BTN.com staff, August 23, 2011
Another season, another Penn State women's volleyball national championship. Legendary coach Russ Rose guided Penn State to its fourth straight national crown in 2010. Yes, that's four national titles in four seasons, meaning last year's seniors won the national crown every year of their careers. That's a lot of hardware and a lot of great memories. The top-ranked Nittany Lions open their quest for an unprecedented fifth straight title vs. Oregon on August 28 at the AVCA Showcase. View the AVCA preseason poll.
Can Penn State make it five championships in a row? Here's GoPSUSports.com's 2011 outlook:
"Four years ago the Penn State women's volleyball team embarked on a historic journey. Many things have changed through the years; team members have graduated and moved on, staffs have changed and streaks have begun and ended. Yet, four national titles were won all under the guidance of head coach Russ Rose. No other Division I women's volleyball team has ever won four straight national titles, won 109 matches in a row or recorded 94 consecutive match victories on its home court, a streak which is still ongoing.
After seeing their record-breaking 109-match streak come to an end almost three years to the day it began, the Nittany Lions forged through another full season in 2010. Despite starting Big Ten play going 3-3, Penn State finished 16-4 and once again claimed the conference crown. The squad flew through the first four NCAA matches on their home court before facing Texas in the National Semifinals in a rematch of the 2009 NCAA title match. The Longhorns were no match for the Lions and neither was California as Penn State swept both teams in route to the program's fifth NCAA Championship."
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