Russ Rose Then (2014): “Nia has continued to develop each year. Last year was the first year she was recognized by others as an honorable mention All-American. At times she was first in the conference in hitting percentage, so I’m not surprised that she is starting to get recognized by the opposing team’s coaches. She’s an explosive offensive player and we need her to be a stronger leader on the floor and make an impact in the areas that are not traditionally looked upon by middle blockers.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Nia was a good high school player and exceptional athlete in Ohio. Nia played a lot for us and always hit for a high percentage. Nia was quick off the ground and could really hit the slide well. We had great success while Nia was playing, and her numbers were always good. She was a valued contributor to the program’s success and played pro ball for a number of years, both in Europe and for Athletes Unlimited. I know she remains active in the game through club ball and I believe she just started a recruiting service for kids to play internationally.”
2014 Season (Senior)Highlights and Awards: 2014 National Champion … All-Big Ten (unanimous) … Preseason All-Big Ten … Big Ten Player of the Week (9/15) … Villanova Classic All-Tournament Team … her .458 hitting percentage ranked 2nd nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
Season Recap: Started all 39 matches and played in 125 of 127 sets … … had 9 kills on .467 hitting against UCLA (9/6), tallying a match-high 7 blocks and 2 aces … posted double-digit kills in 3-of-4 matches at the Villanova Classic, setting a career-high mark with an .846 hitting clip against Yale (9/13) … registered a team-high 10 kills on 16 errorless swings against Eastern Illinois (9/19) … tallied 7 kills at No. 5 Wisconsin (9/24), while also ranking 2nd on the team with 3 blocks … led the team in kills (14) and blocks (8) at No. 17 Minnesota (9/27) … led the team with a career-high 10 blocks at Michigan (11/19).
NCAA Tournament: Appeared in all 6 of Penn State’s NCAA Tournament matches … had 9 kills on 16 swings, with 1 error, for a .500 hitting percentage in the sweep of BYU in the National Championship match (12/20).
Before Penn State: Three-year varsity letterwinner and team captain at Howland High School in Warren, Ohio … led the team in kills and blocks as a freshman … earned the Outstanding Achievement Award for volleyball as a sophomore … named the District I Volleyball Player of the Year, named MVP, and picked up District I Division I First Team honors as a junior … named to the Under Armour Watch List as a senior … Volleyball Magazine ‘Fab 50’ … four-year letterwinner in track & field.
