Volleyball Voices

What's It Like To Play College Volleyball in Hawaii? Penn State Knows




What's It Like To Play College Volleyball in Hawaii? Penn State Knows

The fans of Hawaii's women's volleyball also extend the hospitality to traveling fans, but once the Rainbow Wahine take the floor, it's all down to business.(The Daily Collegian online)

"Players get excited," Penn State coach Russ Rose said. "Getting off the plane is always exciting. People are terrific fans for the sport. Great fans, embrace all the visiting teams."

"Early in my career, we did draw extremely well, and it's just kind of been a love affair between volleyball and Hawaii," Shoji said. "The number of fans has grown, but the passion [is] the same."

"It's always good to come out and let everybody know you guys did pick us No. 1 for a reason," Penn State junior Megan Hodge said. "Going in, all excited, big weekend for us. We can show everyone we are No. 1."

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Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

Coach Russ Rose Ready For 2008 College Volleyball Season

Coach Russ Rose Ready For 2008 College Volleyball Season

From the Honolulu Advertiser.com.

Penn State Women's Volleyball coach Russ Rose talks about this new season' expectations and the pressure to win...again.

"That's the reason teams don't repeat," he said. "I think a lot of times you spend more energy celebrating what you accomplished instead of trying to achieve something special for the future. There are a lot of factors involved. I'm certainly aware of the fact we won the championship last year. It was exciting. The kids played great, they got better throughout the season and by the end they were playing with confidence and people were healthy. That made a big difference.

"My point to my players is, we are not going to win because we won. You win because you work hard and play together. Those things really contribute to what you are going to accomplish. If you spend all your time worrying about what you did do, then the chances of doing something are pretty slim."

"It's tough because our program is reaching the same status as Dave's in that if you don't win all the time everybody is unhappy," Rose said. "They don't take into account that there are so many other good teams now. Maybe they are not all Top-50 teams, but they are good teams and rally-scoring is a different game. Any team can win on any given day. If we played best-of-seven matches, the best team would win. One match, I don't think the best team always wins.

"Dave and I realize sometimes you win when you don't think you are going to, and sometimes you are surprised you lost. It's just part of the game."

College Volleyball Voices From Penn State vs. Hawaii Season Opener

College Volleyball Voices From Penn State vs. Hawaii Season Opener

"Honestly, I never felt at any time that we were losing," said UH senior Tara Hittle. "We did a lot of things right. Obviously there are some little areas we need to improve, when we let them get ahead. Obviously they are a real good team, too. ... We played hard and later in the season we will be much better than we are now, which is really promising because I think we are pretty good now."

Dave Shoji on playing the number one team in the nation:

"I thought we were in every game, but whenever we got close they were just more physical than us ...," he said. "Everybody had their bright moments. We played pretty good defense for the most part. Most of their kills were going over our block and down in front of our defense."

Russ Rose on playing the #12 ranked Wahine Rainbows:

"Winning in Hawai'i is always a task and they forced us to play very well," Rose said. "To me, this is a much-improved Hawai'i team than in the video against Middle Tennessee (the final UH match of 2007). ... They pass well, they play hard and they've got a lot of moving pieces that they can use in a variety of ways to stretch people out."

Russ Rose on UH volleyball player Tara Hittle:

"I've always been a real big fan of Tara Hittle," Penn State coach Russ Rose said. "I just think she's great. I love that she changes positions, but doesn't change her disposition. She always plays hard, got a smile on her face. She competes at a level you have to admire."

From the Big Ten Network on the Penn State UH women's volleyball match:

"Winning at Hawaii is always a test, and tonight they forced us to play well," said head coach Russ Rose, who begins his 30th season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program. "Tonight we saw a very much improved Hawaii team over last season. They passed well and played hard. They gave us a challenge and we certainly had our hands full. But that's why we come back to play here. The fans respect the game and the players have to do the same."

Check out more college volleyball players stories on volleyballvoices.com!

(sponsored links)

Finally! Here's the volleyball tips e-book that will really help you to 

become a better volleyball player!

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips: How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court, The E-Book

Everybody writes books for coaches.  But here is the volleyball tips self-coaching e-book written just for you, the young female high school or collegiate volleyball player.. 

BUY Your Copy Now!

 

(Sponsored links)

Now you can shop, compare prices and find coupons for 

volleyball uniforms and volleyball training equipment. 

Here's Seven Reasons Why Players Will Gossip About The New Nfinity Volleyball Shoes

April Chapple is a fan of

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About Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

In College Volleyball Penn State Middle Hitter Christa Harmotto Nears 1000

Volleyball Quotes About College Volleyball Player Christa Harmotto 

From her setter, Alisha Glass:

"Setting her early in games is good to hold blocks," Glass says. "I don't think that necessarily she's playing to get her 1,000th kill, and I don't think we're trying to do that for her."

