Russ Rose Then (2006): “Mel continues her development as a complete volleyball player. She has had two years of being at the top of the conference in hitting and blocking, and I feel she is one of the best read-blockers that we’ve had in the program. Mel continues to work hard in the weight room and really wants to achieve great things as a volleyball player. She is a fabulous student with a 3.9 grade point average and is a very important part of the team and piece of the puzzle because of how well she interacts with others and the way she conducts her day-to-day business. Her strengths lie in her confidence and emotional control It is my hope that her stint with USA Volleyball this summer pays big dividends.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Melissa is a great example of a selfless human being, because she was an All-American middle blocker, and after Ari Wilson came in, and transitioned into that starting middle blocker position, the beauty of Mel is she was instrumental in helping Ari Wilson develop. Mel was All Big 10 and All American because she was a terrific blocker and hit for a high percentage — she was a Second Team All American as a sophomore. She was always battling a sore back, but she was durable, and she played hard. At times, she was at the top of our team and the Conference for blocking as well as attacking. But she was somewhat overshadowed by the future Olympians and National Team players like Christa Harmotto and Megan Hodge and Nicole Fawcett. So much of our success was based on the contributions and sacrifices that people like Melissa and others made for the benefit of the team. It’s really hard to find somebody that would go from being an All-American starting player to altering their position on the team. I have a warm spot in my heart for Mel.”
2006 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten … ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District … Academic All-Big Ten … averaged 1.66 kills/set on .405 hitting for the season to lead the team and the Big Ten and rank 8th on Penn State’s single-season hitting percentage chart … ranked 3rd in the conference and 15th in the nation in blocks/set.
Season Recap: Started all 35 matches of the year and played in all 114 sets … led the team in total blocks with 179 and ranked 2nd in blocks/set with an average of 1.57, good for 11th on the all-time single-season record list … recorded at least one kill in 34 of 35 matches, posting a season-high 14 kills on .500 hitting (14-2-24) at Minnesota (10/28) … posted 8 kills on an errorless 10 swings to hit .800 versus Michigan State (10/21) … had at least 5 kills in 21 matches … averaged 2.67 kills per game on .577 hitting in sweeps of Purdue and Indiana (11/3-4) … hit for better than .400 on 21 occasions … recorded 11 service aces and 42 digs for the season … had 34 multiple-block matches, including setting a new career high with 12 stuffs in the thrilling 5-game win at Texas (9/8) … tallied 3 or more blocks on 32 occasions and 5 or more blocks 19 times.
NCAA Tournament: Posted 7 kills on 12 errorless swings (.583) in the NCAA Regional Final loss at Washington (12/9).
Before Penn State: Four-time volleyball letterwinner at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pa. … team captain during senior season for the Falcons … compiled a record of 82-12 during scholastic tenure … member of the Suburban One League championship team in 2000, 2002 and 2003 … team won the district championship in 2003 and was a AAA Pennsylvania state finalist in 2003 for the first time in school history … named the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and a Prepvolleyball.com All-American in 2003 … tabbed as a first team All-State selection in 2002 and 2003 … 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer Player of the Year … two-time Courier Times Player of the Year … named a Volleyball Magazine ‘Fab 50’ selection in 2003 … two-time District One first team selection, Courier Times Golden Team first team and Suburban One League First team … National Honor Society member … member of the high honor roll all four years of high school … named one of Pennsbury High School’s ‘Best and Brightest’ by the Trentonian … received the National Scholar Athlete Award from the U.S. Army Reserve.