Russ Rose Then (2002): “I think Sam is going to bring back a lot of memories to our fans with the way Bonnie Bremner played becuase they come from the same club. Sam has a great touch on the ball, and she’s a feisty competitor. She will be one of our better blocking setters because she has long arms. What Sam is going to have to learn about the college game is the physical nature, the importance of not only how strong she has to be to play at the highest level, but also the emotional aspect of making sure she keeps the team on task and forces them to work hard. It’s not who is the better setter, it’s who is the better leader and who is going to play an all-around game. There are alot of intangibles and some of those are different than the system she’s in right now. She has demonstrated in her career that she has all of the tools to be very successful at the collegiate level. I look forward to her contributions and I know our fans will like her game.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Sam Tortorello came from Sports Performance, which was one of the top club programs in the country and had great success training players. In addition, she came from a family where all of the girls played volleyball — her older sister, Liz, was the starting setter at Wisconsin a few years earlier. Sam had good size, and long arms, and big hands, and she had a great feel for the game. So Sam was a really talented kid, who was able to come in and hit the ground running and start right away. She is on the long list of All-American setters we’ve had that went to the national team — Ellen Hensler, Salima Rockwell, Alisha Glass, and Micha Hancock. Bonnie Bremner could have done it, but it wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life when she was done playing at Penn State. I think Sam had her own level for who she was and what she did. She was an All-American in club, and in high school, and in college. She was a really good volleyball player and had a great career.”
2002 Season (Freshman) Highlights and Awards: Big Ten Freshman of the Year … AVCA Honorable Mention Al-Mideast Region … Honorable Mention All-Big Ten … Big Ten All-Freshman Team … Fairfield All-Tournament Team.
Season Recap: Played in 107 of 112 sets and all 33 matches (starting 30) … led the offense with an average of 12.50 assists per set, with a career-high of 70 assists versus Wisconsin (10/26) … led the team with 37 services aces, for an average of 0.35 service aces/set … posted seven multiple-ace contests, including a season-high 7-ace performance at Fairfield (9/7) … notched 5 aces at Michigan State (11/1) and again at Northwestern (11/23) … recorded a team-high 6 double-doubles, including against Yale (9/22) with 45 assists and 11 digs … ranked 4th on the team with 2.10 digs/set … posted a career-high 12 digs at Michigan (11/2) … and recorded at least two digs in every match of the season … notched at least 1 kill in 31 matches, including a career-high 7 kills at Purdue (10/5) … hit .250 for the season, including a .714 (5-0-7) performance versus Morgan State (9/14) and a .667 (4-0-6) mark at Wisconsin (11/22) … averaged 0.57 blocks/set … recorded at least 1 block in 30 matches.
NCAA Tournament: Posted a season-high 7 blocks in Penn State’s 1-3 loss to Temple in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament (12/7).
Before Penn State: Volleyball Magazine’s “Fab 50” selection; a four-year letterwinner at Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, Illinois; two-time captain for the Angels; also a member of Sports Performance for eight years (1994-2002); led Sports Performance 18-1 to 2002 AAU National Championship; Chicago Sun-Times 2001 Player of the Year for Volleyball; 2000 USA Youth National Team member; four-time AAU All-America honoree; 2001 AAU Most Valuable Player; member of the 2000 Junior Olympic All-Tournament team; led Sports Performance to a second-place finish at the National Junior Classic in 2000 and first place finishes at the National Junior Classic and AAU Nationals and claimed the Junior Olympic Silver Division championship in 2001; named Best Setter at the the 2000, 2001, and 2002 National Junior Classic; member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, and earned a high school leadership scholarship.
“Senior week is special,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 10, 2005