CHAMPIONSHIP
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Washington (6 kills for .545), but struggled again in the championship match victory over Wisconsin, hitting .000 (5 kills, 5 errors). It was a different story this year. In fact, her performance was a textbook example of how to deliver points against a strong right- side block. That was especially true against Stanford in the semifi nals. She brought seri- ous heat when she needed to, but she was also smart and kept the ball in play if she didn’t have a good look.
The result: a match-high 13 kills for a .423
hitting effi ciency and a victory over a Cardi- nal team that many considered the favorite to win the tourney.
“It was one of her best matches at a time when we really needed it,” Rose said. “That’s a great personal hallmark for her because she’s had some stumbles in the NCAA Cham- pionships. It’s tough for players. You preach to them that it’s a team game, but there are ways they have to keep score, and they look at their own statistics. She really stepped up.” One of her biggest strengths as a hitter, Rose says, is her full array of shots. “She knows when to use them,” he says, “and she knows the difference between trying to hit a ball through the block and hitting around it and making quality decisions.”
BACK TO THE GRIND
Grind is a word you hear Penn State players use a lot. In one interview, Hancock mentioned that the seniors “know the grind” required to win. In another interview, senior libero Dominique Gonzalez, who Rose said “could easily have been the MVP” of the NCAA Championship, talked about “going through the grind” for four years with her fellow seniors: Hancock, middle blocker Nia Grant (who hit .500 in the fi nal) and defensive specialist Lacey Fuller.
Anybody who has visited a Penn State preseason practice, which sometimes consists of two hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon and a scrimmage at night, knows a little bit about the grind. After one of these sessions in August, Rose addressed his team and made it clear that he has no use for “fl atliner” players. “We need to play with energy, we need to
play with fi ght,” he said. “We need to have people who go in and run around and smack people on the (butt) and make plays. That’s what we do. And if you don’t do it, you made the wrong turn when you came into this gym.”
This much is clear: He demands a lot of his player from the day they fi rst walk on campus. One other thing is clear. It works.
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