Russ Rose Then (1996): “Tomuke is going to make a great coach if she chooses to get into the field. She possesses a lot of the same quality characteristics that Salima Davidson demonstrated while she was at Penn State. She literally cares about the team more than she cares about her self. She is making valuable contributions all the time. She makes wise choices for the team, yet we need her to be an aggressive back row player and be able to pro vide us with some stability coming in to games. We haven’t had a back row player in the past couple of years that can come in and make the great play to give us the opportunity to win matches. We need Tomuke, as well as the others to step up and do that.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Tomuke was a hitter when she was in club and high school volleyball, and she was a really good basketball player. When she was young, she played against Allen Iverson and some of those individuals in the Maryland/Virginia area. But she came to Penn State as a back row player. She was very physical and very bright. And she was really, really competitive and high-energy all the time. Tomuke was a good teammate — she spent a lot of time just keeping the team focused and loose.”
1996 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards:
Season Recap: Ebuwei saw action in 27 of 34 matches and 60 0f 115 sets, despite a mid-season ankle injury and a case of the flu during the NCAA East Regional …recorded 78 digs (1.30 digs/set) … in the nationally televised “TV format scoring” match vs. #5-ranked Michigan State (11/9), ESPN2 analyst Chris Marlowe could hardly contain his excitement after watching Ebuwei make 3 amazing digs in a row in Penn State’s 3-1 win (19-9, 10-14, 18-10, 17-14) … the stand-out defensive specialist set career-high with 13 digs against Notre Dame (9/13).
What Her Teammates Said: “She’s someone who would do anything to help somebody out. That’s what makes her such a great person.” Junior opposite hitter and roommate Lindsay Anderson.
Before Penn State: Ebuwei lettered in volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse at Elizabeth Seton High School in the Washington, D.C. area; playing outside hitter, Ebuwei was named All-Metropolitan after the 1993 season, when she guided the Seton Roadrunners to a third-place finish in the league; Ebuwei played two years for the USVBA Metro-Volleyball Club; a major contributor to the 1993 Roadrunners’ league basketball title, Ebuwei was selected second-team All-County.
“Ebuwei does more than just play volleyball for Lady Lions,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 19, 1998
“Ebuwei Counted on to bring life back to lady spiker attack,” The Daily Collegian, Oct. 30, 1997
