Russ Rose Then (2018): “Nia is an incredibly physical player who needs to have the same confidence in her game that we have in her game, and hopefully, she’ll be the player that we can depend on. There’s never been a better opportunity for Nia to demonstrate that she’s ready to play. She’s always been playing behind All Americans, and with the departure of Simone and Ali, her chance to seize the position and make it her own is now.”
2018 Season (Redshirt Senior) Highlights and Awards: AVCA Honorable Mention All-America … AVCA All-Northeast Region … Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team.
Season Recap: played in 30 of 34 matches and 103 of 118 sets … finished 2018 with a team-best 3.26 kills/set, hitting .253 and scoring 385.0 points … totaled 0.74 blocks/set with a team-high 22 solo blocks … posted 56 digs … tallied 18 double-digit kills, including two career-high 20-kill performances, the first against Nebraska on October 13, and the second against Wisconsin on November 24.
NCAA Tournament: Appeared in all 4 of Penn State’s NCAA Tournament matches, averaging 3.31 kills/set.
Before Penn State: A 4-year starter at Immaculate Heart Academy … led her high school squad to 4 consecutive non-public state championship titles, picking up Bergen Record Player of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 … earned Star Ledger Player of the Year accolades in 2011, 2012 and 2013 … earned Big North Conference All-State honors from 2010-13 … competed with the “Digs” club team …played on the USAV Girls’ Youth A2 team in 2012, serving as an alternate on the Youth National Team in 2013 … a 2013-14 Under Armour All-American … a Mizuno First Team All-American … 3-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year from 2011-13.