Penn State Nittany Lions volleyball
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| Year founded: 1975 | |||
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| City | University Park, Pennsylvania | ||
| Team Mascot | Nittany Lion | ||
| Team Colors | Blue and White | ||
| Head Coach | Russ Rose (1979-present) | ||
| Home Stadium | Rec Hall | ||
| League/Conference affiliations | |||
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Conference History:
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All-Time Record under Rose
Atlantic 10 Championships (8)
Big Ten Championships (11)
NCAA Tournament Appearances (27)
NCAA Final Four Appearances (6)
NCAA National Championships (2)
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Penn State maintains both men's and women's volleyball programs. Both the men and women's teams were founded in 1975 by Tom Tait. Tait coached the women's team from 1976-79 and the men's from 1976-89.
Both teams have won two NCAA championships, the women in 1999 and 2007 and the men in 1994 and 2008. The 2007-08 championships gave Penn State volleyball sweeps, joining only Stanford as from 1996-97 as the only two schools to sweep the volleyball titles in the same academic year.
The women's volleyball team is coached by Russ Rose, who, since his first season in 1979, has led the Lions to a record of 925-159, an .853 winning percentage, which ranks first in NCAA history. On September 21, 2007, Rose earned his 900th career victory with a win over Michigan State, being only the third Division I coach in history to reach the milestone. In 28 of 29 seasons under Rose, there have been at least 1 All-American on his team.
The men's team is coached by Mark Pavlik who took over for the program in 1995 after serving as an assistant coach for six years. He has led the team to every EIVA conference championship since 1995 with the exception of 1998. Under his guidance, Penn State finished as NCAA runner-ups in 1995 and 2006 before winning it all in 2008. He also led the team to an NCAA record of 10 straight (1998-2008) NCAA final four appearances. Pavlik was awarded his first ever AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2008 - helping give Penn State volleyball another sweep in 2007-08 after Russ Rose was named it in 2007 for the women's side.
Prior to entering the Big Ten Conference in 1991, Rose's Lady Lions experienced unprecedented success in the Atlantic 10 Conference, winning eight straight championships. In seven seasons of round-robin play, the Nittany Lions never lost a conference match, reeling off 49 consecutive wins.
This article is about the women's team only.
Contents |
[edit] 1990
Aside from Rose earning his first AVCA National Coach of the Year honor, Unbeaten in 42 regular-season matches, the Nittany Lions swept Purdue and Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Of the team’s 44 wins, 40 were sweeps, a school and national record. The 44 match win streak, a national record, was not broken until 2003 by Southern California
Penn State, 12-0 against NCAA Tournament teams, lost to Nebraska in four games in the Mideast Region championship match in Lincoln, Nebraska. Penn State finished sixth in the final 1990 Tachikara Coaches Poll, the program’s highest final ranking ever at the time.
[edit] 1993
Rose's Nittany Lions surged into their third year of Big Ten play and won their second consecutive conference title. At the NCAA Tournament, the team strung together four victories and earned the right to play for the National Championship against Long Beach State.
[edit] 1994
Rose coached the Nittany Lions to a second straight NCAA national semifinal appearance and picked up his 500th career win early in the season. Placing second in the Big Ten with a 17-3 conference mark, the Nittany Lions posted a 31-4 ledger on the year and ended the regular-season ranked No. 5, at the time their highest regular-season finish ever. Season highlights included beating national runner-up and perennial powerhouse UCLA at the Volleyball Monthly Invitational and No. 1-ranked and undefeated Nebraska in Nebraska at the NCAA Mideast Regional final to advance to their second straight national semifinal.
[edit] 1996
The Lions started out 15-0, before finishing the regular season with a 29-2 mark and a share of the Big Ten title, Rose’s third in six seasons in the conference. The squad that took the court in the NCAA tournament was comprised of one senior, one junior, one sophomore and three freshman.
[edit] 1997
Rose's Nittany Lions finished as runners-up to Stanford in the NCAA National Championship game after defeating the Florida 3-0 in the semi-finals. Penn State, favored to win, made their third Final Four appearance in five years. Terri Zemaitis was named the tournament MVP.
