HEAD COACH RUSS ROSE
- Rose is in his 41st season with Penn State.
- Led the Nittany Lions to 17 Big Ten titles and seven national titles, including four straight from 2007-10.
- Coached four AVCA National Players of the Year, 14 Big Ten Players of the Year and at least one AVCA All-American in 39 of 40 complete seasons.
- Earned 1,289 career wins, first all-time among NCAA Division I coaches, and no less than 22 in a season.
COACHING STAFF
2019 SCHEDULE
OPPONENT NOTES: INDIANA
- 2019 Record: 12-13 Overall, 1-11 Big Ten
- Senior Deyshia Lofton became the eighth player in program history to record 400 blocks earlier this season and has combined with Jacqui Armer for 338 kills. Junior Kamryn Malloy leads the team in aces, ranks fifth in kills and is second on the team in digs.
- Head coach Steve Aird is now in his second year at Indiana after earning two national championships as an assistant coach at Penn State. Prior to arriving in Bloomington, Aird guided Maryland four seasons, boasting a top-10 recruiting class in 2017.
- Series History: Penn State leads 52-1
OPPONENT NOTES: PURDUE
- 2019 Record: 15-6 Overall, 7-5 Big Ten
- Jena Otec is second in the Big Ten with 34 service aces and fifth with 315 digs. Grace Cleveland, a Big Ten Player of the Week earlier this season, is tied for the team lead with 272 kills, and also has 90 total blocks.
- Now in his 17th season at Purdue, head coach Dave Shondell has led the Boilermakers to 13 NCAA Tournament berths, including seven Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight berths in 2010 and 2013.
- Series History: Penn State leads 56-7
PLAYER TO WATCH: Kaitlyn Hord
Sophomore Middle Blocker
- Hord leads the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.433) and has also tallied 195 kills and 91 total blocks.
- She has posted double-digit kills in eight matches, including a season-high 17 vs. Holy Cross.
- Hord earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2018 and was named All-Big Ten Second Team after boasting a team-best .383 hitting percentage, fourth in the Big Ten.
ALUM SPOTLIGHT
MEGAN COURTNEY
- Courtney helped lead the Nittany Lions to national titles in 2013 and 2014. She was also the 2014 tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
- Closed out her collegiate career as one of eight Penn State players all-time to eclipse 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
- Member of the U.S.'s gold-medal team at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, where she was named Best Libero.
REC HALL
Rec Hall is Penn State's busiest and most versatile venue, as five varsity teams which participate throughout all three collegiate seasons, call it home. Construction was overseen by architect Charles Z. Klauder, who also designed the University of Pennsylvania's Palestra, and upon completion, Rec Hall was considered one of the premier field houses in the nation. The facility has been the site of 21 collegiate national championships, 16 international gymnastics meets and five NIT games.
Credits:
Mark Selders, Craig Houtz