Russ Rose Then (2017): “Bryanna is a terrific volleyball player with an exceptional IQ. She’s a confident player, and hopefully this is the year where everything lines up for her and she can have the impact on our team that she had on her club and high school teams. She has the best tempo and control of the ball on our team, and I think those are both instrumental to success.”
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.”
2017 Season (Redshirt Junior)Highlights and Awards: All-Academic Big Ten.
Season Recap: Played all 35 matches and 123 sets … dished 789 assists over the season for a team-high 6.42 assists per set … was second on the team with 33 aces … scooped up 234 digs, which was 3rd on the team … posted multi-ace performances 10 times, including tying career-high 4 aces at Wisconsin (11/24) … posted double-digit digs 8 times … recorded 4-straight double-digit dig performances 9/1 through 9/9 … all 8 of her double-digit dig performances resulted in a double-double with digs and assists … recorded 30-plus assists on 5 occasions, including a season-high 38 against Ohio (9/16) … finished the season with 23 kills and four blocks.
NCAA Tournament: Appeared in all 5 of Penn State’s NCAA Tournament matches … recorded a double-double in Penn State’s 5-set loss to Nebraska (12/14) in the NCAA Semifinal game, with a career-high 18 digs along with 25 assists.
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.
