Russ Rose in 1987: “Ellen Hensler is an elite volleyball player. She is mentally tough to a degree that she can outperform people with perhaps more talent. She is the only player out east this year who has been given the option of training with the national team. And if that is what she wants to pursue, I wouldn’t put it past her.” “Hensler irreplaceable for lady spikers,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 30, 1986.
Russ Rose Now (2026): “Ellen came in from the Norwin High School juggernaut that had provided other players like my wife Lori Barberich, Laurie Lokash (who transferred from West Virginia), and Ellen’s older sister Nancy (who transferred from Maryland.) Ellen was a very highly skilled volleyball player. In 1983, her first year, she played rightside because we still had Leslie Peters as our setter, and then she set for the next three years and was an All-American and spent some time with the national team. She was a really good blocker for being a setter. What I remember best about Ellen was her pursuit of balls. Where a lot of people are just all over the map, her eyes always stayed on the ball, and she made some unbelievable plays. She was athletic and quick, and could actually intercept the ball before it hit the ground. It was partly her athleticism and partly her ability to track the ball. It was a natural thing that to me was really noticeable. She was a great player for us, and probably could have spent more time with USA Volleyball if she had wanted to do that.”
1984 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: All-Atlantic 10 … Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team … Led the Atlantic 10 with 1442 assists … Letterwinner.
Before Penn State: Norwin High School, North Huntingdon, PA … an explosive jumper who led her high school teams to 3 straight state championships … tagged as a “Blue Chipper” by Volleyball Monthly … member of the 1983 National Sports Festival Team.