The number one volleyball moment of 2009 goes to the Penn State Nittany Lions for their unprecedented third straight NCAA Championship title. This should come as a surprise to no one. In the 28-year history of the NCAA volleyball championship, there has never been a three-peat. So mark the Penn State Nittany Lions down as the best women’s volleyball team of all time. They did what no other could. And they did it in fine style.
While I thought long and hard about giving the top two spots on the countdown to the same team, I realized that these two accomplishments are distinctly different and each so incredible that we may never see the likes of either again. One can be fairly certain that we will never again see both occur at the same time.
As difficult as it is to win two in a row, it is not unprecedented. Five times over the course of NCAA women’s volleyball championship history, a team has been able to win back-to-back titles. Hawaii did it in 1982 and 1983. Pacific did it in 1985 and 1986. USC did it in 2002 and 2003.
Of them all, Stanford and UCLA came the closest to pulling off three straight. Stanford won three titles in four years – 1994, 1996 and 1997 – but they fell to Texas in the 1995 semi-finals. UCLA won the championship in 1990 and 1991 and reached the NCAA finals in 1992, but could not finish the job. The Bruins lost to Stanford in the final match.
With the nature of college volleyball being a cyclical journey of recruitment, re-building and graduation, the likelihood of one university putting together such a seamless squad year after year is remarkable. Much credit must be given to coach Russ Rose who drove his team to an unparalleled performance.
Streaks aside, this team’s ultimate goal was to finish the season on top one more time. Though they had some off nights, they never allowed it to stop them from achieving what they set out to do.
Case in point is the final match. Texas came out strong and had them on the ropes and down 0-2 for the first time all season. But they fought back and won the next three sets even without great performances from their top players. Great teams find a way to win and this Penn State squad epitomized greatness. Their spot in the history books is well-deserved.
