Penn State women’s volleyball held its 13th weekly media availability of the 2021 season Tuesday afternoon before practice at Rec Hall.

Russ Rose discussed Penn State’s upcoming away matches against Nebraska and Ohio State this weekend, his mentors as he was getting into coaching, and the importance of his players being able to receive constructive criticism, among other topics. The team had lifting right before practice, so we were unable to speak to any of the players today.

The Nittany Lions remained No. 15 for the third straight week in the AVCA rankings after beating Michigan and Michigan State in four sets on the road. Gabby Blossom was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week for the fourth time so far this season on Monday.

Russ Rose

What are your thoughts on last weekend’s matches?

“I think any time you can go on the road in the conference and win two matches, especially when you’re playing back-to-back nights, that you have to feel real favorable about the results. Michigan and Michigan State are both really strong teams that pose different challenges to teams, so I was pleased with our results.”

How would you assess Gabby Blossom’s performance of late? What are some things that make her unique as a setter?

“I think she just always competes really hard. She’s a little undersized, and she makes up for that by just being really competitive and a stick-to-it sort of attitude. She just plays hard and she plays hurt. I think those are really strong traits in a leader and setter.”

What stands out to you about Nebraska?

“They’re a game ahead of us and a couple of other teams at the top of the conference, so they’re very strong. They took it up an extra level I think when [Lauren] Stivrins came back from her back injury at the beginning of the year. They’re very physical. I think they’re an exceptional serving team. Our first match with them, heading into the match, I thought that they were similar to Wisconsin in that they had multiple libero-type players playing back row. They have [Kenzie] Knuckles, who was the libero the last couple years, and [Lexi] Rodriguez, who’s the new libero, and [Keonilei] Akana. They’re a strong blocking team and they fill in the balance of what a good team has to do by being really strong in the back row.”

What’s your impression of Nicklin Hames?

“I’ve been a big fan of Nicklin for her whole career. She’s similar to Gabby [Blossom] in she’s a little undersized, but she plays really hard. Her dad was her high school and club coach. I think she has a great fighting spirit and has had a really strong career at Nebraska.”

What are some things that Ohio State does well?

“I think right now they’re doing everything really well. They have last year’s national freshman of the year in [Emily] Londot at right-side. They’ve been having [Arica] Davis go back row for her and she’s taking a lot of big swings and hitting a good jump-spin serve. We played them our second match at the beginning of the year. I thought that was probably our best Big Ten match. They’ve been playing really well. Both left-sides are strong. [Rylee] Rader was one of the top freshmen last year in the conference as well. Davis, their freshman middle, is having a really solid year. I think Jen [Flynn Oldenburg] is just connecting really well with the team as a coach. Nic Fawcett is on the staff there, so other than when they play us, I always want them to be successful.”

What do you recall about having Jen as a camper back in the day?

“She’s just such a really strong athlete, very competitive, and yet with a big smile, and an ability that not everybody had, and that she made others around her better. I wish we had more scholarships when she was coming out, because we had a challenge that we didn’t have any scholarships, but she was maybe the only player who’s been all-conference at two different positions — at setter and outside hitter — in, at least, maybe the 20-plus years that I’ve been in the conference or whatever number of years that I’ve been in the conference. She was great. She always played hard. I’m a big fan. I was a big fan of her as a young person and I feel the same way seeing her as a head coach and parent. I recommended her for the position there, because I thought she would be great for Ohio State.”

How important is it for your players to be able to take constructive criticism?

“I think it’s really important. Now, the question is how many of them seem to be able to take any sort of criticism would probably be where things get a little shaky. I always say, ‘You have to listen to the message, not the messenger,’ because some people are just sensitive. I always sense that your best teams can handle the truth.”

Who were some of your mentors early in your career?

“My mentors, I guess, in volleyball, would have been my college coach, Jim Coleman. [He] probably would have been a mentor. Jerry Angle was my coach when I actually played the last year in college. Jerry and I coached together for two years at our alma mater.”

What do you anticipate the environment to be like Friday night at the Devaney Center?

“Well, I mean, they really support their women’s volleyball. It’s always sold out. They have a great following. I think you anticipate that. We played at the Covelli Center last year at Ohio State, but it was during the COVID [season], so there were only a few parents there. That’s a facility that’s new [where] the fans also are having a big impact on the effort of the home team.”

How would you assess Erika Pritchard’s performance lately?

“I thought Erika played really well last weekend. I thought both her and Adanna [Rollins] played well, and we needed to have that, because not all of our hitters had strong weekends. We were really fortunate that Erika, on the first night, had such a strong outing against Michigan. Both her and Adanna played really well. Kait [Hord] had another really strong weekend offensively.”

How do you feel about your defense and passing right now?

“We’ve had some years where I thought that was our strength. I wouldn’t say that’s our strength. I think it’s a work in progress. If we pass well, it allows us to get the ball to Kait and Allie [Holland] in the middle, which enhances our chances for our outside hitters to be hitting without a double block, which is everybody’s game plan, so it’s not like it’s unique to what we’re trying to do. Certainly, I think Jenna [Hampton] has been our best player for the last three or four matches. That helps a lot when your libero is playing as well as she is.”

What are some ways that Jenna has improved throughout the years? What is she doing particularly well right now?

“The first year or two, she had a different role, because Kendall [White] was the libero and Jenna was the first sub. Last year, she was playing and was unable to lift her arm up, so it impacted her ability to serve and do some things. She always plays really hard. She’s really quick to the ball and she’s not afraid of the event.”

What would be your pitch to the Senior CLASS Award voters for why Jonni Parker should win?

“Well, I’m not anyone’s agent. I’ve been voting for Jonni. I think Jonni, like a number of candidates, are all really strong. They’re strong players, they’re great students, they’re pillars of the community. They do things to make their teams better. I’m familiar with a number of the players who are on the ballot. Certainly, my loyalty is to Jonni.”

When did you get the rose tattoo on your wrist?

“I think this was on the last team trip to Brazil.”