Russ Rose Then (2000): “Amanda is a great ball handler, but we need for her to get stronger so that she can terminate the ball consistently. If she can do that, she will continue her role as a front row player in addition to anchoring the back row.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Amanda was one of the nation’s top recruits. She was a great passer, a great defensive player, and she had a strong arm. Amanda was fearless as a competitor. She has gone on to be a very successful lawyer.”
2000 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten … All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
Season Recap: Played in all 36 matches and all 128 sets … led the team with 2.78 digs/set … ranked 3rd on the team with 2.54 kills/set … ranked 2nd on the team with 36 service aces … averaged 0.34 blocks/set, good for 7th on the team. Posted a team-best 18 double-figure dig efforts for the season, including 9 of the last 12 matches overall …. averaged 2.96 digs per game in Big Ten matches … posted the most digs on the squad in 10 matches during the season … also totaled 14 double-figure kill efforts on the year … tallied 11 kills and 19 digs in season opener vs. UCLA … registered 11 kills vs. Rutgers (9/8) … hit for a .692 (9-0-13) clip vs. Eastern Kentucky (9/16) … rang up 17 kills and 18 digs vs. Minnesota (9/29) … posted a .722 career-best 22 kills vs. Iowa (9/30) … totaled 16 kills and 10 digs at Northwestern (9/23) … ripped 12 kills and dug a career-best 27 balls in win at Ohio State (10/20) … registered 14 kills and 23 digs at Minnesota ( 11/4) … hit an eye-popping 13 kills no errors, on 18 attacks at Illinois (11/24) … posted 10 kills, 13 digs and a career-high 6 blocks in season-finale at Purdue (11/25).
NCAA Tournament: Opened up NCAA play with 10 kills and 5 digs vs. James Madison (12/1) … vs. Washington State (12/2) in 2nd round, tallied 11 kills while hitting .360 overall, and tallied 11 digs to complete her 8th double-double of the season … tallied 10 kills and 9 digs in Pacific Regional semifinal win over Colorado State ( 12/1) … notched 6 kills and 10 digs in Pacific Regional final loss at Southern California (12/8).
Before Penn State: Played five years at Chaska High School and started at every position during that span; led Hawks to three state titles (1993, 1994, and 1996), as well as a second place finish in 1995 and a third place finish in 1997; named to Volleyball Magazine’s 1998 “Fab 50” team; was team captain her senior year; was an All-American, All-State, and All-Conference — as well as earning Metro Player of the Year — in both her junior and senior years; was the 1996 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year; also earned All-Conference and All-Metro honors as both a sophomore and a freshman, and was honorable mention All-Conference as an eighth grader.
“Women’s volleyball tries to avert 2000 start,” The Daily Collegian, Aug. 21, 2001
“Volleyball defeats Stanford for national title,” The Daily Collegian, Jan. 10, 2000
“Winning in the cards for Rome,” The Daily Collegian, Sept. 15, 1999
“All roads lead to Rome,” The Daily Collegian, Sept. 22, 1998