From her volleyball coach, Russ Rose:

"She always goes at one speed, which sometimes is a disadvantage," Rose said. "If she would pace herself, if she would be a little more conserving of her energy, then she wouldn't spend as much time with the trainers than she does. The way she is, it's not uncommon for her to get hurt because she's just falling hard all the time."

"Christa is an individual that if I had the choice, you would never release her, you would never let her graduate," Rose said. "She's a very special talent and a very special young person."

Christa Harmotto about going 110% and her freshman year injury:

"I forget about it a lot," Harmotto says of the injury. "I choose to forget about it. The only thing that reminds me of it is the scar on my leg. I don't really like to think about injuries and let it affect my game. It happened in an unfortunate time, but things got better.

Christa Harmotto about getting to 1000:

"I don't think it was something that is necessarily a goal or anything," Harmotto said. "It was just something that happens along some people's careers. I'm honored to receive that, but honestly, my focus is on winning the matches and my teammates, because those are the things that are important."

From volleyball teammate Nicole Fawcett about being a middle hitter:

"It's not too often a middle hitter will receive more attempts than an outside will," Fawcett says. "They have to be a lot more crafty with their shots because it's a lot quicker and they don't have a lot of time to think and see what the blocks do."

College Volleyball Preseason Training at Penn State, What's That Like?




College Volleyball Preseason Training at Penn State, What's That Like?

College Volleyball News from Penn State Women's Volleyball

From the Collegian

Every year preseason training is different for every volleyball team, Penn State players and coach Russ Rose talk about their preseason and their mindset going into the volleyball season this year.

"It wasn't very hot this year during this preseason; the girls had it pretty easy," Penn State coach Russ Rose said jokingly at Monday's press conference. "I think when we get to Hawaii, we'll run a couple morning practices and get them out there into the sun a little bit. We'll see how they respond.

"In the South Gym last year, it was in the 90s. This year, a balmy 75."

"We tend to take our time, work hard when we can." junior Kelsey Ream said.

"But we want to try to stay healthy as much as possible."

"I don't think any one of us look at it as pressure," junior Megan Hodge said.

"It's a great opportunity, but it's definitely not any pressure."

"[The] goal is to be better than last year, not the same," Rose said. "If the goal was the same as last year, we only lost two matches, but we didn't play great throughout the year. It's about working hard, and trying to get these people to recognize they're the only team in the country that has the chance to repeat as a national champion."

"Nothing different. [We] want to win conference, play well, and ultimately want to win a national championship."

Check out more college volleyball players stories on volleyballvoices.com!

(sponsored links)

Finally! Here's the volleyball tips e-book that will really help you to 

become a better volleyball player!

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips: How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court, The E-Book

Everybody writes books for coaches.  But here is the volleyball tips self-coaching e-book written just for you, the young female high school or collegiate volleyball player.. 

BUY Your Copy Now!

 

(Sponsored links)

Now you can shop, compare prices and find coupons for 

volleyball uniforms and volleyball training equipment. 

Here's Seven Reasons Why Players Will Gossip About The New Nfinity Volleyball Shoes

April Chapple is a fan of

Volleyball Voices Fan Page

Create your Fan Badge

About Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

College Volleyball Women at Penn State Learn To Adjust To New Routine




College Volleyball Women at Penn State Learn To Adjust To New Routine

College Volleyball News from Penn State

A quote from the Daily Collegian volleyball article:

"The players' eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, but once talk of their domination started, those same eyes lit up with excitement."

In my articles "Top 5 Physical Adjustments Freshmen Must Make to Play Women's College Volleyball" and

"Top 5 Mental Adjustments Freshmen Players Must Make to Play Women's College Volleyball" 

I list the biggest adjustments incoming freshmen have to make to play at the college volleyball level. 

Here's an article about how the volleyball players on the #1 ranked Penn State women's volleyball team are adjusting to travelling to and from Hawaii - a long cross country journey which includes jet lag and time changes as well as what it's like to prepare for class, the new season, the new routines.

Scary, but I remember all this like it was yesterday. Love life, live and learn...

Here are a few volleyball quotes:

From Junior Alisha Glass:

"It's hard," junior Alisha Glass said. "Get to the end of the trip, almost spent too much time with each other. It's good, coming back to practice now, get acclimated to the time difference. It's important to finish off rather than just sleeping when we got there."

"There, we tried to stay up as late as we could," Glass said. "It wasn't too bad on the way there. A little longer on the way back. Time difference is against us. We'll see how it goes."

Volleyball Coach Russ Rose:

"[They're] expected to go to class, and they are expected to go to practice. We're all tired," Rose said. "I know they're tired, some a little beat up, but the goal is to get better."

Check out more college volleyball players stories on volleyballvoices.com!

