Nittany Lions were a deep and experienced team, one that was primarily composed of seniors who had played together for years and knew what it took to win consistently at the highest level in NCAA Division I volleyball.
Penn State women's volleyball team celebrates after the game against Indiana at Rec Hall on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. The Nittany Lions defeat Indiana in 3 sets. Noah Riffe
However, in contrast to last year’s team, this Penn State side has the feel of a number of talented, young players who have yet to fully gel with each other on the court, despite the fact that the season is nearing its conclusion. “The whole year to me has been a sort of cloudy season, with some of that being the product of health-related matters,” coach Russ Rose said. “We’ve never gone an extended period of time where we have a full roster of players that are cleared to play at full strength every day.”
Penn State has struggled with injuries this season. Multiple players have missed key matches due to injury, including a few to the veteran members on the squad in Nia Reed and Bryanna Weiskircher.
This is a factor that has hurt the Nittany Lions from a team chemistry perspective as well, something that Rose was quick to acknowledge.
“As a team, you can’t get better if you’re not playing together,” Rose said. “At the same time, that’s part of life, and part of what comes with playing a full season of volleyball in the Big Ten. Nothing comes easy.”
As Penn State hits the road for the final time this regular season, there is still a chance for the Nittany Lions to develop that collective sense of identity.
However, it will have to come against one of the best teams in the country.
Penn State travels to Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern Friday, before facing off against No. 4 Illinois Saturday.
A team that has emerged as a Big Ten championship and Final Four contender, the Illini will present all sorts of challenges for the Nittany Lions.
“Illinois has one of the best setters in the country in Jordyn Poulter and they’re extremely strong in the middle as well,” Rose said. “I’ve been a big believer in the rise of their program for a while now, and I think that they can beat anyone in the nation on any given day.”
The winner of seven straight matches, Illinois is one of four ranked teams Penn State will still have to play before the end of the regular season, including No. 3 Minnesota and No. 8 Wisconsin on Thanksgiving weekend. “We know that these last few games are going to be good experience for us heading into the NCAA tournament,” Hord said. “We’re all committed to playing our hardest as a team, now we just need to go out there and limit our mistakes.”
In a team filled with freshmen talent, upperclassmen led the charge for Penn State women’s volleyball
• Caleb Wilfinger | The Daily Collegian
Taylor Leath (43) celebrates after a Penn State point during the women's volleyball game against Howard University at Rec Hall on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. No. 8 Penn State defeated Howard 3-0 to advance to the second round of playoffs. Zack Gething
One of the biggest storylines surrounding Penn State this season has been the massive roster turnover that took place in the offseason, turning one of the nation’s deepest and most experienced rosters into one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten.
In 2017, the Nittany Lions were loaded with talent and experience at every position, and had two of the best players in the country in Simone Lee and Haleigh Washington.
They were the top-ranked team for most of the season and were the favorites to capture the program’s eighth National Championship.
While the team looks a lot different this time around, the mindset is still the same for Penn State: survive and advance.
“Every team is unique and this team definitely has the tools to compete with anybody,” senior setter Bryanna Weiskircher said. “Our expectations are certainly high and I think we’ll play with the mindset that each match could be our last.”
In their first two matches of the NCAA Tournament, the Nittany Lions looked like the determined side that Weiskircher spoke about before the weekend.
Penn State dominated all aspects of its match against Howard on Friday, and followed that up with another convincing victory over a Syracuse team that was fresh off its first ever NCAA Tournament win.
Since half of the squad is composed of freshmen, and there are 12 new faces on the team, these two matches were the first time that many of the Nittany Lions’ key players had seen postseason action.
The blue and white have typically been led by their freshmen phenomes in Jonni Parker, Kaitlyn Hord and Serena Gray.
However, this weekend was about the veteran members of the team. These are players that have been there before, and it showed in their sense of urgency on the court.
Redshirt senior Nia Reed finished with a total of 18 kills for the weekend, which included a .389 hitting percentage against Howard.
She was assisted by graduate student Taylor Leath, who hit .467 on Friday, before following that up with 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .348 against Syracuse.
The former ACC Player of Year turned in her two of her best performances of the season thus far, and her coach was quick to praise her effort and leadership.
“I thought Taylor played a really smart and composed match,” coach Russ Rose said. “I was impressed with how mature her approach was out there, and I can always count on her to play calm and within herself.”
Outside of Reed and Leath, the usual mainstays were as consistent as ever for the Nittany Lions.
