After I finished my last column two weeks ago I started to think about topics for my next column — one that would appear on Dec. 31, 2009. My first thought, like the first thought of all other writers and columnists, was to write about the year past or even the decade past.
What I wanted to write about changed on the night of Dec. 19 in Tampa, Fla. That day we traveled to Florida to begin our bowl preparations for the Capital One Bowl — which we will be playing on New Year’s Day. After arriving in Daytona Beach we got to talking about the Penn State women’s volleyball team and its National Title match against Texas later that night.
Realizing that we were just 120 miles or so from where they’d be playing in five hours, we decided to make the drive to witness history. It was a match that was well worth the trip — in fact, it was a match worthy of a 2,000-mile road trip.
I have been fortunate to have been a part of great sporting events as a coach and sometimes as a fan. The National Championship match that night between Penn State and Texas takes a back seat to none.
The details of the match have been reported already, but there were subplots aplenty. Penn State — winner of 100 straight and two-time defending National Champions — fell behind two games to none and appeared to be headed to defeat for the first time in more than two years.
But the comeback win was compelling sport and, for a Penn State fan, it was spectacular to behold. In the last three games, neither team could shake the other. Each point was played as though it were the last. Each team made seemingly impossible shots and dug out balls that looked to be sure kills.
The fire, drive and sheer physicality of this match were impressive to behold. To see Texas player Destinee Hooker soar through the air to deliver one of her numerous kills was to see a woman fly. The determination of Megan Hodge and her Penn State teammates as they clawed all the way back for the win was a lesson in determination and toughness that stacks up to any comeback in any sport on any level.
But this game transcended just one match and just one season. This was a match that made a statement to anyone watching about the explosive growth in women’s athletics. A great crowd was on hand, and the fans hung on every point. ESPN2 televised the game to a national audience. The two teams were made up of a diverse group of athletes from many different parts of the country.
The athleticism, skills, speed and jaw-dropping power displayed by the women on both sides of the net seems to have changed dramatically from when I watched matches 20 years ago in my college days.
One thing that hasn’t changed though is the coach on the sideline. Russ Rose remains stoically positioned on his seat, blue binder in hand, making his notes. As the game has changed he has held fast to the things that have always made his teams successful and have resulted in more than 1,000 wins. But for him, it has always seemed as though the next win was the most important thing, and that is why he has remained atop his profession.
But the heights to which Penn State has soared have gone beyond what happens between the lines of the volleyball court — they should have a reach beyond the sport of women’s volleyball.
Truly great teams on dynasty-type runs have the ability to elevate their sports and create a national awareness of the sport. Penn State, along with the help of a worthy opponent, did just that on that fateful December night.
As far as summing up a decade — at the dawn of this decade, in December 1999, Penn State women’s volleyball had just won a National Title. Now, 10 years later, they’ve capped off the decade with three titles in a row.
I hope what they have done and what the athletes in their sport have become garners the attention of the sporting world and society as a whole. Women athletes are every bit as strong and committed to what they do as their male counterparts.
After watching a great event in person, these two teams — Texas and Penn State — left me more convinced of that I than I ever have been.