(sponsored links)

Finally! Here's the volleyball tips e-book that will really help you to 

become a better volleyball player!

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips: How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court, The E-Book

Everybody writes books for coaches.  But here is the volleyball tips self-coaching e-book written just for you, the young female high school or collegiate volleyball player.. 

BUY Your Copy Now!

 

(Sponsored links)

Now you can shop, compare prices and find coupons for 

volleyball uniforms and volleyball training equipment. 

Here's Seven Reasons Why Players Will Gossip About The New Nfinity Volleyball Shoes

April Chapple is a fan of

Volleyball Voices Fan Page

Create your Fan Badge

About Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

Penn State Women's College Volleyball Team Pounds on Hawaii in Season Opener

College Volleyball News from Hawaii

#1 ranked NCAA women's college volleyball team Penn State opened up with a 3 - 0 win over #12 Hawaii.

Here are a few quotes from the Nittany and UH college volleyball players and volleyball coaches about the game.

"I thought our passing was a plus tonight," UH freshman hitter Kanani Herring said after her solid debut. "The one thing we need to work on is those holes we kept digging for oursleves.

"We were right there with them."

From Penn state volleyball coach Russ Rose who Cindy Luis reports wears a lucky shirt that he bought in Hawaii the first time "when his team won its first national championship here in 1999."

"I think winning at Hawaii is always a task," Rose said. "They forced us to play very well. They're a much improved team over last year. It was a challenge for us, we certainly had our hands full. And I know the fans will love the career that Kanani will have."

From UH women's volleyball coach Dave Shoji explaining what senior Tara Hittle brings to the team:

"But Hittle adds so much to our defense," UH head coach Dave Shoji said. "She's very active and passed extremely well.

"I thought Dani (sophomore setter Mafua) played well and her hitters got good swings. When we passed, we ran a really good offense."

Volleyball quotes from senior Tara Hittle:

"The little mistakes we made seemed to happen when we were even or just a point behind," Hittle said.

"We'd get close then make a mistake and we're down two. With it going to 25 (instead of 30 points), it goes real quick.

From freshman outside hitter Kanani Herring:

"I think we showed we could play with them," added Herring. "We just have to convert more kills, dig deep and come out and do our best again."

There's a great women's volleyball action photo of UH's Catherine Fowler and Jamie Houston blocking at the net as well.

College Volleyball Coach Could Get 500th Win In Las Vegas

College Volleyball News from Wisconsin

Coach Waite to join exclusive win club

For Wisconsin college volleyball coach Pete Waite, winning his 500th career match is not high on his priority list.

“I certainly hope I pass 500 (wins) in my career since I’m only three away,” said Waite with a laugh.

Waite will become the 24th active Division I coach to reach the 500 career wins mark. He could do it as soon as this weekend when his 10th-ranked Badgers travel to Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV Invitational on Friday and Saturday. UW takes on UNLV (1-2), Miami, Ohio (1-2) and Cal State-Fullerton (2-1) in the round-robin tournament. The Badgers are going for their second invitational title in as many weeks after opening the season by winning the Kentucky Classic last Friday and Saturday.

“Coaches who get 500 wins means they’ve been around a long time and they’ve done some things the right way,” says Waite. “When I think of any milestone like that, I think of all the players that have come through my programs and the coaches that have helped out and the support staff. We certainly want to set our goals higher than 500 right now. “

Waite is 497-169 (.746) in his 21st year of coaching volleyball. He ranks 15th among active Division I head coaches in winning percentage and 24th among active coaches in total wins. Waite is the winningest volleyball coach in UW history with a 231-67 (.775) record in his 10th year. He has led the Badgers to nine-straight NCAA tournament appearances.

The Badger mentor will also become just the third Big Ten Conference coach to win 500 matches. He trails Penn State’s Russ Rose (928-159 in his 30th year) and Minnesota’s Mike Hebert (814-349 in his 33rd year).

Waite and his Badgers look for their second tournament title in as many weeks in Las Vegas. Wisconsin won all nine sets in its opening weekend, claiming the title of the Kentucky Classic last weekend with wins over Western Carolina, Pittsburgh and Kentucky. UW started the season with a perfect record for the second-straight year. It is only the third time in Waite’s tenure at UW that his team started the season undefeated through three matches.

“We saw a lot of good things,” said Waite of his team in the opening weekend. “ (But) in our blocking system, we need to get a little tighter and seal the block up.

“We’ll bring in some new offense sets as far as the plays we’re running and with the different hitters in there. Whether it’s off the bench or starting, we want to get some different people in there and give them some opportunities. Picking up the tempo of our play, that’s the biggest thing. These teams are very competitive in their conferences so it’s going to be a good weekend.”