Junior libero Kendall White led the team defensively with a total of 28 digs over the weekend, and Weiskircher was predictably reliable in the passing game as she tallied a combined 67 assists between the two matches, in addition to hitting .667 against the Bison.
The real revelation for Penn State was the play of Tori Gorrell.
Starting in place of the injured Gray, Gorrell was the best player on the floor in both contests, hitting .571 against Howard, before tallying a season-high 11 kills and .500 hitting percentage against the Orange on Saturday.
The redshirt junior looked calm and composed on the biggest stage, drawing on her past tournament experience to help lead the Nittany Lions to their 16th consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. “As a middle, I’ve learned a lot from Haleigh [Washington],” Gorrell said. “One thing that she always told me is to just try and keep the ball in play, even if you don’t have a great swing. That’s something that has allowed me to hit for a high percentage, just keeping the ball in play.”+2
With Gray absent from the lineup, and Parker and Hord struggling in their first NCAA Tournament matches, it was the older players that picked up the scoring load and were cool under the pressure of a single-elimination format.
As Penn State looks ahead to its Sweet 16 matchup with Washington, and a potential Elite Eight showdown against No. 1 Stanford, the contributions from players like Gorrell and Leath could prove to be essential if the Nittany Lions are to get back to the NCAA Final Four.
“It’s tough sometimes for our younger players, especially since they’re having to match up against more experienced players on the other side of the net each time they take the floor,” Rose said. “As a whole, however, this group of freshmen are going to the regionals, so I have to be pleased with how they have positioned themselves thus far.”
Daily Collegian Athlete of the Week: Penn State women’s volleyball’s Kendall White
• Grace Vocalina | For the Collegian
After an eventful weekend at Rec Hall with two matches going to five sets each, one player made their presence known on and off the court.
The player, Kendall White, received The Daily Collegian’s Athlete of the Week. White led the defense as No.7 Penn State won in five sets over then-No.3 Minnesota this past weekend. Even though Penn State succumbed to No.8 Wisconsin the day after, the loss does not define her performance as to how she played this past weekend.
She averaged 5.3 digs per set , and totaled with 27 digs in just the Minnesota match alone. White obtained a pristine passing record of 58 combined for both matches , and did not stop there.
White made the SportsCenter Top 10 for her unbelievable diving save in the Minnesota game which left everyone stunned.
This successful save was just one of many that White had over the past weekend.
Also for the second time this season, White has been named Defensive Player of the Week by the Big Ten. On Wednesday, White won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team Honorees. Her presence on the court is a vital component to the team as the stresses of the postseason tournament are coming very fast.
Tori Gorrell Delivers In The Clutch For Penn State Volleyball
Matt Sniegowski | Onward State By Ethan Kasales 12/3/18 4:08 am After starting the last two seasons at middle blocker for Penn State women’s volleyball, Tori Gorrell was relegated to a backup role this season behind a pair of heralded true freshmen. Instead of letting her diminished playing time affect her mindset, the redshirt junior stayed patient and waited for her opportunity. She finally earned that chance in Serena Gray’s absence over the weekend, helping the Nittany Lions advance to the Sweet 16. Gray missed both matches against Howard and Syracuse with an apparent injury, and it’s unclear whether she’ll be available for the team’s showdown with Washington Friday at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California. Gorrell tallied 16 kills and eight blocks during Penn State’s consecutive sweeps of the Bison and Orange while playing alongside All-Big Ten second team selection Kaitlyn Hord. She led the Nittany Lions with a match-high 11 kills Saturday night at Rec Hall in the final home match of the season. “She hit .500, so she was the leading hitter in the match offensively, but I thought she served great and I thought she blocked well,” head coach Russ Rose said. “She was certainly a very calming presence out there. It was really critical for us that Tori played as well as she did.” In a somewhat similar situation to what Jalen Hurts and Alabama went through in Saturday’s SEC championship game, Gorrell showed her ample experience on the biggest stages shouldn’t be discounted. It looked like she had been starting all season long. “I just love playing in front of Rec Hall,” Gorrell said. “It was the last one of the year, and I just love playing with these girls. I’m just here to have fun. I think we have great setters on this team who allow us to cover high percentages.” Gorrell said Haleigh Washington set a great example for her of keeping the ball in play. Syracuse boasts two of the more physical middle blockers Penn State has faced this season, and she was a crucial reason why the Nittany Lions were able to pull off a sweep. Gorrell has refined the other aspects of her game this year and is no longer just a