The Penn State women’s volleyball team took home the NCAA Championship Title for the fourth year in a row as they defeated University of California on Saturday, December 18, 2010.
Although each game in the championship match was tight, Penn State demonstrated their domination and presence as a volleyball powerhouse by sweeping California in three sets.
Penn State vs. Cal Championship Match Highlights
Despite the sweep, Cal fought Penn State hard throughout the championship match. Penn State had beaten California four straight years in the post season as a 3-0 sweep, and Cal was ready to play hard in the 2010 championship for a chance at the title.
The second set of the title match was tied 16 times, with Cal one point away from winning the set two times. But Penn State stepped it up and wouldn’t let go of their 4th national title.
Player highlights included:
- Penn State’s Blair Brown had 18 kills and 10 digs
- Penn State’s Deja McClendon had 16 kills (named most outstanding player of the Final Four)
- Cal’s Ariel Wilson had 12 kills
- Cal’s Murrey had 16 kills
At the final play of the match Penn State’s McClendon hit a hard and decisive drive over to Cal, but they managed to return the ball back over the net. Unfortunately for California, Penn State’s Katie Slay was waiting at the net for an easy dunk back at Cal to win the match and title point for Penn State. Slay then turned around with arms wide out to celebrate the national title with her team.
The final scores of the 2010 NCAA National Championship match were 25-0, 27-25 and 25-20 giving Penn State the title.
Penn State Makes NCAA History with 5th National Title
Winning the 2010 NCAA National Title made history for Penn State and the NCAA. Penn State became the only team in NCAA history to win four straight years in a row, with five titles in the team’s history.
Despite the history of winning the title, the 2010 season did not go as smoothly for Penn State as in recent years. Going into this year’s tournament, Penn State showed signs of vulnerability as they lost their winning streak back in September and faced tough competition throughout Big Ten games. But the team demonstrated determination throughout the 2010 NCAA tournament by winning 18 of the 19 sets, including a semifinals domination of Texas.
Six of Penn State’s seniors also made history with an impressive 142-7 record during their four years playing for Penn State. Accomplishing a record that few athletes have ever experienced, the 2010 Penn State seniors never ended a season without winning a NCAA National Championship title.
The Penn State men’s volleyball season starts January 13 with the Outrigger Invitational and then January 21 with the first regular season match against Saint Francis.
Source: ESPN Sports
Diane Seltzer - Diane is a branding, pr and social media marketer with experience ranging from advertising to corporate marketing and consulting.