Women's Volleyball: Mountaineers to Open '08 College Volleyball Campaign

College Volleyball News from West Virginia

from MSNsportsNet.com

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.- The West Virginia University volleyball team is set to begin its season with a trip to the Colgate Classic in Hamilton, N.Y., on August 29-30.

“I think it will be a competitive tournament and it is a good start to see where we are at this point in the season,” says Head Coach Veronica Hammersmith. “It will be something to build on in the future.”

The Mountaineers start the weekend with a match against Boston College on Friday, at 4:30 p.m. The Eagles finished last season with a 14-18, 8-14 ACC record and are predicted to finish 11th in the league in 2008.

On Saturday, the Mountaineers meet tournament host Colgate at 1:30 p.m., followed by Kent State at 5 p.m. The Red Raiders posted 17-13, 11-3 record last season in the Patriot League and are expected to finish third in the league in the preseason poll.

The Golden Flashes are coming off the second-highest victory total in school history after posting a 22-10, 11-5 MAC record in 2007. In the preseason poll, the Golden Flashes are listed to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division.

This season, the Mountaineers return four starters and 10 letterwinners including senior Tammy Wolf. Wolf, a native of Lakeland, Fla., finished the 2007 season with 218 kills and a hitting percentage of .350.

The Mountaineers ended the 2007 season with a 16-14, 5-9 BIG EAST record.

Ball State Set To Rebuild For The 2008 Women's NCAA College Volleyball Season

College Volleyball News from Ball State Women's College Volleyball Team

From the Star Press

Everyone from the coaching staff to the players foresee a turnaround of epic portions this season for the Ball State women's volleyball team.

By Thomas St. Myer writes

"After setting a school record for futility with only five victories last season, Ball State coach Dave Boos reconstructed the program bringing in four transfers and six freshmen.

.

click New-look Cards open volleyball season today to read more.

New Volleyball Coach, New season, New Goals at Arkansas

College Volleyball News From the Northwest Arkansas Times

"We are really excited to get out and play someone," said Pulliza. "We've done a good job of staying on task. This is our first go-around together. It's exciting and a bit of an unknown. We are really looking forward to it. "

Arkansas opens the year with the 17 th-ranked Rams at 8: 30 p.m. tonight. 

The Razorbacks face Denver at 11 a.m. Saturday with the final match against Eastern Washington scheduled for 6 p.m. that evening.

New Dayton Volleyball Coach Has More Laid Back Style

College Volleyball News from Dayton

From the Dayton Daily News

"They have very different coaching styles," said Akerhielm, a first-team All-Atlantic 10 pick last year. "(Sheffield) is more quiet in the gym. ... We have more conversations about things that need to be fixed.

"

(Horsmon) was more in your face, loud and intense. It's more laid-back now, but we get a lot done. It's very productive."

"We're not going to reinvent the wheel and change things because they've done great in the past, but we hope to find little things that can help each player get to that next level."

UD women's college volleyball

First game: Today vs. UNLV in Arizona State Sheraton Classic

Coach: Kelly Sheffield (128-79 overall, first year at UD)

Record in 2007: 33-2

All-league college volleyball players returning: Bethany Akerhielm (first team), Lindsay Fletemier and Erin Schroeder (second team)

All-league players lost: Jamie-Lee Richards (first team)

Atlantic 10 titles: 6 (1998, 2000, '04 '05, '06, '07)

NCAA tourney appearances: 4 (2003, '04, '05, '07)

Life In A Volleyball Fishbowl: The Sarah Pavan Saga

College Volleyball News at Nebraska

So here's the story... 

College Volleyball News from Nebraska

Here's a story about college volleyball superstar Sarah Pavan and how she explains the obstacles she has to face while playing at Nebraska University.

Sarah Pavan struggles with scrutiny By Katelyn Kerkhove / For the Lincoln Journal Star 

Katelyn Kerkhove is a senior in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

She wrote this piece for redwire magazine, a student publication. 

After Katelyn's interview came out, it was followed by this article entitled "Life in a fishbowl. is a pretty sympathetic take on Sarah's side of what her life is like...check it out... Life in a volleyball fishbowl 

But this was followed by a set of circumstances which include Sarah's being "sidelined" for speaking to the press about her real feelings and views about her volleyball life on campus...basically she was suspended from being allowed to practice with the team. 

Her eligibility is finished but she was practicing with the team and was informed that she was no longer allowed to practice with the team. 

According to the Nebraska News net the Nebraska head volleyball coach was upset about the interview: Redwire interview upsets volleyball coach. 

Tennessee's Lady Mocs Volleyball team receives national honor for defense

College Volleyball News From Chattanooga Tennessee's GoMocs.com 

Junior libero Lara Newberry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and the Chattanooga Lady Mocs volleyball 

team were honored for leading the nation in digs prior to the Chattanooga women’s basketball 

game against Wofford on February 18. To read more click "defense wins games".

About Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.