factor above the net. “She came in when we needed her,” libero Kendall White said. “She wants the spot permanently, and she’s going to come out and play her hardest. That’s what we do here. I think we push each other and I love that. Her pushing our other middles makes them better and makes us better.” Gorrell’s played all three front-row positions in practice and has spent significant time working on her passing, which she showcased with a tremendous diving save against the Orange. The Oakville, Ontario native is one of only four current Nittany Lions who saw the floor in last season’s Final Four loss to Nebraska. “She’s always kept a really positive attitude,” Rose said earlier this season. “I think she’s really done a nice job of trying to help the team in any way she possibly can.” Gorrell echoed that sentiment, further demonstrating her team-first attitude regardless of whatever stands in her way. “I’m just here to do whatever coach needs,” she said. “I don’t really care what I have to do. I’m here to help the team win.” Players reveal the 40-year secret to Russ Rose's unprecedented success at Penn State Vicki Friedman | EspnW
Russ Rose isn't big on hoopla when it's all about him. On Friday, Penn State recognized its volleyball coach for his 40 years running the program with a luncheon attended by dozens of his former players. On Saturday, the 105,232 in attendance at Beaver Stadium for Penn State football's 45-38 overtime victory over Appalachian State roared in appreciation during a first- quarter break to recognize Rose's accomplishments. After a sweep of Texas A&M at Rec Hall Saturday night, the Nittany Lions hosted an ice cream social with their fans, who took home a commemorative gnome of the legendary coach.
Maybe the winningest coach in Division I volleyball history with 1,251 victories (and counting), seven national championships and 17 Big Ten titles would rather skip the commotion, but this was one of those rare times when nobody listened to him.
"When you think of Penn State, you think of Russ Rose," says Simone Lee, a starter on last year's final four team. "He's built an empire."
The cast of that empire includes 44 All-Americans, four of whom were national players of the year. It also encompasses players like Jen Burdis, a recruited walk-on who accounts for four of the 191 times one of Rose's players has been named All-Academic Big Ten. What's remarkable is the white-haired, bespectacled 64-year-old relates as easily to today's Beyoncé fanatic who is boasting about her next Insta post as he did to the pioneers who sewed the numbers on their uniforms when he took over the program in 1979. "He's not on Instagram or Twitter. I don't even know if he knows what that is," Lions freshman Gabby Blossom says. "He has better advice than any person I've ever met. He's been around; he's dealt with everything there is to deal with, which makes him easy to talk to. He connects with us better than anybody could ever imagine."
Rose often quips, "Don't go changing," and players past and present insist he hasn't, citing the handwritten letters he writes in a digital age, the cigar he whips out after significant wins and an unbridled candor Nittany Lions of multiple generations embrace. "Russ isn't like anybody else," says Haleigh Washington, a three-time All-American who graduated last spring. "I'm a decent conversationalist; he's a great conversationalist. He knows how to have a conversation in an authentic way, which is ironic because everyone sees him as this gruff, standoffish kind of guy. ... He's authentic to the people who are in his life and he's authentic to himself." Lee acknowledges it's not unusual for young players to feel intimidated by the five-time national coach of the year, a Hall of Famer who is volleyball's version of Geno Auriemma (who has 11 NCAA women's basketball titles and 1,027 wins). Lee didn't grow up near University Park, where The Berkey Creamery created an ice cream flavor for him, "Russ 'Digs' Roseberry," a blend of strawberry ice cream, two separate raspberry sauces and dark chocolate flakes. But even coming from Wisconsin, Lee knew of the larger-than-life figure. She quickly identified with his straightforward approach, particularly his ability to decipher what motivates her without her having to explain it. They shared an easygoing dialogue when she would drop in his office -- as well as a love of R&B and hip-hop. "I had this music on and he said, 'Turn this up,' and it was, like, Mary J. Blige," she recalls with a giggle. "I love music, so we get off talking about different artists." Lee didn't feel as if she was unloading her life story at any point during those sit-downs and yet ... "You end up outing yourself without really outing yourself," she says. "You realize he's been at Penn State forever and he has eyes everywhere. If you breathe or fart in class, he's going to find out. Even though he's way older than any of us, he's very good about connecting with each of us differently." Rose picked up quickly on Lee's tendency to overdramatize the smallest setback. "I bombed a test," she remembers telling him. To which he responded, "There's four more," shrugging with an expression similar to one he uses when Penn State trails 0-2 at intermission that's followed by, "We'll win in five." "Nothing's ever as bad as it seems," Lee says. "That's what I learned from Coach. The sun will come up tomorrow."
