Russ Rose Then (2007):

Russ Rose Now (2025):

2007 Season: NCAA University Park Regional Most Outstanding Player … Big Ten Freshman of the Year … Big Ten All-Freshman Team … Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week (10/1) … Big Ten Player of the Week (11/5) … played in 30 matches and 83 games … saw first career action at the Penn State Classic (9/7-8) and through six games produced 18 kills (3.00 kpg) on .607 hitting with a team-high 14 blocks (2.33 bpg) … earned first career start against Stanford (9/15), recording 10 kills and four blocks … earned first career Big Ten start at Purdue (9/29) and picked up her first career Big Ten weekly award after averaging 3.60 kills per game on .536 hitting with 3.20 blocks per game against Purdue and Indiana (9/28-29) … ranked second on the team and in the Big Ten and fifth in the country with a .446 hitting percentage … averaged 2.39 kills per game, recording seven double-digit kill matches … posted 10 kills without an error on 11 attacks in the NCAA National Semifinal against Cal (12/13) to hit a career-high .909 … added 12 kills on .500 hitting in the national championship match versus Stanford (12/15) … fell just shy of the NCAA Tournament hitting percentage record with 68 attacks (minimum is 75 total attacks, record is .564), hitting .618 with 2.56 kills per game in 18 games … in the final two matches of the NCAA Championship, averaged 2.75 kills per game on .645 hitting with a team-high 11 blocks against Cal and Stanford (12/13 & 15) … became just the second-ever freshman to lead the Big Ten in blocks, averaging 1.78 blocks per game in conference-only matches … in all matches, led the team and the Big Ten and ranked third in the country with an average of 1.80 blocks per game, a mark that places her second all-time on Penn State[apos]s single-season blocks per game list … recorded 149 total blocks for the season … recorded a career-high 10 stuffs against Wisconsin (11/16) … had 26 multiple-block contests … also posted 16 digs for the year.

Before Penn State: Four-year volleyball letterwinner and one-year basketball letterwinner at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill. … three-year varsity volleyball captain and four-year starter for the Pirates … earned all-state, all-conference and all-area honors her senior season … two-time team Most Valuable Player … ranked seventh nationally by Prepvolleyball.com in 2006 … named one of the top 50 recruits in the nation in 2007 … tabbed by Mizuno as the best middle blocker in 2006 … member of the 1st Alliance Volleyball club program … was also named the best rebounder for Varsity basketball at Proviso East, helping her team to the regional championship during her junior season … four-year member of the honor roll and was named all-academic for varsity volleyball during senior season.