A trying 2016 women’s volleyball season has Penn State head coach Russ Rose concerned about his team as the NCAA tournament begins Saturday, Dec. 3.
“The reality is we’ve lost nine matches; six in conference,” Rose told reporters after the team’s three-set win over Northwestern on Nov. 25. “Do I think we’re one of the top 16 teams in the country? When we won 15 matches in a row, I thought we were at a high level. Do I think we are a threat to win it all? With our body of work right now … there are two programs with players playing volleyball who have won championships: Penn State and Nebraska.
“I hope that counts for something,” Rose finished.
Despite his reservations, Penn State’s body of work did result in a top 16 seed, as the 16th-seeded Penn State will host the first two rounds at Rec Hall on Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3. Penn State draws 16-14 Long Island-Brooklyn in the first round Friday, and if it advances will play the winner of 24-8 Pittsburgh vs. 30-1 Dayton on Saturday.
“If we don’t serve well, we’re in trouble. We’re not a great blocking team, and not a great defensive team. Serving well can hide weaknesses,” Rose said. “Ours is not a team that is striking fear into people with our defensive play.’
Indeed, Rose has at times felt perplexed by how well his team has performed in 2016. Rose takes pains to keep an even keel when his team is playing well. When it has played down to the competition at times, he has flat-out opined that they “quit.” When his charges beat top-ranked teams such as Minnesota, Rose seems to be able to see past the win and point to the flaws.
Call it a psychological ploy if you wish, but Rose clearly knows that his 2016 team does not carry the talent that his last round of national championship-winning programs displayed. Despite solid overall performances from juniors Ali Frantti, Haleigh Washington and Simone Lee, among others, this version of the women’s volleyball program is — fairly or not — judged by the teams that came before it.
After playing the entire season in the toughest conference in the NCAA and having enough talent to beat anyone on any given night, the Nittany Lions can easily go on a run and change their coach’s perception.
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Despite their shortcomings, the 2016 team had several impressive statistical feats, on a team and individual level.
In terms of hitting percentage, Penn State ranked tied for first in the Big Ten with a .290 clip. Washington led the Big Ten in this metric with a .453 rating, 59 points higher than her nearest competitor.
Despite Rose’s statement that his squad is not a very good defensive team, they held opponents to a .173 hitting percentage, good for second in the conference.
Lee powered the Lions’ attack all season, so it is not surprising to see her name atop the kill leaderboard. Not only did she lead the Big Ten in kills per set at 4.20, she also had the season-high single-match kill mark with 30 in the win over then-No. 1 ranked Minnesota. For good measure, she tailed 27 kills at Michigan in October, good for third. All told, Lee had four of the top 25 performances in terms of single-match kill tallies.
Rose provides a stoic image on the bench, but freshman Kendall White serves as a fiery extension of her coach on the court. Serving in the important libero position for nearly the entire year, White put together a fantastic first campaign in Happy Valley. Ranking third in digs per set with 4.18 and posting the second-best single-match dig tally with 32, White rose to the challenge of stepping into a daunting first year in the Big Ten.
As a team, Penn State ranked fourth in average attendance per home match, packing Rec Hall with an impressive 3,359 fans per contest.
