Russ Rose Then (2008): “Megan went from being the National Freshman of the Year to being the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. It’s easy to comment on someone who has made the impact that she has in her first two years, and to recognize that she is a much better player than when she came to Penn State. We feel that she is going to continue to get better because she is always looking to improve her game. In my mind, she is one of the top outside hitters in the country, she has a great feel for the game, and she is a confident, competitive, and intelligent young lady.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Megan was the number one recruit in the country her senior year in high school. She was the daughter of a player/coach, as for many, many years her father ran and continues to lead high school and club volleyball teams. She took her time making her college decision and signed her letter of intent after the signing date. I waited because she was more than worth the wait. I knew her mother from when her mother played at George Washington, so I think there was a comfort level that was established. Megan is another player who you can write a whole page about all the great accolades she had as a National Player of the Year and MVP of the Final Four, four-time First Team All American, Olympian, played in a number of countries as a professional player, and has returned to Penn State in a coaching role. Megan is quiet in many areas, but she is incredibly bright. She has three children and is sharing her expertise as a coach. She had some incredible matches, collegiately and professionally, and really represented everything about Penn State in a great fashion.”
2008 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: 2008 National Champion … AVCA First Team All-America … NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player … NCAA Regional Chapionship Most Outstanding Player … First Team AVCA All-Mideast Region … Academic All-Big Ten … Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten … ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-American … Chicago Classic All-Tournament Team … Hawaiian Airlines Classic All-Tournament Team … Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten … her 470 kills for the season ranked 3rd in the Big Ten … her 1,582 career kills through the 2008 season ranked 5th on Penn State’s all-time list, while her 4.51 kills/set ranked second … her .349 hitting percentage ranked 5th on the team and 7th in the Big Ten.
Season Recap: Started all 38 matches appearing in 115 sets … led the team with 470 kills and a 4.09 kills per set average … has double-digit kills in 95 of her 109 collegiate matches … led the Nittany Lions in kills in 21 matches … finished 2nd on the squad with 242 digs … averaged 2.10 digs/set … posted 5 double-doubles … tallied 12 kills on .667 hitting at Yale (9/19) … registered 15 kills on .519 hitting at Northwestern (10/25) … averaged 4.00 kills/set on .412 hitting with 18 digs against Minnesota and Iowa (10/31-11/1) … tallied 17 kills on .429 hitting at Illinois (11/14) … averaged 4.33 kills/set on .600 hitting with 2.61 digs/set aganst Northwestern and Wisconsin (11/21-22).
NCAA Tournament: Recorded 15 kills on .609 hitting against Western Michigan (12/12) … set a season high with 23 kills against Nebraska in the NCAA Semifinal (12/18) … totaled 16 kills on .318 hitting with 14 digs against Stanford (12/20) in the National Championship match.
Before Penn State: Four-year volleyball starter at Riverside High School in Durham, N.C. … 2006 Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year … one of five finalists for the 2006 Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year … two-time North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year (2005 & 2006) … named the National High School Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine … 2005-06 PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American and Top Senior Ace … first team Mizuno Volleyball High School All-American in 2006 … voted the 2006 National High School Senior Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association … member of the 2006 USA Junior National Team and the 2004 and 2005 USA Youth National teams … voted the Most Valuable Player and ‘Best Attacker’ at the 2004 NORCECA Championships in Cataño, Puerto Rico … competed with the USA Youth National Team at the Youth World Championships in Macau, China in 2005 … earned the prestigious Paul Williamson Award as the Pac 6 Athlete of the Year … named the North Carolina High School Female Athlete of the Year by the News and Observer … helped Riverside High School to a 74-14 scholastic record … posted career totals of 1,596 kills, 319 blocks, 647 digs, 286 aces and 130 assists … as a member of the Triangle 18’s club team, was selected as an All-American as the 2006 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Fla. … selected as the Most Valuable Player of the North Carolina Regional Championships for the 18’s Gold age division … the first player from the Carolina Region to be named All-Tournament at the USA Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships … three-time USA Volleyball Carolina Region MVP … four-time Pac 6 all-conference selection … two-time Pac 6 conference Player of the Year … led Riverside to the state playoff semifinals in 2002 and 2004 and the state quarterfinals in 2003 … from 1996-2002, was a member of the Bouncing Bulldogs Jump Rope Demonstration team and was a silver medalist in the 12-14 age division at the World Championship in Ghent, Belgium, as a member of the USA Jump Rope Team … ranked 53 in her class of 493 at Riverside, holding a 4.5 grade point average … member of the Riverside Student Council … acted as a peer mentor for students with special needs.