Rose's first contact with a recruit is often a handwritten note. Nicole Fawcett, who won back-to- back national championships in 2007 and 2008 and was the national player of the year in 2008, remembers running her fingers over the ink. "I'd get all these letters from coaches and I would look to see if they actually signed the piece of paper," Fawcett says. "Then there's Russ who actually writes us. To this day, we still get a media guide with a personal note inside." "He still sends my mom a media guide with a note," says Salima Rockwell, a three-time All- American (1992-94) under Rose who later served as his associate head coach. "If it's somebody's birthday, he's hand-writing a note and mailing it himself. I used to say, 'At least let me address the envelopes, Coach!' He wouldn't even hear of it." Prospective Penn State players aren't fussed or fawned over by Rose. He sticks to a "here's what we got; we'd love to have you" pitch. "What got me during recruiting was his honesty," says Alisha Glass, a three-time All-American (2007-09) whose career at Penn State included three national championships. "He said, 'I'm not going to beg you and I'm not going to fill you with snuff. I think you're intelligent, and we would love to have you here if this makes sense and this is a place you want to play.'" Penn State doesn't lose many players to transfers the way some schools do. Although in 2012, starting libero Ali Longo and Darcy Dorton, who had been Big Ten freshman of the year in 2009, left. Longo landed in Hawaii and Dorton at the College of Charleston. At the time, Rose said he was sorry to lose both, "but I don't fight for anyone to stay." "He likes people who are fun and have perspective," Washington says. "He doesn't recruit people with good character. He recruits characters."
Maybe that's because Rose is one himself, known for his dry wit and sarcastic one-liners that have kept Nittany Lions off balance for years. He once called over Fawcett during a Penn State-Ohio State match her senior year. "He said I should be given a letterman's jacket from Ohio State because I was playing so well for them," she says with a chuckle. Terri Zemaitis-Boumans, the 1995 Big Ten Player of the Year, recalled chatting with boosters after a win and Rose walking up to her and saying, "You sucked," never breaking stride. "You always know exactly where you stand with Coach," she says. "I don't want fluff; I want the truth even if the truth is in your face. Even if the truth is that I sucked." Charter flights were unthinkable when Rose assumed the coaching job in 1979 making a salary of $14,000. Back then he drove a 17-passenger van for road trips. Legend has it that in his early days, he would stand outside of Rec Hall and ask any tall female student who walked by to throw a rock to judge her athleticism. Analyzing the toss, he might ask her to consider volleyball, once snagging a student en route to cheerleading tryouts that way. Then there was the time he pulled a rental van into a garage during a road trip in Utah and realized it wouldn't make the clearance. He hopped out, turning the keys over to one of his players, an engineering major, and declared, "Let's eat." He has an intense side, too. But that's typically reserved for three-a-day preseason practices in swampy South Gym. In the player-driven environment, the upperclassmen stress the expectations to carry on the tradition that includes the program's first-ever national championship in 1999, an unprecedented run of four straight from 2007 to 2010 and titles in 2013 and 2014. "When the doors are closed, when we're in South Gym and nobody is watching, that's when it matters to Coach," says Christa Harmotto Dietzen, a four-time All-American (2005-08) and former national team member. Dietzen still sounds exhausted recounting practices from 2007 -- the beginning of Penn State's four-in-a-row string of championships. "We lost all the time in practice," she says. "Monday to Thursday he would create these situations where it was really hard to win. He'd add his assistant to the scrimmage. ... He'd raise the net higher. He knew the potential of what we could handle, and he'd push the ceiling." Penn State won an NCAA-record 109 straight matches between 2007 and 2010. "He knew the potential we had, and if we were winning all the time in practice, I don't think we would have had that success," Dietzen said. "It was mentally grueling." Not that Rose doesn't toss in some lighthearted banter into the long sessions.
