SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Dec. 13, 2007) –
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce that
Penn State University head women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose was selected as
the 2007 AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year. The award was presented
today at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Sacramento, Calif., as part of
the 2007 AVCA Annual Convention. During the luncheon, Rose also was inducted
into the AVCA Hall of Fame.
Rose’s 2007 Nittany Lions squad enters tonight’s
NCAA semifinal match against California as the No. 1 team in the CSTV/AVCA
Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Penn State has compiled a 32-2 record this
season and was a perfect 20-0 in Big Ten play. On Sept. 21 when his squad beat
Michigan State, Rose became only the third coach in Division I history — joining
UCLA’s Andy Banachowski and Hawai‘i’s Dave Shoji — to pass the 900-career win
plateau.
In 29 years at the helm of the Nittany Lion program,
Rose has guided his teams to a 923-159 record, giving him an NCAA-best career
winning percentage of .853. Rose-led teams are a fixture in NCAA postseason
play, as Penn State is one of only two schools to make the last 27 NCAA
tournaments. This year’s appearance in the NCAA semifinals marks the sixth time
Penn State has reached the round of four and the 1999 squad earned the school’s
first Division I women’s volleyball title. His teams have won 25 conference
championships — 11 Big Ten and eight Atlantic 10 — including the last five Big
Ten crowns. Additionally, Rose was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in
1997 and 1999.
“I am very appreciative of receiving this honor,”
said Rose. “Our team has found ways to play together well and it has been a good
year. Our staff has done a good job of coming together, too, and we’ve had great
support from our boosters and administration. Volleyball continues to be a great
game, and it has allowed me to meet some outstanding athletes and coaches and to
do something I love.”
