20 Questions with Penn State Women’s Head Coach Russ Rose

• When did you start playing volleyball?

I was exposed to “power volleyball”-as it was listed in the course schedule at George Williams College in Downers Grove, IL. I took the two offered courses Volleyball 1 from Jim Coleman and volleybalI II from Terry Liskveych and played or 3 years on the volleyball team for Jim Coleman for 1 season and Jerry Angle for two.


• Did you play on the collegiate team?

My last three years in college I played volleyball on the college team. When I started out playing, I wasn’t any good, but by my senior year I had learned to control the ball and I was always competitive. I was also captain my senior year.


• Why did you enter the coaching profession?

I entered college thinking that I was going to be a basketball coach.


• Did you have a coaching mentor? If yes, who?

My first mentors were Jim Coleman, Terry Liskveych and Jerry Angle. They were very patient with my learning curve-to say the least.


• What are some of your core values for your team?

o Play hard
o Play together
o Have fun
o You need a sense of humor
o You need to want to achieve great things


• What are some of your favorite drills for practice? Individual drills? Team Drills?

The individual drills I like to use involve basic ball handling, with as many contacts as possible –like various pepper drills. The team drills I like to use are competitive drills that are conclusion drills. The team needs to compete and finish points.

• The coaching profession is a hard profession to have longevity in. What is your advice on longevity?

You need to have a passion for the game & working with young people, in the good and bad times. Also, you need vision, even when the program or school has no vision established. A supportive school is key and then you need to establish a tradition. Penn State University supports the program, which is critical and I outlasted the “naysayers” that had no interest in the sport..

• Why do you think you have accomplished so much as a coach?

I feel fortunate enough to be at Penn State University . I also have and have had a great staff, a university support system, and players that have been willing to work hard and play together. It has never been about me-I like to coach and it so happens the sport I am involved in is volleyball.

• Going into the Final Four, did you think the northern California teams had a “home court advantage”?

Not a true home court advantage, because Cal and Stanford didn’t play their matches at Arco Arena. I knew they would have a vocal and partisan base of fans in attendance-as was the case the year before in Omaha for Nebraska. Our administration was great in that they allowed us to come out west on Monday before the matches. That helped us a great get deal, in giving us more time to get acclimated to the Pacific Time zone.


• Danny Kinda gave your team a “peptalk”? How was that experience?

It was just fun. I enjoy their stuff, so why not? The first take was awesome, but was accidentally not recorded. The video online was the 2nd cut. That’s the way show biz rolls.


• For your team, this was the first time any of them had been to the final four, and finals. How did you keep your team focused?

In my world-you don’t necessarily keep them focused, you keep them loose. I have been to the Final Four a few times and as the coaches who have been there can attest- it is hard enough to advance to those matches. We had a good core of players and even though it was demanding and for some very stressful-to me the key-is having fun.

• The finals were a back and forth game, what was the mood going into the 5th game?

We played Stanford earlier in the year, and had leads, but as a great team demonstrates they had the talent and will power to come back . We knew that either team could win, we started out strong, and they rallied and we had a great run in the final game. I really enjoy playing Stanford. I am good friends with both the former coach (Don Shaw) and John Dunning and know that it is not personal if you win or lose. That is not necessarily the case across the board.

• What are some of your favorite memories from the 2007 season? Over the years?

I think the players are the ones that should have the amazing memories from the 2007 season-as they were the ones that competed and earned the title. I certainly enjoyed watching the players’ excitement when we won the national championship. A memory that I do have though was when we had won the final game (in 2007) and I was alone in the locker room and a former assistant, Milke Schall who worked with us at Penn State for 11 years ago called to congratulate us. That was for me a very special feeling because of all the time we had spent together.

• What is the hardest aspect of going into the 2008 season?

Every year there is a returning national champion & we are honored to open the 2008 season in that position. We do have a number of returning players and like a number of teams- there are high expectations for the 2008 season. However, just like every other team, it is about being lucky, staying healthy, and the players staying committed to playing together.


• What are your thoughts on the evolution of the indoor game?

I am an old fashioned guy who is a fan of traditional scoring. I think the Libero was an exciting addition, but am not a fan of the “Let” serve. The net servethat hangs on the net and then falls, renders you useless and I honestly don’t want to win or lose that
way.I know there are new rules for the 2008 season, and I have my opinions- but I
only worry about things I can control.


• What are your thoughts on the beach game? The Beach Collegiate Championships?

I’m a fan of the beach game. Like all volleyball fans, I enjoy watching Misty, Kerri dominate and the Impact of Karch and many of the other great male and female players of the past. The Beach Collegiate Championships is an interesting made for tv event. We will not be sending a team in 2008 after participating the past two seasons.


• What advise would you give college volleyball players looking to get into the coaching world?

Well first of all you have to want to spend a lot of time working with people. You also need to be open to things, open to change, and have energy. It is important to know a good player does not always mean a good coach, and a weak player doesn’t mean your career is doomed. There are so many different levels of coaching as well, from club or the high school level to the various college levels offered and for some the culmination of a great career might have you end up with the National Programs. If you don’t know what level you want to coach, then volunteer or start at the bottom. The important thing is to align yourself with someone that can mentor you as well as allow you to make a difference. It is not what is in it for you.

• What is some advise you can provide high school players looking to continue their volleyball career in college?

o Play hard
o Always have fun
o Remember that someone is always watching (during the warmup’s, the games, the time-outs, talking to your parent’s, etc). I try to fly under the radar to observe as much information as I can.

• As a college coach/recruiter, do you prefer emails or letters? VHS/DVD, or Online videos? Phone calls?

I don’t have a choice and don’t prefer anything specific from a technological standpoint. I do prefer kids who write their own letters and make their own phone calls. Players need to represent themselves and not have the parent, or a service, represent them-as I intend to coach the player-and need to know what they bring to the team.

• Your turn to create a question!

(In Sacramento) Where do you have to go to smoke a cigar around here? Nevada?

2007 NCAA Division 1 Champions



SEE PHOTOS FROM THE FINAL FOUR!!

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