[edit] 1998
After posting a runner-up finish in 1997, the Lions made it back to the NCAA Championship match. The team cruised through the regular season with a 30-0 mark with 28 of those coming in three games. Penn State also became only the second school to close out the Big Ten schedule with a perfect 20-0 mark.
After winning its fifth Big Ten title, Penn State hosted the NCAA First and Second Rounds and the Central Regional. They swept past Bucknell, Clemson, Louisville and Brigham Young to earn a spot in the school’s fourth national semifinal. Once they reached NCAA Final Four in Madison, Wisconsin, the season ended much like 1997. Penn State defeated Nebraska 3-1 to advance to the national championship match. And once again, the Lions had to rally from a 0-2 deficit to force a fifth game only to come up short against Long Beach State for the NCAA title. Despite losing, Cacciamani was named co-MVP for the tournament.
[edit] 1999
Rose lead Penn State to its first NCAA national championship, and their second-consecutive 20-0 record in Big Ten play (and fourth straight conference title), becoming the first team in conference history to pull off the feat. In the national semifinals, they defeated Pacific 3-2, and in the finals they defeated Stanford 3-0, the final scores were 15-2, 15-10, 15-7. Lauren Cacciamani was named the championship MVP for the second consecutive year. Bonnie Bremner and Cacciamani were named first team All-Americans. Bremner became Penn State's first ever four time All-American.
In addition, the 1999 Nittany Lions extended their current NCAA record home-match winning streak to 80 straight (extended to 87 in 2000), eclipsing the previous standard of 58 set by Florida from 1990-94. The Lions streak was finally put to a halt at 87 matches with a loss versus Minnesota on Sept. 29, 2000. Penn State had last dropped a match at Rec Hall on Nov. 24, 1994, when they suffered a 3-2 setback to Illinois, a span of over five seasons.
[edit] 2001
Despite a 22-8 season, Penn State advanced to their 20th consecutive NCAA tournament and notched the program's 26th consecutive 20 win season. The Lions also remained in the top three in the Big Ten, finishing third in conference play.
[edit] 2003
Penn State got back on track with the program's first Big Ten title since 1999, finishing 17-3 in league action, besting the 2002 record by three wins. With the help of one of the eventual best setters in Penn State history, sophomore Sam Tortorello, Penn State came one win short of advancing to the final four, and finished the season off with an impressive 31-5 record. Tortorello, Erin Iceman, and Cara Smith were all named AVCA all-Americans. In addition, Cassy Salyer was named Penn State's second consecutive Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
[edit] 2005
The streak continued as the Rose's Nittany Lions claimed their third consecutive Big Ten title with an unblemished 20-0 league record, only the sixth time since 1985 that the champion has been perfect. Penn State also picked up the program's first ever AVCA National Freshman of the Year honors, for freshman outside hitter Nicole Fawcett. Fawcett was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, their fourth consecutive. Senior Kaleena Walters was named Penn State's first ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and senior Sam Tortorello was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Tortorello was also named a first team All-American, while Fawcett and sophomore Melissa Walbridge were named second team All-Americans. Walters and freshman Christa Harmotto, were both named to the AVCA Honorable Mention All-American team.
In addition to dropping only three individual games during the conference season, Penn State swept all four major honors, the first school in the Big Ten history of then-22 years to sweep the honors. Rose also earned his seventh Big Ten Coach of the Year award. In NCAA play, Penn State made it to the Sweet 16, before being upset by Tennessee at home. Penn State was without one of their star freshman (Harmotto) who tore her ACL in the last match of the Big Ten.
[edit] 2006
After starting out the season 21-0, Penn State finished the season with a 32-3 record, as they fell in the regional finals to defending NCAA champion Washington. The Lions captured their fourth consecutive outright Big Ten championship, tying the Big Ten record of four straight, set by Penn State from 1996-99.
