When someone says "volleyball," what do you think of? Does it conjure up thoughts of relaxing on a sunny California beach or batting the ball around at your backyard family reunion?
Your image will be shattered when you visit Rec Hall this fall to witness the power and finesse of the defending National Champion Nittany Lion women's volleyball team. It is a squad that also has claimed the last five Big Ten titles in a conference that has finished in the top two in the RPI the last six years.
The 2008 team returns all seven starters -- including four AVCA All-Americans -- and these players aren't your normal high school gym class athletes. They average close to 6-3 across the front row -- with three taller than that -- and all of them can jump and reach higher than the rim on a basketball hoop (10 feet).
How does a university in the middle of Pennsylvania lay claim to all of these accolades? With good, old-fashioned hard work, along with recruiting the best players who want to be at Penn State -- not just play college volleyball -- and a willing and supportive administration.
Head coach Russ Rose, who is in his 30th year at Penn State and is the winningest coach in Nittany Lion athletics history with more than 930 victories, was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in December and also was named the 2007 AVCA Coach of the Year. But, he is quick to deflect any praise.
"I have been coaching for a long time, but I don't want to take the major responsibility for the program's success," Rose has said.
"I know one thing for sure, and that is you can't get where we are today without the total support of the administration. You need to have good leadership and financial support to compete with the nation's elite. When I arrived at Penn State (in 1979), we had three in-state scholarships and hand-me-down basketball jerseys."
Rose's squads have come a long way since `79. They have claimed 19 conference championships -- eight in the Atlantic 10 and 11 in the Big Ten -- and are one of only two programs in the nation to advance to all 27 NCAA Tournaments in the sport, with Stanford being the other. The Nittany Lions have advanced to the NCAA national semifinals six times, culminating in three National runner-up finishes and two National Championships, including in 2007.
"Our role here is to attract the type of player who wants to be at Penn State, understands what we are about and knows what it will take to fit into our program," says Rose.
"I refuse to be in the position where we are saying one thing to get a player interested and then change our story once the athlete arrives on campus. I am interested in players who are willing to be up front, committed and passionate in what they see in their own development."
This method for success has made the Penn State women's volleyball tradition a long-standing one. The program has boasted 20 or more wins a season for 31 consecutive years, with the only season falling short of the mark being the first one in 1976 when that team played just 20 total matches and finished with an overall record of 6-11-3. Under Rose, 20 Nittany Lion squads have reached the 30-win plateau, with last season marking the third consecutive instance.
The Lion student-athletes are well aware of the rich tradition and history even before they step foot in Rec Hall. Said current junior setter Alisha Glass, an AVCA second-team All-American last year, "The list of All-Americans was always something I looked for when I was younger. The players that made the list were my role models, and the teams they played on and the things they achieved were what I aspired to. "Penn State is one of those great programs with a tradition of outstanding players, distinguished coaches and an amazing support system."
Everyone who comes through the program realizes and respects those who have come before, much like the traditions passed down through the Penn State football program. When asked what it was like to put on a Penn State jersey for the first time, all three current freshmen on the team responded with a variation of feeling a sense of pride in upholding the tradition that those before them had set. These words came from three young women who have been on campus for little more than two months.
The volleyball tradition surrounds those within the program on a daily basis. It emanates from the photos of every All-American hanging in the Rec Hall offices, the championship celebration photos in the team's meeting room, the numerous banners hanging from the Rec Hall rafters, and the constant stream of alumni who are visible during practice and at matches, both at home and on the road.
Assistant coach Salima (Davidson) Rockwell was a three-time All-American setter at Penn State and a two-time captain of the U.S. National team. She is an ever-present reminder to the squad of who and what they are representing every time they put on a jersey and step onto the court.
"Having someone present in the gym who has been there and knows what they are going through is a huge reminder to the players about the history and tradition of our program," says Rockwell.
"I remind them sometimes about things that have happened in the past, but we've always had that driving work-ethic and blue-collar mentality."
Like any sport, homecourt advantage plays a large role in the success of the program. The Penn State women's volleyball program has a 163-11 match record at Rec Hall over the last eight seasons and has an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 36-3 within the friendly confines. Penn State finished last year ranked fifth in the nation in attendance and the Big Ten Conference again sat atop the charts for the largest crowds by a conference.
In 2007, the venerable arena played host to the NCAA Regional Championship and helped pave the way to the NCAA crown. It again will host the event this season in mid-December and the Nittany Lions hope for the same result.
It has been said that success breeds success. But it also can be said that success along with hard work and determination breeds champions. One needs to look no further than the Penn State women's volleyball program to see the proof.