Claudette Otero, who played from 1993 to ' 96, regularly contained her thick, brown hair with a sturdy tie. "Her hair tie never stayed in," Rockwell remembers. "Russ was always in a quest to make it fall out. We'd run sideline to sideline, drill after drill. He'd say, 'We're not stopping till it's gone!' " During games, Rose favors subtlety over histrionics. He knows how to have a conversation in an authentic way, which is ironic because everyone sees him as this gruff, standoffish kind of guy. Haleigh Washington "When he stands up during a match and puts the binder over his mouth, you know you're going to hear it," Dietzen says. She was a freshman when Penn State swept Northwestern over Halloween weekend. Many players had family in town. Rose was disappointed by the effort despite the score. "We had a four-hour practice on Sunday," Dietzen says. "You were mad at the time; once you realized the expectations, then you understood. You settled in. Lee says once you're part of his program, "you're never actually gone. It's home," and she says Rose is the reason why. She plays for Karch Kiraly on the national team, but Rose, she says, "will always be Coach to me." Players regularly dial him up seeking coaching or life advice. "He loves that," says Lori Barberich, a three-time All-American (1982-84) under Rose, and later an assistant who is also his wife of 32 years. "If one of his players calls, he's answering the phone. I thought all coaches did that, but the older I get I talk to players who have no communication with their college coach. For him, coaching is all about relationships and building them. That's what he loves the most about all of this." Dietzen was touched when Rose attended her wedding in Pittsburgh in June 2014. Burdis, who is dyslexic and struggled with confidence when she arrived at Penn State in 1993, recently wrote her first book, "The EnduNinja Mindset: 11 Habits for Building a Stronger Mind and Body." She describes it as a thank you to Rose for pushing her to reach heights she never imagined. "He raised the ceiling for me more than anyone ever had, and I didn't want to let him down," says Burdis, who returned to University Park earlier this year for a book signing. Rose hasn't spoken of retirement; he signed a five-year extension in 2015. His place at the top of the volleyball world won't be challenged anytime soon. Retired Hawaii coach Dave Shoji is second in Division I in wins with 1,202. Among active coaches, Florida's Mary Wise's 908 victories rank No. 2 to Rose. Eight freshmen on the 2018 roster will get their fill of Rose over the next four years. Blossom is ahead on the learning curve because she arrived on campus in January ahead of the others. She was the lone gopher on newspaper duty -- a tradition of freshmen delivering Rose a stack of newspapers by 9 a.m. The instructions call for slipping them under the door if he's not there, but most often he's sitting in his chair inquiring about a grade, class or the shenanigans they got into overnight. "Just about every day all summer I talked to him about something," Blossom says. "Before you get to know him all you know is he's this big legend in volleyball. But then you sit in his office and realize how much he wants to get to know you, and you realize he's super cool." Of course, Penn State is a title contender again, ranked sixth at 5-0. "Coach found his niche," Zemaitis-Boumans says. "There's certain people in life who found what they're meant to be doing, and this is what he's meant to be doing. When I think of how brilliant he is, he could probably be doing anything, but he chose to coach women's college volleyball. "Thousands of women have been blessed because of his decision to do that."
Women's volleyball coach Russ Rose celebrates 40th season Jake Afriat | The Daily Collegian
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Every great story starts with a strong protagonist, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the story of Penn State women's volleyball without head coach Russ Rose. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the college volleyball story as a whole without him. For the 40th time this fall, Rose, who will be honored on field today, will be roaming the sidelines in Rec Hall, continuing to oversee the powerhouse program he so successfully built over the years. There's a sense of pride in any coach, but especially when seeing his own work and philosophies manifested into reality year after year.
Rose has certainly seen that, with a record seven national championships to his name as well as 17 Big Ten titles, and he's overseen one of only two programs to make the NCAA volleyball tournament in all 37 of its iterations. But for him, it always comes back to representing the university and all it has done for the volleyball program.
"I'm very passionate about Penn State, the history of Penn State and the people I've had the privilege of interacting with over the course of my time here," Rose said. "I try to share with the players the importance of tradition and the importance of the opportunities they have."
Famous for his hard-nosed coaching style and his desire to work his players to their full potential, Rose carries a certain reputation of discipline and dedication among those in the volleyball world.
"There's a lot of tough love," redshirt senior outside hitter Nia Reed said. "It's definitely a grind playing for him, but that's why we come here. We knew what he was like being recruited, and we have one goal in mind: to win. That's why we come to Penn State and that's why we're in this program." Even to relative outsiders that aren't from the northeast, Penn State has made itself a household name in the sport, winning 1,249 matches and making Rose the all-time winningest coach in women's collegiate volleyball.
