Russ Rose Then (1996): “Heidi led the conference in digs last year, so I think it is obvious she had a good year. When I recruited Heidi I knew what I was getting and, three years later, I am happy to say that I’m pleased Heidi came to school at Penn State. She plays hard. She practices hard and she brings a lot of volleyball intelligence to the floor. I’m hopeful that she is going to have a great senior year. She’s never going to be a great blocker, but she does a number of important things well for us, and hopefully she will be able to continue to do that.”
1996 Season (Senior) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten … Tri-Captain … during her career at Penn State, the Nittany Lions went 120-20 (.857), including a 67-5 (.931) mark at home … they also led the Big Ten in digs all 4 years and finished ranked in the top 10 at the end of each season … during those 4 years, Penn State competed in 2 Final Fours (1993 and 1994) and won 2 Big Ten titles — 1993 and 1996 (when it tied with Michigan State).
Season Recap: Played in 33 of 34 matches and 102 of 115 sets … posted 123 kills (1.21 kills/set) with a .228 hitting % … ranked 2nd on the team with 314 digs (3.08 digs/set) … recorded 31 total blocks (.30 blocks/set).
NCAA Tournament: Reached the 1,000 dig mark for her career in Set 2 of the Regional Semifinal sweep (15-11, 15-5, 15-5) of No. 17 Wisconsin (12/13).
Before Penn State: At Columbus East HS, Rottinghaus left an indelible mark on the teams she participated on at the high school, club and national levels … was a Volleyball Monthly “Fab 50” selection and a 1992 First-Team All-State performer and a 2-time Hoosier Hills all-conference pick … chosen All-Area Player-of-the-Year by The Republic newspaper…a 4-year starter and letterwinner, Rottinghaus was selected to compete in the 1993 Indiana Coaches Association all star match … as a senior captain, she led Columbus East to the Final Four of the Indiana state tournament … voted the team’s MVP in 1991 and ’92, Rottinghaus was a sensational all-around player … while attending the Elite Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., she earned a spot on the 1992 U.S. Junior Olympic team and received the Judy Bellomo Memorial Scholarship … a 1989 AAU All American, she earned MVP honors at the University of Kentucky summer camp in 1991 … is a 6-year veteran of USVBA club competition … during the 4 years she spent with the Circle City Club in Indianapolis, Rottinghaus played on several USVBA title teams … was one of 6 athletes named First-Team All-America by the USVBA … a member of the National Honor Society, she ranked 9th in a class of 275 and made the honor roll in 8 semesters.
“Rottinghaus has seen and done it all in a year’s time,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 26, 1995
