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First, remember where this season started. Despite the team's preseason #1 ranking in the coaches poll, Coach Russ Rose made it known that he was NOT among the coaches who felt his Lions were the best team in the country. Rose said that he was "a little bit closer to the situation" and thought there were some holes in his roster that other coaches either weren't looking at or didn't see.
Well, that might have been the case (who am I to question Russ Rose?) but I'm sure just about every other coach in the country would've loved to have that roster with those "problems."
That's not to say Penn State was perfect. There was the well-documented loss of a SET (!) against Iowa at home. But the team and the staff weren't as shocked as the fans and media (most of whom don't even follow the team that closely) were. Immediately after that match, I spoke with Assistant Coach Dennis Hohenshelt, and he told me flat out that the team had a terrible week of practice and they just lost their focus. Ironically enough, Christa Harmotto and Nicole Fawcett were in town that weekend, and he said that there was no way those two would've ever let a week of practice like that happened. This team was lacking a leader. Alisha Glass pretty much echoed his sentiments the following day, when I spoke to her before the match against Wisconsin. They went on to sweep the Badgers, but were still a little sloppy. There was a chink in the Lions armor, but the bigger question was: how long would it be there? And, is anyone good enough to fully take advantage of it?
The Wolverines, normally a thorn in the side of the football team, came the closest. Taking a 2-1 lead in Ann Arbor, but were unable to finish the job.
If the dropped set against Iowa was a wake-up call, then the 5-set win against Michigan was a cold bucket of water thrown in the team's face. They went on to paste Michigan State the next night, and swept all the rest of their regular-season matches except one, a 3-1 victory at Purdue. There wasn't anymore boredom or focus problems with this team.
All throughout the season, this team had one focus: a National Championship. And make no mistake. The goal wasn't to win a third straight. The goal wasn't to make history. The goal was to win in 2009. Everything else that came with it was just a bonus.
When it came to crunch time, the team came to life. After dropping the first set against Hawaii, the Lions took it to the team that came into the tournament #3 in the polls. It looked like a 3rd round matchup, rather than the National Semi-finals.
And then there was the epic showdown against Texas. While some Penn State fans and supporters were rooting for Minnesota to upset the Longhorns in the other National Semi-final, Penn State vs Texas was the match-up that the volleyball world wanted to see.
Those two teams went wire-to-wire as the top two teams in the nation and appeared to be in another class all season. And now, we finally had them on the same court for a contest that would leave no doubt as to who the best team the nation was.
Down 0-2, the Lions dynasty was on thin ice. Or so it seemed. But for some reason, I never really got the sense that Penn State was going to lose. That's not to say that, as they went to intermission, I was supremely confident they'd come back and win three straight. I wasn't. But if there was one team who could win three straight over the #2 team in the nation, it was the Penn State Nittany Lions. I just couldn't see Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass allowing their own careers to end with such a crushing loss, and I couldn't see their teammates allowing their senior leaders to go out on that note.
This team was too close and cared too much about each other. Now obviously, emotion can only get you so far, but Penn State had the talent to back it up too.
While watching the fourth set, I leaned over and said to someone else, "This is it right here. This is the match. If Texas wins, obviously it's over. But if Penn State wins, there's no way they lose the fifth. No way." And I honestly believed that.
And in the end, it was the talent and the championship experience of the Lions that won out. My heart went out to Destinee Hooker, the Texas All-American who could not have played better in the Final Four and Championship Match, especially (and was rightly named the Most Outstanding Player), but I couldn't feel bad for her too much and for too long, because I also knew how much this title meant to Coach Rose, his staff and his team.
While it's a sin of broadcasting and journalism, I got way too close to this team. I was emotionally invested in them and rooted for them more than anybody. And I don't apologize for it at all.
All athletic achievements and accomplishments aside, this was a team and a staff of great people. They couldn't have treated myself and Kevin Foedinger any better throughout the entire season. They gave us unprecedented access (from a student-media perspective) and an awesome overall experience. I wanted them all to succeed and reach their goals, and they did.
While I've been a fan and a media member rooting for and covering this team since I was a freshman, this championship was my favorite of the three. There were the obvious historical implications, as well as the fact that the Championship match was one of the most intense sporting events I had ever seen. But for me, it was the fact that I felt connected to the team. I knew the staff, I knew the girls and they knew me.
It was a great season for a great team, and all well-deserved.
Where does Penn State Volleyball go from here? It's tough to say. Penn State will still return a lot of talent, and also reloaded this year with a fantastic recruiting class, but you don't just replace players like Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass.
2010 should be interesting, but for now, I'm just going to hang onto 2009 for as long as I can.
Wireless Reading Device Dan Krupinsky is a senior at Penn State, majoring in broadcasting and journalism. He is a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. Dan is one of three sports directors at the Penn State student radio station, ComRadio and is also the voice of Penn State women’s volleyball for GoPSUSports.com. The STAA Talent Agency ranked him as one of the top 40 collegiate broadcasters last year (as a Junior), in a nationwide competition.
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