"I'm from Chicago, so Penn State volleyball isn't quite as big, but obviously you still know Penn State if you're in the volleyball world," redshirt senior setter Bryanna Weiskircher said. "As soon as you get that recruiting letter or email from coach, you light up. It's not necessarily easy, but it's a driving force to get you to where you want to be." Not one to boast of his personal accolades, Rose credits the program's success to the players more so than himself, and for good reason. Rose has coached 28 first-team All-Americans, who combined to be selected to the team 64 times, including three four-time All-Americans.
"I've been very fortunate to have a lot of great players, people who are affiliated with the program, like administrators, coaches and volunteers," Rose said. "They've allowed the program to achieve success, not me. I've been here for a lot of it for sure, but I certainly think it's about the players." As consistent as Penn State's program has been over the last four decades, that much time naturally brings change with it. Whether it be the inception and implementation of Title IX, the advancement of women's sports in general, or the way the game of volleyball has changed over the years, Rose has been here for all of it.
"They're very fortunate to have great opportunities in a lot of areas, and I want them to be appreciative of those opportunities and the many people that came before them to lay the groundwork for those things," Rose said.
Rose naturally demands the most from his players, and it shows with the results on the court. But, more importantly, Rose wants to develop his players into strong people as well as athletes, as there's only a finite amount of time in the gym but a lifetime of lessons.
"Part of tough love is educating people, and part of educating people is trying to provide them with good direction, pat them on the back when you need to pat them on the back and help them up, but try to keep them headed toward the best that they can be," Rose said.
"He wants us to be the best players and best people that we can be," Weiskircher said. "He shows it every day in practice and in games, and we're all thankful for him."
The team is in position to contend again this year. Even with the departure of seven seniors last year, expectations are still high. Rose wouldn't have it any other way.
"I think the expectations for what young people can do should be set really high, or they should go someplace where they feel comfortable and there's no expectations. I don't have a problem with them going elsewhere," Rose said. "I like to win, but I'm not playing."
For the players, tradition trumps everything, and the winning mentality is something ingrained in most Penn State student-athletes before they even set foot on campus.
"It was easy for me. I didn't want to go anywhere else," Reed said. "Coming from New Jersey, I went to the same school as Ariel Scott and I played with Aiyana Whitney and they all came here and told me about it. I was like, 'I want to play for Russ Rose.'" With the season just getting into full swing, Rose's latest test is to turn his youthful team into a contender.
"Last week the freshmen said I was sweet," Rose said. "Goes to show you how times change."
Three Days That Defined Russ Rose’s First 40 Years At Penn State Ethan Kasales | Onward State
Russ Rose needs no introduction. The only women’s volleyball coach in NCAA history to win seven national championships, Rose is rightfully considered one of the greatest to ever wear a whistle — regardless of the sport. This weekend, fans and former players will descend upon Rec Hall to celebrate Rose’s 40th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions. His all-time record is a staggering 1,249-198 entering Friday’s match against Temple. For those counting at home, that amounts to a ridiculous 86.3 winning percentage since he took the job as a 25-year-old in 1979. Rose also rocked quite the mustache back in those days.
Under Rose, Penn State is one of only two programs to successfully qualify for all 37 NCAA tournaments, joining Stanford. The Cardinal tied Penn State’s record for the most national titles with its seventh in 2016. Rose, who was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2007, sat on his honorary alumnus bench outside Rec Hall this week — as he does every Tuesday during the season — and reflected on the past four decades. “I would say then and I’ll say now, it’s just not about me. It’s about the players, it’s about the administrators who have supported the program, it’s about the coaches that have worked in our program and the other programs that I’ve been able to interact with over the 40 years that I’ve been here that have mentored me, educated me, and allowed me to shape how I wanted to run my program at Penn State. I’m pleased that I’ve been able to do it my way. I guess that’s probably how I look at it. The climate and culture’s a lot different right now in college athletics than it was 40 years ago, for sure.” Here are three days that have defined Rose’s career to date:
Dec. 18, 1999 (Honolulu)
After advancing to the national championship in 1997 and 1998 only to lose in five sets both times, Rose’s Nittany Lions finally won their first NCAA title the following year, sweeping Stanford in decisive fashion. Senior middle blocker Lauren Cacciamani led the team to victory with a match-high 20 kills and eight digs in the finale. She shared national player of the year honors with Stanford’s Kerri Walsh, who would go on to win three Olympic gold medals in beach volleyball. You can check out the last few points of Penn State’s victory below. This was before the implementation of the 25-point rally scoring system, when sets were played to 15 and only the serving team could earn points. Plus, how about those collared jerseys?target="_blank">Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.