3. Good Coaching
Sometimes when a coach has all the best players, he doesn't get a whole lot of credit for his team's wins. With the depth of talent and All-American players Russ Rose has had on his teams the past three years, his coaching ability may have gotten short-shrift. This year, Rose showed that he can take a team that is good, but not great and make it into a national champion. His game plans against each of the teams they faced made it possible to dismantle and discombobulate opponents. It took a while for this team to gain their stride, but they never panicked and it was clear in the playoffs they did not doubt their ability to take it all the way. They finally got good leadership out of their upper classmen and Rose led the way once again to the finish line. Rose definitely pulled off something special with this team even in a year in which they may not have been the best on paper.
4. Nerves of Steel
Being in the finals every year has made this team extremely comfortable on college volleyball's biggest stage. Penn State played with a tremendous amount of poise throughout the tournament and that gave them a significant edge over the nervous teams they played against. You can't underestimate the power of experience and these women knew how to win. They executed their game plan to perfection and didn't let a bad play or two derail them from the goal. More importantly, they got their opponents on the ropes early and never eased up. They showed the true mark of a champion.