Freshman outside hitter Megan Hodge made history as being the first freshman in the then-23 year history of the Big Ten to be named Big Ten Player of the Year. Hodge also was named the second ever (for Penn State) and second consecutive AVCA National Freshman of the Year honors, thus making Penn State the first school to win the award back-to-back. Hodge became the first ever volleyball player to win Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a high school senior and then AVCA National Freshman of the Year honors as a freshman in college. The No. 1 high school recruit also earned first team All-American honors, becoming only the third true freshman in 7 years to be named on first team. Sophomore Nicole Fawcett also picked up first team all-American honors, while sophomore Christa Harmotto earned her place on second team. Rose earned his eighth Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
[edit] 2007
In 2007, the top ranked Nittany Lions claimed their 2nd NCAA National Championship, as well as the program's fifth consecutive outright Big Ten championship. The team finished the Big Ten conference in 1st place with a 20-0 record, the second time in the last three season the team accomplished the feat- and finished the season off with a 34-2 record. Penn State was never nationally ranked lower than 3rd throughout the season as they started out at 3rd, then move to 2nd holding it three weeks before moving to 1st on October 29, 2007, where they remained for the rest of the season.[1] The number 1 ranking was the first time the Lions claimed the top spot since winning the NCAA title in 1999.
In Big Ten awards, the program picked up 3 of 4 major honors, with junior Christa Harmotto taking Player of the Year, Arielle Wilson taking Freshman of the Year, and Rose taking Coach of the Year.[2] Harmotto, sophomore Megan Hodge, and junior Nicole Fawcett picked up first team AVCA All-American honors while sophomore setter Alisha Glass picked up second team All-American honors.
See Also: 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
After sweeping through each opponent leading into the final, Penn State, the 3rd overall seed in the tournament, defeated Stanford, the 1st overall seed in the tournament, in the NCAA National Championship match, that took place on December 15, 2007, in Sacramento, California at the ARCO Arena. Penn State won the first two sets before Stanford rallied to win the next two to force a fifth game. Penn State pulled away in the fifth game, taking the 10-4 lead then winning 15-8, allowing Stanford just one kill during the entire game. It was nearly a reversal from exactly ten years ago, in the 1997 NCAA title match when Stanford won the first two games, Penn State won the next two, and Stanford winning the fifth 15-9. It was also the fifth consecutive time that a meeting between Penn State and Stanford went the distance with five games.
Penn State set two NCAA records in their tournament run and also had other milestones for the 2007 NCAA tournament that include: [3]
- Megan Hodge was named the championship MVP, Penn State's fourth all time. Glass, Fawcett and Harmotto also earned spots on the 7 player final four All-Tournament team.
- Penn State shattered the NCAA tournament record for hitting percentage of .369 set by Long Beach State in 1995. PSU hit .424 in six matches.
- Penn State tied the NCAA record for service aces in an NCAA Tournament with 43 in six matches, equaling the 1998 Long Beach State team who defeated Penn State for the national title.
- After being defeated by Stanford exactly three months before on Sept. 15, the last defeat for the Lions in the 2007 season, Penn State reeled off 26 consecutive wins.
- Penn State set a school record for hitting percentage in a single match versus Albany in the second round (.602).[4]
Rose also had a storied year, as he was named the AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year, was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame, and a National Championship win, all that happened within in the same week.
[edit] 2008
Penn State will begin the 2008 season in August. Penn State is scheduled to play (in no particular order): UCLA, Hawai'i, Ohio, New Hampshire, Yale, Louisville, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, George Washington, Long Island, St Louis and Villanova before beginning the Big Ten conference. Penn State has a combined record of 52-10 against above listed non-conference opponent.
Every regular starter from the 2007 NCAA champion team (Harmotto, Glass, Fawcett, Hodge, Blair Brown, Roberta Holehouse, Wilson) is returning for the 2008 season. First Team All-Americans Harmotto, Fawcett and Hodge will be a senior, senior and junior, respectively. Second team All-American Glass will be a junior, while Big Ten Freshman of the Year Wilson and Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection Brown will both be sophomores, while Holehouse will be a senior.
