Russ Rose Then (2013): “Deja has developed into an exceptional blocker and her improved passing and defense has enabled the team to play at a high level. She’s certainly an All-American attacker, but the parts of her game that she’s improved on are where the team has really seen succcess.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Deja was a terrific athlete. She hit the ground running when she came in as a freshman. She was the National Freshman of the Year, and a 4-time All American while she was here. Deja was strong in areas that were weaknesses for some other players. She was a great blocker on the left side and an exceptional middle back player. There were matches where her greatest contributions were her blocking and her digging, even though there were also a number of matches where she would lead us in hitting. Deja was an exceptional all-around player and cared about the team. She spent some time with the National Team and played professionally overseas for a number of years, as well as for Athletes Unlimited.”
2013 Season (Senior)Highlights and Awards: 2013 National Champion … Second Team AVCA All-American — the 5th 4-time All-American in Penn State women’s volleyball history, joining Bonnie Bremner, Christa Harmotto, Nicole Fawcett and Megan Hodge in the elite group … unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection … earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team … AVCA All-Northeast Region team … preseason All-Big Ten honoree … notched her 1,000th career dig to eclipse the 1,000 career kills/1,000 career digs mark — the first Nittany Lion to reach the mark since Megan Hodge in 2009 and the 5th in program history.
Season Recap: Started all 36 matches at outside hitter and played in 126 of 127 sets … averaged 3.00 kills/set with a .274 hitting percentage … posted 12 double-doubles on the year … notched 2 kills and a team-high 17 digs against No. 19 Louisville (8/31) … led the team with 20 kills and a squad-best 17 digs at No. 6 Texas (9/7) … tallied 5 kills, 5 digs and a solo block against No. 8 Florida (9/8) … tied for team leader with 14 digs against No. 15 Michigan State (9/27), adding 7 kills … recorded her second double-double of the season with 15 kills and 13 digs against No. 10 Michigan (9/28), adding 3 blocks … tallied 13 kills on .500 hitting … notched her 3rd double-double of the season with 10 kills and 15 digs at No. 24 Purdue (10/5) adding 2 blocks … recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs against No. 11 Minnesota (10/9), adding 4 blocks … matched a season-high mark with 17 digs against No. 19 Wisconsin (10/12), posting 1 ace, 6 kills and 4 blocks … led the squad with her fifth double-double of the season, registering 14 kills and 10 digs at Illinois (10/18) … recorded 2 aces against No. 24 Ohio State (10/23), while leading the team with 10 kills on .500 hitting, adding 9 digs and 2 blocks … eclipsed 1,000 career digs against Iowa (10/26), while also matching a season-high mark with 4 blocks, adding 8 kills and 1 ace … notched a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs at No. 17 Michigan (11/1) … led the team with 14 kills at No. 14 MSU (11/2), registering 8 digs … totaled a team-high 13 kills against No. 14 Purdue (11/8), adding 4 digs … Logged 8 kills, 15 digs and 5 blocks at No. 14 Wisconsin (11/15) … tallied 11 kills, 1 ace and 7 digs at No. 11 Minnesota (11/16), while also registering her 1,500th career kill.
Before Penn State: Four-year letterwinner at Dupont Manual Magnet … named Miss Kentucky Volleyball, Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American … earned a third place finish at the 2006 USA Junior Olympic Championships … named MVP and won a gold medal at USAV High Performance Championships …placed fifth and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at 2007 USA Junior Olympic Championships … selected Prepvolleyball.com ‘Freshman 59,’ ‘Top 50 Junior Recruits’ and ranked seventh on ‘Senior Aces’ … First Team Kentucky All-State … named to the 2008 USAV Youth National Training Team and was a 2009 USAV Youth National Team Invitee … was a 4-time AAU All-American … Volleyball Magazine ’30 Underclassmen to Watch’ … 2009 JVDA National Champions and selected to JVDA All-Tournament team.
