Russ Rose Then (1996): “Nobody in our program worked harder in the weight room last year than Cl1risty. If people get breaks because they work hard and they keep their nose clean and do what everybody tells them to do, then Christy is going to be able to make some real valuable contributions to the team this year. She is as athletic as any player that we have recruited here in the past, and we knew that when we recruited her that her weakness was that she didn’t have a lot of experience. We still feel that she needs some work in the area of experience, but, hopefully, she’ll use the opportunity of having played a lot over the summer and come in and be confident and strong. She is a very physical player, but her volleyball experience is still not on a level with her work ethic and athletic ability.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Christy is one of the all-time great characters. And so much energy. She was 100% committed to the team all of the time. She was undersized, but she was the center of the energy at times for the team. She was always smiling and always mischievous. And she was a really great competitor. At the 1997 National Championship match against Stanford, a ball hit her in the face and it dislodged an artificial tooth she had. But she played the remainder of the match, even with the gap at the front of her mouth after the tooth was dislodged. Great competitor and a really valuable member of the team.”
What Her Teammates Said: “There’s no doubt our team feeds off of her intensity.” Bonnie Bremner, Penn State starting setter, The Collegian, December 8, 1997
1996 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Season Recap: Played in 21 of 34 matches and 66 of 115 sets … registered 119 kills (.291 hitting %) for an average of 1.80 kills/set … totaled 163 digs (2.47 digs/set), 58 total blocks (0.88 blocks/set) and 11 service aces … stepped into a starting role on the right side beginning at No. 14 Ohio State (10/16) … set career-highs in both kills (13) and hitting percentage (.591) versus No. 11 Ohio State (11 / 13) … posted a then career-best 13 digs against No. 5 Michigan State (11 /9) … ripped a team season-best 4 aces versus Iowa (10/25)
NCAA Tournament: Recorded a career-high 16 digs in Penn States NCAA Second Round sweep (15-7, 15-10, 15-13) of Georgia Tech (12/8).
Before Penn State: Cochran started all 4 years for the Bethlehem Catholic High School volleyball and basketball squads; an outside hitter and middle blocker, she was a 3-time All-State selection; MVP of the Eastern Penn Conference and District II in 1993 and 1994; twice selected as the Express TImes Player of the Year as she led the Hawks to the State Semifinal match in 1994 and the Finals in 1991; the 2-time team captain played in the 1995 Mizuno All-Star game; a 2-year starter for the Quickset Elite Volleyball Club team; Cochran was equally successful on the basketball court, earning all-conference and all-area accolades 3 times while guiding the Hawks to the state finals in 1991 and the Semifinals in 1993 and 1994; the National Merit Award Finalist led the league in rebounding and topped the 1,000 point plateau during her career as the squad captured 4 district titles and 2 conference Championships.
“Size of the fight,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 20, 1998
“Queen of Spikes,” The Daily Collegian, Sept. 16, 1998
“Cochran gets physical against N. Illinois,” The Daily Collegian, Dec. 8, 1997
“Bethlehem spiker readies for journey as lady spiker,” The Daily Collegian, Feb. 8, 1995