Rose will be entering his 30th season. Penn State will also seek an unprecedented 6th straight outright Big Ten title.
[edit] All Time NCAA Tournament Results
Penn State is one of only 2 Division I schools to make every single NCAA tournament appearance (1981-2007). Penn State has made 27 NCAA tournament appearances, won 2 NCAA National Championships, made 6 National Semifinal appearances, 5 National Final appearances, 11 Elite Eight appearances, and 20 Sweet 16 appearances.
| Year | Overall Record | NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 44-5 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1982 | 26-15 | First Round |
| 1983 | 36-10 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1984 | 30-6 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1985 | 31-5 | First Round |
| 1986 | 38-5 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1987 | 27-9 | First Round |
| 1988 | 36-4 | First Round |
| 1989 | 34-7 | First Round |
| 1990 | 44-1 | Regional Final |
| 1991 | 26-6 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1992 | 28-4 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1993 | 31-5 | National Runner-Up |
| 1994 | 31-4 | National Semifinal |
| 1995 | 27-8 | Regional Semifinal |
| 1996 | 31-3 | Regional Final |
| 1997 | 34-2 | National Runner-Up |
| 1998 | 35-1 | National Runner-Up |
| 1999 | 36-1 | National Champions |
| 2000 | 30-6 | Regional Final |
| 2001 | 22-8 | Second Round |
| 2002 | 30-6 | Second Round |
| 2003 | 31-5 | Regional Final |
| 2004 | 29-3 | Regional Semifinal |
| 2005 | 31-3 | Regional Semifinal |
| 2006 | 32-3 | Regional Final |
| 2007 | 34-2 | National Champions |
[edit] Big Ten History
See Also: Big Ten Volleyball
[edit] Big Ten Awards
Since 1991, Penn State has received 9 Player of the Year honors, 7 Freshman of the Year honors, 1 Defensive Player of the Year honor, and Rose picked up a total of 9 Coach of the Year honors.
Big Ten Honors (Since 1991):
| Year | Coach of the Year | Player of the Year | Freshman of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Russ Rose | Leanne Kling | |
| 1993 | Russ Rose | Salima Davidson | |
| 1995 | Terri Zemaitis | ||
| 1996 | Russ Rose | Bonnie Bremner | |
| 1997 | Russ Rose | Bonnie Bremner | |
| 1998 | Russ Rose | Bonnie Bremner | |
| 1999 | Lauren Cacciamani† | ||
| 2002 | Sam Tortorello | ||
| 2003 | Russ Rose | Cassy Salyer | |
| 2004 | Kate Price | ||
| 2005** | Russ Rose | Sam Tortorello | Nicole Fawcett |
| 2006 | Russ Rose | Megan Hodge* | Megan Hodge |
| 2007 | Russ Rose | Christa Harmotto | Arielle Wilson |
† Also Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
(**) In 2005, Kaleena Walters was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Penn State was the first school in the Big Ten then 22-year history to sweep all 4 major honors.
(*) Megan Hodge made Big Ten then-23 year history by being the first freshman to be named Player of the Year.
[edit] Big Ten Conference finish history
Since joining in 1991, Penn State has never finished lower than third place in Big Ten conference play. They have won 11 titles, and have finished conference play 20-0 four times, more than any other Big Ten school who have accomplished the feat combined.
