Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
4 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M tany Lions to the tournament in 41 of his 43 seasons, and the only reason they didn't make it in his first two seasons — 1979 and '80 — is because it didn't exist yet. Penn State is the only team to have made the NCAA tourney every year of its existence, and its seven na- tional titles under Rose are second only to Stanford's nine. Very few coaches in any sport enjoy the kind of longevity Rose did after tak- ing the Penn State job in 1979, fresh out of graduate school at Nebraska. Even fewer coaches enjoy the continual, year-after-year success that was a hall- mark of Rose's tenure. Peaks and val- leys would be expected in a career that spanned more than four decades, but Rose's teams never won fewer than 21 matches in a season prior to the CO- VID-shortened 2021 spring campaign, and only three times did they lose more than 10 matches. It's a testament to the consistent ex- cellence of his teams that Rose didn't hit his peak until after he was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches As- sociation Hall of Fame. He went into the hall in 2007, and from 2008-14, Penn State won five more national champi- onships and reached the final four on two other occasions. "It's difficult to appropriately capture our appreciation for Russ Rose and his service to our students, Penn State and our women's volleyball program" PSU athletics director Sandy Barbour said in the statement announcing Rose's re- tirement. Difficult, yes. But lots of people tried. As soon as the news broke that Rose was stepping down, the tributes began flowing in from former players, rival coaches, Penn State colleagues and other college sports luminaries. "I can honestly say that the game of collegiate volleyball would not be where it is today if not for the influence and legacy of Russ Rose," said Salima David- son Rockwell, a three-time All-Amer- ican and former PSU assistant coach. "He quietly built a dynasty at Penn State and set the standard for excellence for all that play the game." Nebraska head coach John Cook said that "every time you played a Russ Rose-coached team, you were taught lessons on how to get better. Some of the greatest matches in our sport's his- tory were between Penn State and Ne- braska." Nicole Fawcett, a four-time All- American and the 2008 AVCA Player of the Year, said that Rose changed the game in incalculable ways. "To put it simply," she said, "Russ Rose is to volleyball what John Wooden is to basketball." Rose would likely dispute the sug- gestion that those 1,330 wins were his wins; he was always careful to keep his players in the foreground. And while not uncomfortable in the spotlight, he never gave the impression that he craved it, either. As he told BWI in 2018, "I never want to be the story, and I'm really not the story. I work at Penn State, and I coach a volleyball team. I want the vol- leyball team to be the story." Rose was a famously stoic presence on the sideline, quietly scribbling notes in his ever-present binder as the action swirled around him. He was known for rarely raising his voice — not in matches or practice sessions or postgame inter- views. Instead, he used a combination of sly wit and unflinching candor to get his points across without the need for bombast or theatrics. Rose's penchant for honesty was not for everyone. As he acknowledged a few years ago, "I tell people all the time, I'm an acquired taste." But those players who bought in — a group that included his future wife, Lori Barberich, a three- time All-American in the early 1980s — found their lives changed immeasur- ably. "I'm eternally grateful for all the les- sons I've learned under his tutelage, and I hope he embraces his retirement from coaching with the same energy and pas- sion that he brought to the game of vol- leyball and the growth of his players," Fawcett said. "All of those that were fortunate enough to know him — really know him — are better for it." ■ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: After opening the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 victory over Towson on Dec. 3, Penn State saw its season end the following night with a 3-1 loss to Pitt at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. There were 44 ties and 21 lead changes in the match. Senior opposite hitter Jonni Parker had 12 kills and five blocks, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Panthers, who earned their first victory over Penn State in four NCAA Tournament meetings. The loss marked the first time since 2002 that PSU fell short of the regional semifinals. The Nit- tany Lions finished the season with a 21-11 record and 13-7 mark in Big Ten play. MEN'S SOCCER: The Nittany Lions were routed by Hofstra in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to the Pride, 8-2, Nov. 21 at Jeffrey Field. Penn State had struggled to prepare for the match, with 12 players missing practice time due to what were described as "non-COVID- related illnesses." The team's difficulties were evident in the first half, as Hofstra jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Big Ten champions and never looked back. "I remain very proud of what we achieved this year. I'm proud of the guys," coach Jeff Cook said afterward. "It was a very difficult week for us." WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: Penn State headed into the winter break on a hot streak, having won seven of nine to close out the 2021 calendar year. The Nittany Lions played two top-10 opponents on consecutive nights at the D1 in DC event in Arlington, Va., topping No. 7 Minnesota Duluth, 3-2, on Nov. 26 and falling to No. 2 Ohio State, 4-2, the next night. Senior forward Natalie Heising and sophomore defender Lyndie Lobdell scored third- period goals to lift PSU past the Bulldogs. Penn State was 10-6-2 overall (4-2-0 College Hockey America) after sweeping a two-game series at New Hampshire Dec. 9-10. MEN'S SWIMMING: Senior Carlos Vasquez set three national records while competing for Hondu- ras at the World Swimming Championships Dec. 16-17 in Abu Dhabi. Vasquez set short-course records in the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events. He finished the 50 in 24.95 seconds, the 100 in 53.91 seconds and the 200 in 1 minute, 58.41 seconds. With those performances, Vasquez now owns 10 Honduran national records. — Matt Herb O L Y M P I C S P O R T S R O U N D U P