Russ Rose Then (2016): “I thought Bryanna had some flashes last year where she played really well and some matches where I was surprised that she didn’t play better. She has a good IQ for the game and a terrific serve. She’ll be better in the areas I thought needed to be polished up to make a bigger contribution to our program this year.”
Russ Rose Now (2026): “Bryanna was one of the top setters in the country when she came in as a freshman, and in addition, she played with Simone Lee and Ali Frantti in club volleyball. Because she played with those guys, I wanted her to have a little more of a leadership role. I think in doing that, it probably took away a little bit from other parts of her strength as a setter and as a player. She was a really good player, but she also could be headstrong, and butting heads with me wasn’t always in her best interest. As her career advanced, I became much more appreciative of her skill set and her confidence, and just how mentally tough she was and what she could do to help the team. She’s gone on to have a very good career as a high school coach. I’m not at all surprised, because she was bright, tough, and I probably should have trusted her more in certain situations.”
2016 Season (Redshirt Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten Honoree.
Season Recap: Played in 25 matches, starting 5, while playing in 70 total sets … logged 231 assists, 71 digs, 15 kills, 14 blocks and 12 service aces during the 2016 season … directed the team to a .424 hitting clip in the win against Georgia Southern (8/27), dishing out 26 assists to go along with 8 digs and 2 aces … came off the bench and tallied 28 assists against No. 19 North Carolina (8/27) … logged 35 assists and 9 digs at Colorado (9/3) … logged an ace at Rutgers (9/21) … served up an ace against No. 22 Michigan (10/1) … registered 3 service aces vs. Rutgers (10/8) … recorded 1 service ace and a dig against both No. 22 Purdue (10/14) and Indiana (10/15) … passed out 12 assists to go along with 2 digs and a kill against No. 3 Minnesota (10/29) … tallied 28 assists and 4 digs vs. No. 1 Nebraska (11/4) … notched a season-high 6 blocks, 9 digs and 3 kills against Iowa (11/5) … logged a pair of season-high marks with 41 assists and 16 digs vs. Maryland (11/11), marking her 11th career double-double … started against Nebraska (11/16), posting 12 assists and 3 digs.
NCAA Tournament: Posted 14 assists, 5 digs and 3 service aces against Nebraska (12/9).
2015 Season (Redshirt Freshman)
Before Penn State: Three-year captain and 3-time team MVP at Boylan Catholic … earned All-State honorable mention honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons, achieving NIC 10 All-Conference MVP honors in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons … helped guide her club team, Club Fusion, to 2 AAU championships as the squad’s setter … 2013-14 Under Armour First Team All-American … 2013 Mizuno Honorable Mention All-American.
