Jan. 29, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The three-time defending national champion Penn State women's volleyball team is being honored by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA) with a Special Achievement Award. The Nittany Lions join two other national championship teams, Villanova's football and women's cross country teams, as honorees.
Each year the PSWA hands out awards for Outstanding Pro and Amateur Athlete, Living Legend, Humanitarian and Lifetime Achievement among many others. The Penn State women's volleyball team joins a number of Penn State greats who have been honored in years past, including head football coach Joe Paterno, former Penn State football player Adam Taliaferro and Heisman Trophy Winner John Cappelletti.
The PSWA's 106th Awards Dinner is being held Monday, Feb. 1 at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, N.J. The PSWA was founded on May 12, 1904 and the first annual Awards Dinner was held on Feb. 15, 1905. For more information on the PSWA or to buy tickets to Monday's event, please visit PSWAdinner.com.
After winning their seventh consecutive Big Ten title in 2009 with a 20-0 record in league play, the Nittany Lions swept through NCAA tournament play concluding it with a come-from-behind five set win against No. 2 Texas for an unprecedented third straight NCAA title. Penn State finished the season for the second year in a row with a perfect 38-0 record and riding a record-breaking 102-match winning streak. The Lions have not lost a match since Sept. 15, 2007.
The Nittany Lions garnered four AVCA All-Americans last season in seniors Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass and juniors Blair Brown and Arielle Wilson, who were all First Team selections. Hodge went on to be named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Year. Head coach Russ Rose, Big Ten and AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year, also became just the third coach to reach 1,000 career wins after a 3-1 victory against Hawaii in the NCAA National Semifinals. He has 1,001 career victories to his name, all earned at the helm of the Penn State program.
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.