Penn State women’s volleyball held its third weekly media availability of the 2021 season Tuesday afternoon before practice at Rec Hall.

Head coach Russ Rose and sophomore middle blocker Allie Holland fielded questions ahead of this weekend’s Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Eugene, Oregon, a place Rose has surprisingly never been before.

The Nittany Lions (5-1), who checked in at No. 18 in the most recent AVCA rankings, will play No. 11 Oregon Friday at 10 p.m. ET before facing No. 14 Stanford Saturday at 7 p.m. in the latest matchup between these two storied programs. Both opponents will provide a major test.

Holland, who hails from Hilliard, Ohio, is off to a strong start in her first season as a starter for the Nittany Lions. Holland is hitting .347 with 32 kills and has added 26 total blocks, nine digs, and five aces.

Holland and Kaitlyn Hord have helped the Nittany Lions register the nation’s most blocks per set (3.50) so far this season. Rose and Holland’s teammates have routinely discussed her strong blocking skills during interviews.

Russ Rose

What are your thoughts on this weekend’s opponents and, in particular, Oregon’s Brooke Nuneviller?

“Stanford is obviously playing really well after their performance against Florida. I saw that on TV and I thought they looked exceptional. Not surprisingly, they have great personnel and a great tradition. I thought they looked great. I don’t have access to the Longhorn Network, so I haven’t had a chance to see that match yet. It’s always a big challenge playing Stanford and yet we look forward to it and embrace the opportunity to compete with them. Oregon is off to a great start and also has great personnel. Nuneviller is a terrific player. She was a great junior player and has been involved with USA volleyball as well. She started as a libero at Oregon and is now showing a lot of other smaller-sized players around the country the value that being a really good volleyball player can bring to a team. I think she’s great. She has a great first contact on the ball, hits the ball well, has good range, plays incredibly hard, terrific defensive player, good server, checks a lot of boxes that allows Oregon to do the things they want to do offensively. They have a number of other players who are also very good.”

What are your thoughts on college teams attacking more out of the backcourt?

“Based on the quality of the attackers that different [teams] have, it makes a lot of sense. We’ve been doing it for a long time, but it’s usually player-specific. There are times where our best swing was a player hitting out of the back row and then maybe our next-best swing is her hitting out of the front row. Lauren Cacciamani, when she played here a number of years ago, was an incredible back-row attacker. It’s been in use for a long time. It’s maybe more prevalent in the men’s game, but this last quad and in the Olympics, I thought we saw a lot of teams relying on their top attackers having the ability to take good swings out of the back row.”

What are your thoughts on Jonni Parker’s setting skills and how long have you been training her at that position?

“Jonni, when she came in, she had played for a really good club team in Munciana. Her and the setter at Minnesota, [Melani Shaffmaster], were the two setters, so she was a setter and hitter. She’s been setting for a long time. We didn’t have her set a lot the last couple of years, just because we needed to have her take swings out of the back row, so our personnel kind of dictated a little different use. We’ve been utilizing her a little bit to do some things if we feel we have to take Gabby [Blossom] out of the front row. There are a lot of times that we get some matchups that aren’t really favorable for us. Nasta [Kudryashova] is one of our best blockers, a good hitter, and gives us an opportunity to do some things for a few rotations.”

What are some of the common characteristics of the best leaders you’ve had in your program?

“I think the characteristics of top leaders, there are a lot of ways to lead. You can lead through a verbal commitment, always trying to maintain the standards and the culture. You can do it by being somebody who practices really hard. You can do it by being the best player, so there are a lot of different characteristics that come into play, but I think it’s really hard to have a successful team without having good leadership. And yet, you can argue that’s what the schools are paying the coaches to do. I’ve always felt that your best teams are teams that can handle the other 21 hours of the day. I’m addressing the three hours of the day that I really interact with them in practice. What happens in the locker room, what happens when they have their meals, what happens when those players are interacting with each other is probably the most important characteristic I think for successful teams.”

How do you feel about how your team’s serving is coming along?

“Well, it’s coming along a lot better from the first match where we missed way too many serves. Our first match against Georgia Tech was where we really struggled with keeping the ball in play. It had a negative impact on our performance and the outcome, but against good teams, you really have to serve tough, because part of what makes teams good is that they can pass. If you serve easy, it’s like a free-ball drill and they can really amp up the speed and tempo of what they want to do offensively. I think there has to be a balance of people serving tough and maybe a couple players serving tactically, but I don’t think you can ever expect to have great success if you don’t acknowledge the impact of serving.”

Is there anything that has surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise, about this year’s team so far?

