with 19 titles. But even looking at the great Al Scates-led teams, you have to go way, way back to fi nd a greater density of championships — all the way to 1984, when the Bruins capped off fi ve wins in six seasons, or to 1976, when they fi nished a run of six titles in seven years. And you also have to consider that there are three times as many women’s Division I volleyball teams (328) as men’s collegiate teams in all divisions (105 in three divisions, 39 in Divisions I and II). Concor- dia St. Paul had some lofty numbers by winning seven straight NCAA Division II women’s titles from 2007-2013, but nobody has done it at the top level like Penn State.
“What Russ has done is unbelievable,” says Oregon State Head Coach Terry Liskevych, who coached three U.S. Olympic Women’s Teams and is a longtime friend of Rose’s. “The testament of a great program is getting back to the (NCAA semifi - nals) repeatedly, and Penn State has done that. But the testament of maybe the best program of all-time is winning at the NCAA Champion- ship, and Penn State has done that. That’s a credit to Russ Rose’s coach- ing ability, his recruiting ability and his ability to maintain an outstanding program for a very, very long time.”
In Oklahoma, after Penn State put away BYU in three sets 25-21, 26-24, 25-14, a half- serious question was fi red at Rose, who has been Penn State’s head coach since 1979. It went something like this: “You won six of the last eight, so what were you doing for the fi rst 20 years?” He offered a short history lesson about the
churned through a tough fi eld of playoff oppo- nents that included 12th-seeded UCLA, fourth- seeded Wisconsin and top-seeded Stanford. The “kids” were led by AVCA Division I National Player of the Year Micha Hancock, a senior setter who earned her second champion- ship ring in an arena that sits just up the road from her hometown of Edmond, Okla. The buzz about Hancock’s nasty, bending jump spin serve has been humming ever since she was a freshman, when she set a school record with an eye-popping 92 aces. It became even louder a season ago when she ripped four straight serves in the fi nal set of the 2013 NCAA championship match to take down Wiscon- sin and close out Penn State’s sixth title. In December, though, it was less about her
NCAA DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TITLES 1981-2014 Penn State Stanford UCLA
Hawaii
Long Beach State Nebraska
Southern California Pacifi c Texas
Washington
7 6 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1
ON FIRE: Penn State junior Megan Courtney’s strong hitting from the outside earned her the Most Outstanding Player honor in Oklahoma City. (Photo: Penn State)
difference between running the program now and running it before the NCAA began offering championships for women. He mentioned how things changed for the better for Penn State when the program joined the Big Ten. Then, he said this: “But it’s not about 30 or 40 years ago. It’s about the kids tonight.”
MIGHTY MICHA LEADS THE WAY Rose makes a good point. History is history,
but what’s relevant in the here and now are the players who found their groove in December and
serve — in her words, “I didn’t have the best serv- ing this fi nal four” — and more about her setting, leadership and toughness.
“This girl has heart,” said Penn State’s junior outside hitter Megan Courtney, named the tourna- ment’s Most Outstanding Player. “She’s one of the most steady and confi dent people on the court that I’ve ever met, and being able to play with her is an incredible feeling.” In the four-set seminal victory over Stanford, Hancock, who worked closely this year with as- sistant coach and former Penn State setter Salima Rockwell, fought through leg cramps. “And she still wanted to jump serve,” Rose said. “(I thought) See CHAMPIONSHIP, Page 49
2014 NCAA DIVISION I
CHAMPIONSHIP At Oklahoma City
SEMIFINALS • BYU def. Texas
25-23, 25-16, 17-25, 26-24 • Penn State def. Stanford 25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21
FINAL
Penn State def. BYU 25-21, 26-24, 25-14
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 47
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