Russ Rose Then (1995): : “Jen is. without question, our quickest player. Penn State has always been committed to the contributions of the smaller player and Jen will have great opportunities this season. She needs to develop a more aggressive serve but is very quick and has a good nose for the ball.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “One thing that was noteworthy about Jen — she tells the story really well — is that she was dyslexic. When she came to Penn State (it was before the libero position) I’d say to her “You play hard, you’re always smiling, you’re a very competitive individual, and I want that to carry over to your academics, because you’re never going to be the first person people talk about on the team — even if you have a great match — because backrow players don’t garner that kind of attention.” And she did — she was on the Academic All-Big Ten Team in 1997, and she was on two teams that went to the Final Four (1994 and 1997). She was always a great team player and contributed to the team’s success. After graduation, she was a teacher and a coach and now she does physical training for people remotely.”
1995 Season (RS Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten … posted a 4.0 grade point average in the Spring semester.
Season Recap: Played in 10 matches and 10 games, recording 11 digs on the season … posted a season high 4 digs on two occasions … played in 5 Big Ten matches.
Before Penn State: At Blue Mountain High School, Jen participated in volleyball (playing setter) in which she earned all-league, all-county, and all-district recognition, basketball (where she was a guard), and track & field, running the 4 x 100 and 4x 400 relays, long-jumping, and throwing the javelin. In her senior year, she qualified for states in basketball and placed 9th in the javelin. In 2006, Jen was inducted into both the Blue Mountain Sports Hall of Fame and the ARC Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
“Lady spikers to make title run,” The Daily Collegian, Jul. 30, 1997
“Burdis plays big on court,” The Daily Collegian, Nov. 12, 1996
“Kamner’s playing improves,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 21, 1994
