Russ Rose Then (1999): Falin is an explosive outside hitter.  We haven’t really seen her enough to know where she is in the mix.  All the reports tht we had on Falin is that she’s an explosive outside hitter who has good ball-handling skills and those are things that attracted us to her.  We feel that shell make a great contribution in the future.

Russ Rose Now (2025): Fallon was a talented, physical outside hitter.  There wasn’t alot of playing time available that season, with experienced outside hitters like Carrie Schonveld, Katie Schumacher, and Amanda Rome already on the roster.  So we redshirted her, and I think she felt that she’d have a better chance to get some playing time elsewhere, so she transferred and had a wonderful career at Montana State.  And also played for Team Canada.

Before Penn State: Was a three-sport standout at Yellow Grass High School.  Lettered in volleyball, badminton, and track and field.  Was high school’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1997 and 1998.  Two-time team captain.  Earned back-to-back most valuable player honors at the Lumden Angel Tournament.  Helped team to two 1A Provincial Championships and four second-place finishes at the Canadian Western Elites.  Represented Canada as a member of the national team when it placed third at the 1998 Norceca Championships .  Played singles in badminton and competed in the high, long, and triple jumps.  Father Pete was her badminton and track coach.

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After Penn State: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October 18, 2000:

Not many athletes get the opportunity to be a part of a Division I-A national championship team. Still fewer, once they realize that goal, would leave the program to attend a I-AA school in Montana.

But that’s exactly what Montana State freshman volleyball player Falin Schaefer did and Penn State’s loss has become a big Bobcat gain. Schaefer, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan, was a redshirt freshman for the 1999 NCAA champ Nittany Lions, who lost only one match all year en route to a 36-1 record. . . .

“Russ had just lost Logan Tom (a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic volleyball team) to Stanford and needed another outside hitter,” Gantt said. “He said ‘I understand there’s a kid in Saskatchewan who’s pretty solid.

“I said, “Are you kidding me? I busted my hump to get her to come here. Now you want her to come to Penn State?,'” Gantt added. “But when you have a player with Falin’s athletic ability, you have to allow them the opportunity to be successful for a Top-10 team.”

So instead of enrolling at MSU, Schaefer left for Penn State, where she received a redshirt and could only practice with the best team in the country. In addition to not being able to play in matches, Schaefer didn’t like being so far from home and, even though she hadn’t attended at single class at MSU, longed to be back in Bozeman.