Jan. 13, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The three-time defending Penn State women's volleyball team has been selected as a nominee for the prestigious Dapper Dan Awards. The annual award is given to a figure from the Pittsburgh area who has made the most outstanding accomplishment in sports during the past year.
The Nittany Lions women's volleyball team is one of four nominees for 2009 Sportswoman of the Year. Dapper Dan Charities' executive committee will select the winners from the top vote-getters in each of five categories including, Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, Best Play and Best Sports Moment. The team is joined in the Sportswoman of the Year category by North Carolina women's soccer player Meghan Klingenberg, Duquesne women's basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and Pitt's Senior Associate Athletics Director Carol Sprague.
Fans can vote for the women's volleyball team by visiting http://www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/ballot/ until Noon on Jan. 25.
The Penn State women's volleyball team made NCAA history on Dec. 19, 2009 by becoming the first women's volleyball team to ever win three-straight NCAA national championships. The team closed out the 2009 season on a 102-match winning streak, the second-longest NCAA winning streak on record. The Nittany Lions have not lost a match since Sept. 15, 2007. The Lions are coached by AVCA Hall of Famer Russ Rose, who recorded his 1,000th career victory against Hawaii in the NCAA National Semifinals. He is one of just three women's volleyball coaches to have reached the milestone and has 1,001 heading into 2010.
The winners of the Dapper Dan Awards will be honored at the 74th annual Dapper Dan Dinner and sports Auction on Thursday, March 25 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus. For more information, please visit http://www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/dinner/. Proceeds from the dinner and sports auction benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania youth sports leagues.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.