Omaha, Neb. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced Thursday (Dec. 18) that Penn State head women's volleyball coach Russ Rose was selected as the 2008 AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year. The award was presented at the Josten's Coaches Honors Luncheon in Omaha, Neb., as a part of the 2008 AVCA Annual Convention.
With the honor, Rose becomes the first person in the history of the AVCA Division I women's awards program to earn back-to-back National Coach of the Year plaudits, as the long-time Nittany Lion mentor also earned the distinction in 2007. This season, Rose snagged his sixth AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year honor and was also recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 10th time in his career.
In 2008, Rose's Nittany Lions have racked up a sparkling 37-0 overall record and claimed an unprecedented sixth consecutive Big Ten title, finishing the conference schedule undefeated (20-0) for the second-straight year. In addition, Penn State became the first team in NCAA women's volleyball history to complete the regular-season schedule without dropping a single set and rewrote another NCAA record by winning 111 consecutive sets before dropping two sets in a National Semifinal victory over Nebraska Thursday night.
"Today's award is a reflection on the season we have had to date," remarked Rose. "The people responsible for our success cover a large spoke, including administrators, support staff, the coaches and, of course, the players who will continue this ride. It is a pleasure to be here to accept this award."
Under Rose's guidance, the Nittany Lions have made 28 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and earned 12 Big Ten titles in 18 years. He owns and NCAA-best .858 (961-159) career winning percentage, and his teams have never totaled less than 22 victories in a season. Rose-led PSU squads have captured two national titles - 1999 and 2007 - and this year's appearance in the NCAA semifinals marks the seventh time the Nittany Lions have reached the round of four.
Penn State faces Stanford at 8 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 20) in Omaha, Neb. for the NCAA Championship. The match will air live on ESPN2. A replay of the Lions' thrilling five-game seminfinal win over Nebraska will be aired on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. Friday (Dec. 19) and again at 2 p.m. Saturday.