Russ Rose Then (1997): “Burd has had limited experience, but when she’s come in, she’s done a great job. She works work hard, and she’s the kind of player I know will be ready to go.”
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.”
1997 Season (Senior): Academic All-Big Ten … played in 56 of 120 sets, and 34 of 36 matches … averaged 0.68 digs/set, good for 8th on the team.
Before Penn State: At Blue Mountain High School, Jen participated in volleyball (playing setter), 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. During her time at Penn State, the team won three Big Ten volleyball championships, appeared in three Final Fours, and in her senior year, made it to the national championship match, only to lose in five games to a Stanford team led by Kerri Walsh.
“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