| Year | Big Ten Record | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15-5 | 2nd |
| 1992 | 19-1 | 1st (co) |
| 1993 | 18-2 | 1st |
| 1994 | 17-3 | 2nd |
| 1995 | 14-6 | 3rd |
| 1996 | 18-2 | 1st (co) |
| 1997 | 19-1 | 1st (co) |
| 1998 | 20-0 | 1st |
| 1999 | 20-0 | 1st |
| 2000 | 16-4 | 3rd |
| 2001 | 14-6 | 3rd |
| 2002 | 14-6 | 2nd (co) |
| 2003 | 17-3 | 1st |
| 2004 | 18-2 | 1st |
| 2005 | 20-0 | 1st |
| 2006 | 18-2 | 1st |
| 2007 | 20-0 | 1st |
[edit] Penn State vs. Big Ten opponents
Penn State has dominated every Big Ten opponent throughout the history with each team. In fact, Iowa and Indiana have never beat Penn State in a combined 70 tries. The following is a list of Penn State vs. Big Ten opponents (As of the end of the 2007 season)
Illinois: Penn State leads 32-6
Indiana: Penn State leads 36-0
Iowa: Penn State leads 34-0
Michigan: Penn State leads 34-3
Michigan State: Penn State leads 29-6
Minnesota: Penn State leads 30-7
Northwestern: Penn State leads 34-8
Ohio State: Penn State leads 30-14
Purdue: Penn State leads 39-5
Wisconsin: Penn State leads 31-6
OVERALL RECORD: 329-55
[edit] Penn State vs. opponents, all time series
In 29 years under Rose, Penn State leads every opponent except for Nebraska (5-11), UCLA (3-7), UCSB (0-1), Washington (1-2), Georgia (0-1), San Diego State (2-3), San Jose State (1-2), Illinois State (1-2), New Mexico (tied 1-1), Stanford (tied 5-5), Pacific (tied 3-3), Long Beach State (tied 2-2), Houston (tied 2-2) and Southwest Missouri State (tied 1-1).
[edit] AVCA All-Americans
Penn State volleyball is home to one of the top programs in speaks of All-Americans. In 28 of 29 seasons under Rose, there have been at least one All American to be named on his team.
| Year | All-American Recipients. |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Ellen Crandell |
| 1980 | Ellen Crandell |
| 1981 | Ellen Crandell |
| 1982 | Lori Barberich** |
| 1983 | Lori Barberich |
| 1984 | Lori Barberich** |
| 1985 | Ellen Hensler |
| 1986 | Ellen Hensler |
| 1987 | Noelle Zientara |
| 1988 | Noelle Zientara |
| 1989 | JoAnn Elwell; Michelle Jaworski |
| 1990 | Noelle Zientara; JoAnn Elwell; Michelle Jaworski** |
| 1991 | Leanne Kling |
| 1992 | Leanne Kling**; Salima Davidson |
| 1993 | Salima Davidson |
| 1994 | Salima Davidson**; Laura Cook; Saundi Lamoureux |
| 1995 | Terri Zemaitis |
| 1996 | Terri Zemaitis**; Bonnie Bremner; Angie Kammer |
| 1997 | Terri Zemaitis**; Bonnie Bremner**; Lauren Cacciamani |
| 1998 | Lindsay Anderson; Bonnie Bremner**; Lauren Cacciamani** |
| 1999 | Bonnie Bremner**; Lauren Cacciamani** |
| 2000 | Mishka Levy |
| 2002 | Cara Smith** |
| 2003 | Cara Smith**; Erin Iceman; Sam Tortorello |
| 2004 | Syndie Nadeau; Sam Tortorello** |
| 2005 | Melissa Walbridge; Kaleena Walters; Nicole Fawcett; Sam Tortorello**; Christa Harmotto |
| 2006 | Nicole Fawcett**; Christa Harmotto; Megan Hodge** |
| 2007 | Nicole Fawcett**; Christa Harmotto**; Megan Hodge**; Alisha Glass |
** Denotes First Team All-American
[edit] AVCA National Honors
Aside from the numerous AVCA All-Americans, Penn State has picked up National Honors from the AVCA as well.
Women
Rose has earned 3 National Coach of the Year honors. For three straight years (2005-07), Penn State was honored by the AVCA in a major category.
| Year | National Coach of the Year | National Player of the Year | National Freshman of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Russ Rose | ||
| 1997 | Russ Rose | ||
| 1999 | Lauren Cacciamani | ||
| 2005 | Nicole Fawcett | ||
| 2006 | Megan Hodge | ||
| 2007 | Russ Rose |
Men
| Year | National Coach of the Year | National Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tom Peterson | |
| 1997 | Ivan Contreras | |
| 2008 | Mark Pavlik | Matt Anderson |
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