Bad sports, good sports: The amazing women of Penn State Volleyball

Posted on December 21st, 2009 by Alan Spoll

I can’t say I have ever been a fan of women’s sports. Aside from watching my daughters play basketball or run track, I usually stay away from that side of the sports world. Recently, though, as I have mentioned in other columns, I have found myself paying attention to the women’s volleyball team from Penn State. Despite the fact that I transferred from Penn State to Drexel after my freshman year, Penn State has remained first in my hierarchy of fandom. Still, Penn State has many women’s teams, and I have never been driven to give any of them a second thought. What the volleyball team has done is just too astonishing to ignore. Saturday night, Penn State won its third consecutive women’s volleyball national championship, beating the Texas Longhorns. They did it in spectacular fashion, losing the first two sets before storming back to win the next three. I was mesmerized.

Have you ever watched a real volleyball match? I don’t mean the yutzes you see playing at your local beach, falling on their faces as they drunkenly lurch for the ball. I am talking about a matchup of two NCAA powers. It’s amazing. The athleticism and skill of these young women is simply amazing. The way they manage to keep the ball in play after being on the receiving end of a spike by the other team is mind-boggling. The teamwork and communication is as good as any I have ever seen. It’s really something to behold. On top of that, Penn State has now won 102 consecutive matches. I mentioned their 100th straight win a week or two ago. Earlier this week, head coach Russ Rose experienced his 1000th career win. This is a team to be talked about as one of the greatest teams of all time, regardless of the sport.

I have not experienced some kind of amazing epiphany. I will not be watching the WNBA, even if someone decided they wanted to pay me to do so. Those games are dreadful. When I used to watch tennis, I did always say that I preferred women’s tennis, as it was a far more interesting game to watch. Men’s tennis is difficult to follow, as the ball is barely visible. Honestly, I almost never watch any tennis at all anymore, even though I was a regular watcher when I was in high school and college, but if I watched, I would be watching the women. Beyond that, though, women’s sports aren’t something I am inclined to watch. I am strongly recommending the volleyball, though, especially when Penn State is involved.

Good sports, continued:

2) Cleveland Browns return man Josh Cribbs became only the second player in NFL history to have two kickoff returns of 100 or more yards in the same game. He actually scored both in the first half of Cleveland’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

3) Most college football players whose teams are invited to a bowl game get a travel stipend that is intended to allow them some entertainment during the time leading up to the game. They can arrange their own travel and have some personal time between the time they first arrive in the host city and the time that the team gets together to begin preparing for the game. In the world of extremely stringent NCAA regulations, the process is a bit of an oddity, but it’s very common at this time of year. The players for Alabama, who are headed to the BCS title game in Pasadena, have chosen to turn down the stipend this year, choosing instead to remain together for their travel to the site and thereafter. Sounds like a team that has its priorities in order.

Bad sports:

1) Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who has been out with an injury, was killed this week when he fell from the back of a moving pickup truck that was being driven by his fiancee. It has been reported that there was some kind of domestic dispute going on, and Loleini Tonga was driving away after it when the incident occurrred.

2) Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux was arrested after a traffic stop, when he admitted to having been smoking pot while driving. Genius.

3) Shutouts are common in sports. Baseball shutouts happen often. Hockey, even more so. Football, sure. Basketball? Not so much. For Wrenshall High School, though, they now know what it’s like to finish a basketball game having scored a big 0.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

Author Bio
Latest Posts

Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02