Best Ever?
Penn State women's volleyball makes their case
By Walter Villa

To put in perspective the national title Penn State's women's volleyball team won just before Christmas, you'd have to consider the following:

o   They are the first team in their sport to ever win three straight national championships.

o   Their 102-match win streak is the longest for any women's team in any sport. Overall, it trails only the University of Miami's men's tennis team's 137-match win streak, which lasted from 1957 to 1964.

o   PSU's streak stands above the 92 wins in a row turned in by North Carolina's women's soccer team from 1990 to 1994. That UNC team was led by Mia Hamm, her sport's Michael Jordan. And that program, which has won 20 national titles in the past 28 years, is perhaps the most dominant in the history of college or pro sports.

o   Also left in PSU's rear-view mirror is Stanford's women's tennis program, which won 89 in a row from 2003-07. During that span, the Cardinal produced three straight national titles and beat 47 Top 25 teams. Only two of the 89 matches were close (4-3 wins).

o   PSU eclipsed UCLA's men's basketball team, which won 88 straight from 1971-74. The Bruins won three straight national titles during that span before finally losing, 71-70, to Notre Dame in one of the most memorable upsets ever.

o   And finally, PSU bettered the 70 wins in a row established by UConn's women's basketball team from 2002-03. The Huskies won the national title in 2002, going 39-0 with a lineup that included Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Pittsburgh's own Swin Cash. The next year, with Cash and Bird gone to the WNBA, the Huskies finally lost in the Big East Tournament but went on to repeat as national champs.

PSU Coach Russ Rose, 56, has now won four national titles, tying an NCAA record in women's volleyball. He also has 1,001 career wins.

Nittany Lions' star Megan Hodge, a 6-3 senior, was named the 2009 National Player of the Year and leaves the program with three rings and a 141-5 record in four years. She is just the fifth player in Division I history to earn All-America status four years in a row.

Penn State's most recent win-22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13 over second-ranked Texas-was especially memorable because of the way the Nittany Lions battled back after losing the first two sets.

Said Hodge: "It was the hardest fight we've had in our lives."