Blue White Illustrated

thought, correlated with how much better she was getting every time we played them." And yet, Penn State had faced a lot of great players over the course of the season, during which it had lost only two matches. One of those players was Washington's Krista Vansant, who went into the national semifinals on the heels of an astonishing 38-kill, 30-dig effort in the Huskies' fiveset victory over USC in the regional semifinals. Rose called it "an incredible performance, and the junior outside hitter " seemed poised for a big encore against the Nittany Lions in what amounted to a home game for Washington. But Penn State silenced the decidedly pro-Huskies crowd at KeyArena, swatting away the HAPPY CAMPER Rose and his assistants got a good look at Penn State's incoming prospects. All seven attended the school's volleyball camp. hit out of both the front row and the back row. " Washington, a 6-3 middle blocker, set a state record with 48 kills in a high school match. The 2012 Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year, she earned team MVP honors in 2012 and '13, having served as the Rock- Pac-12 champs in three lopsided games, 25-14, 25-13, 25-16. Vansant finished with seven kills on 28 attacks. The Nittany Lions had a lot more trouble with the Badgers. After winning the first game, 25-19, Penn State nearly lost the second. Wisconsin was serving for the win at 24-23, but a service error tied the score, and Scott made the Badgers pay, pounding down two consecutive kills to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. "I pretty much swing as hard as I can every time," Scott said. "That's what I'm out there to do. I just keep at it, even if they're digging me. I don't get discouraged and still ask for the ball. I think it happened a lot [in the title match]. " Undaunted, Wisconsin took control of ets' team captain for the past two seasons. She also guided the 2012 team to a state championship. "Haleigh is a terrific offensive player, as well as a prolific scorer, as demonstrated by the match where she had 48 kills, Rose said. "She is " good off of one foot and she also has an incredible outgoing personality that really has a positive impact on everyone around her." Weiskircher, a 6-1 setter and outside hitter, has served as team captain at Boylan Catholic since her sophomore year, picking up three consecutive MVP honors along the way. She earned honorable mention All-State honors in both her sophomore and junior years and was the setter on the two-time AAU championship team, Club Fusion. "She's projected as more of a setter than a hitter here, Rose said, "but I " think she has a good volleyball IQ and she's accustomed to being a strong leader. " Reed, a 6-2 outside hitter and middle, earned New Jersey Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2011, '12 and '13. A four-year starter at Immaculate Heart Academy, she led her team to four consecutive nonpublic state championships. the third game with a 6-0 run and parlayed its 17-12 lead into a 25-20 victory. Penn State's bid for another sweep was thus averted. And, for a while, it looked as though the Badgers might leave Seattle with a lot more than just the satisfaction of having thrown a scare into the heavily favored Lions. They were three points away from sending the match to a winner-take-all fifth game, a game in which they would have had all the momentum. But Penn State stormed back from a 22-19 deficit, outscoring Wisconsin 6-1 the rest of the way. Hancock broke a 23-23 with an ace, and McClendon finished it off with her kill, the 1,631st and last of her All-America career. "I see her playing in really any of the front-row positions, Rose said. " "She's an all-around player for her high school and club team, but her net skills are very strong. Once she arrives and we get her in the gym, we can see what the best fit is for her." Thelen, a 6-2 outside hitter and middle blocker, is a four-year letterwinner at Notre Dame Academy and two-time Best Offensive Player selection. She earned Class AAA AllState accolades in 2013, while also picking up All-State honors from the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association in 2013. "Heidi is projected as a middle, and I think her skills indicate that she is a really nice, natural blocker, Rose " said. "If she gets up to the physical demands, then she'll make a great contributions to the team. " Pierce, a 5-8 setter and outside hitter, recently led Eden Junior-Senior to its fifth state championship, picking up MVP honors. At Penn State, she will be joining older sister Kendall Pierce, a defensive specialist who will be a junior in 2014. "I think that she'll bring a well-rounded skill set with her and she'll be able to be penciled in at different positions, " Rose said.

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