“It’s a work in progress. We don’t have a roster of all the starters returning from last year, so you’re implementing new people into the program. Although we have three transfers and six newcomers, it still takes a lot of work to get them to understand certain things about the program and how we want to practice and how we want to compete. I thought we played better this past weekend than the weekend before, so that’s always one of the goals.”

How would you describe Anjelina Starck’s personality and what do you like about her skill set as a player?

“I think she’s one of our most skilled players. I think the stronger she gets, the better she’ll get, but her skill set is very, very strong. She can just as easily set for us as be the libero as be an outside hitter, left side or right side. I think she has really good skills and has a really laid-back disposition, a real happy kid. I think, again, so much of her ability to contribute will happen as she continues to address getting stronger and faster. The college game is such a different game than what they play in high school and club, even though she was from a very successful program. She won a high school championship in Las Vegas, her family moved to Colorado, and they won a championship in Colorado. Her impact on the teams she plays on is very positive. I think she has a really good skill set and I’m glad she’s here.”

What kind of progress are you seeing from Katie Clark and what does she bring to the team?

“Katie is an experienced player who played a more significant role to date at TCU, but I’m seeing good things from her. I don’t know how much conditioning and training she was doing during the summer when she was anticipating making a move to a different institution, so I think it takes some time to catch up with what we’re doing. I don’t think physically she was ready for three-a-days. I think she’ll get stronger and better as she gets healthier and aware of what we’re doing.”

What have you seen from Adanna Rollins and Erika Pritchard lately as far as them improving and getting more comfortable with the team?

“I think it’s probably more getting comfortable. I think both of them came from really good programs and were successful where they were. There is no thinking that we need to readjust anything. They’re both really skilled players who played significant roles on the teams they were at, but blending them into what’s happening here is a little different, because everything is different. It’s not one size fits all for players. What Erika was doing at Maryland and what Adanna was doing at Minnesota is a little different than maybe what our needs are at Penn State at this point in time.”

If you could give every college volleyball freshman around the country a few pieces of advice on what it takes to succeed, what would it be?

“I think freshmen need to just keep their head up and listen to the coaching staffs and the players on their team who have been through the rigors of training and development. There are always a few freshmen who have the ability to come in and hit the ground running and make incredible contributions, because they’re the top players in the country. I think the players who aren’t playing are probably the ones who need to be patient, because you’re always an injury away from having to play. In my experience, so many players waste their energy and opportunity by complaining instead of just busting their tail every day and getting ready to continue to make the team and themselves better.”

Who are some coaches, regardless of sport, who you particularly admire?

“I’m nextdoor to an incredibly great coaching staff in wrestling in Cael Sanderson. I’ve admired a great deal of what Anson Dorrance has done throughout the years at the University of North Carolina with the development of players for national teams and professional teams. I could have a really long list. I could go by sport, because there are so many great coaches in different sports who you can identify for the performance of their teams, from the leadership that they show in crisis situations to their care for their student-athletes. There are a lot of factors that go into admiring and assessing what’s going on. Obviously, Geno [Auriemma] is somebody who’s been able to set the bar in his sport and continue to attract the top students to want to play at the University of Connecticut. I just think there are so many people who have been able to navigate what it is they’re doing.”

What kind of books or music have you been reading or listening to lately?

“I’m not a music guy, but I probably read 40-50 books a year. Right now, I’m reading Noise by [Daniel] Kahneman, which is a little too heavy for me. I’ll have an easier read for the flight out to Oregon. A baseball biography or something that will make it a little easier for me to follow.”

What’s your favorite place to eat in Eugene?

“I’ve never been to Eugene. I’ve seen their court on TV, so it looks like I’ll have a headache with that thing. That’s something else. I’m really looking forward to going to [Hayward Field] and seeing the track, because it’s such a historic place. I’ve never been there, so I’ve never eaten there.”

What has volunteer assistant coach Jeremy Garcia’s impact been on the program?

“Jeremy is making a great impact. He’s a young guy who got his feet wet at the University of Texas, so he’s accustomed to working with really talented individuals. I think he has great energy and good knowledge. He understands the importance as a volunteer of being in the gym. Ours is kind of different than a lot of schools, because we don’t have a club and we don’t have other mechanisms for him really to make a living, so he is truly a volunteer. I’ve been pleased with his time here and think he’ll have a really bright career once he transitions to a paid position somewhere.”

What are your favorite qualities about Katie Schumacher-Cawley, Dennis Hohenshelt, and Brian Toron?

“To me, the most important characteristic for assistant coaches is loyalty. Certainly, knowledge of the subject matter is something they have to have. I think those are probably things that I look at. They’re all different. Everybody’s different. They have different responsibilities. Katie does a lot of recruiting, organizes the recruiting, and is a link to the tradition of the program. Dennis has had some great success over the years with instructional things. He had more players in the Olympics, because he had two guys on the men’s side and worked with two players on the women’s side. He does some of those things. Brian, his position is director of ops. He handles a lot of the logistics and the importance of working with DataVolley and the statistical conversation. I think he’s somebody who probably wants to return to the coaching world probably sooner than later, but I think everybody brings different things to the program.”

What are your thoughts on parity in women’s college volleyball today and more teams being competitive?

“There might be parity right now beyond Texas and Wisconsin. I think those two teams, from the outside from the limited amount of things that I’ve seen, are probably at the top of the pyramid right now, but there are a lot of teams that are good. There are a lot of players who can impact the outcome of games. Rally score is format that really allows the individual, talented player to have a bigger impact on the outcome than the traditional scoring that existed in the old days. Certainly, I think there are a lot of talented coaches and a lot of universities that have taken women’s volleyball to heart and are serious about their commitment. When that’s the case, parity is certainly more evident. I think a lot of schools that are in geographical areas where they can see the players and know the players, they have a better chance to not make mistakes in recruiting.”

Allie Holland

How has Kaitlyn Hord been a resource for you?

“She’s amazing. I’ve been her biggest fan since I was 15 years old, so getting to play with her already is an honor. Since I got here, she’s just been such a big help, helping me adjust to the adjust to the team, Penn State, even just college as a whole. Specifically volleyball, she’s really good at taking me aside and telling me what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong, and all of her tips. She’s also one of my really good friends.”

What are Katie Clark and Erika Williams’ personalities like and what have you learned from them?

“First of all, their personalities are amazing. Every single girl on the team I love. They’re both new, so I just met them pretty recently, but it’s been super good so far. They’re really good at picking up on things and we’re helping each other out. I’m helping them like, ‘Oh, this is how we do things at Penn State.’ They’re giving me tips on how they do things, so it’s really good. We have a good little middle community going on.”

Did you know Cassie Kuerschen from before when you two were committed to Tennessee?

“Yeah, I’ve known Cassie for a few years, so it’s really nice to have her here. I remember when she was talking about coming here, it was really exciting for us. I love her family so much. It’s really nice to have her here, because I’ve grown up with her and her family, so it’s like a second little family. I just think she goes for every single ball. No ball is hitting the floor. She’s always working hard and she’s a really good teammate. She’s really good at communicating with me, especially if she’s behind me when I’m blocking, she’s telling me what she needs me to do.”

Did you ever play against fellow Ohioans Maddy Bilinovic or Jonni Parker in high school?

“Not Jonni. I played against Maddy in club a lot, so I’ve also known Maddy for quite a while. Not Jonni, though, but I was a big fan of her and I would go watch her games when I was in high school. [Maddy] is the best communicator. She’s always telling me what she needs from me, I’m always telling her what I need from her, and you always know that she’s there. There is never a miscommunication with her, because she’s super loud and she’s a really, really good teammate.”

Do you think college players should be allowed to wear jewelry like necklaces during matches?

“I would like to wear jewelry. I think I understand if it’s really big hoops or something, but I think that it looks cute when we play, especially if professional and club are wearing it. I would like to wear it. It’s not a big deal, though.”

What are some of your favorite things to do on a flight? Do you like to read or listen to music?

“I’m a big reader. Right now, I’m reading American Psycho [by Bret Easton Ellis], so that’s nice. But yeah, everyone always makes fun of me, because it will be like 6 a.m. and we’ll be on a plane and they’ll all be sleeping and I have a 700-page book in my hands. But I also just listen to music and sleep. I really like Taylor Swift. I’m a big fan of ABBA also. They just came out with a new song that I really like, so I’m really enjoying them. But always Taylor Swift just because it’s relaxing for the plane.”

What’s some of the best advice you’ve received from Coach Rose or the rest of the coaching staff so far?

“Just working hard I think is the biggest thing they’ve told me. Some days, you’re going to be on. Some days, you’re going to be off, but if you’re working hard and your effort is there and your talk is there, then that will never falter.”

What do you think your strengths are as a player and what would you like to improve?

“I think I’ve always been a better blocker. That has always come a little bit more naturally to me and, you know, I’ve got the height for that. You can’t buy height. I would like to improve on my connections with the setters since I’m a little bit newer than some of the other players. I think that it’s getting better so far even in just the six games that we’ve had.”

What’s it like playing with Gabby Blossom?

“It’s amazing. She’s such a big talker. She knows how to run the court. I’m always talking to her when I’m up, she’s always talking to me about what she needs from me. I think it’s really nice to have a setter who’s as good at communicating as Gabby is, because that’s just vital for a middle and setter to have a good connection.”