First year Arizona State University Head Volleyball coach Stevie Mussie was there.
In the lab…
It sits almost in the middle of Pennsylvania, on the corner of Burrowes and Curtin streets in State College in the town known as Happy Valley. The Rec Hall: a 6800+ seat arena and practice facility where the experiments unfold daily from August to December and where those findings are unleashed onto the rest of women’s collegiate volleyball.
The head scientist in this lab is Russell David Rose, a few months from his 63rd birthday, a professor at Penn State and a published author. He’s also the Coach of the most successful women’s volleyball program in NCAA Division I history.
Rose’s Nittany Lions have won 7 National Championships, including 5 in the last 9 years, the last one being Mussie’s first year as an assistant coach with the program, 2014. He has lead Penn State to 35 straight NCAA tournament appearances and before this season began, had compiled a gaudy 1189-186 over his 37 years at the helm. He is tough, forward thinking and unrelenting when it comes to accountability; with his players, his staff and himself.
Stevie Mussie jumped at the chance to coach with Rose in 2014 and 2015 and will bring a lot of the lab from Rec Hall with her as she starts her tenure at ASU.
“It was only two years but it felt like 10 because of how much I was able to soak up and learn in that time frame.” Stevie says smiling. “It wasn’t a negative thing that it felt like 10 years, it was a great thing. Russ gives you so much responsibility and he doesn’t micromanage you. He gives you tasks or an end goal and you have to figure out how to get to that end goal. He’s not going to tell you how to do it.”
In 2005, Rose was asked to be the guest speaker at the USA Volleyball High Performance Coaches Clinic held in Colorado Springs, Co. He was funny, he was engaging but more than that, he was a prophet. He spoke about how the recent rule changes a few years earlier, with rally scoring and the libero added, would change the landscape of college volleyball. He referred to it as a sprint now, no longer a marathon and how coaches needed to adjust or they were going to be left in the dust. He chided that points were going to need to be finished quicker and that size and speed were going to be the direction the game was heading. He went deep into the laboratory.
In the lab…
It sits almost in the middle of Pennsylvania, on the corner of Burrowes and Curtin streets in State College in the town known as Happy Valley. The Rec Hall: a 6800+ seat arena and practice facility where the experiments unfold daily from August to December and where those findings are unleashed onto the rest of women’s collegiate volleyball.
The head scientist in this lab is Russell David Rose, a few months from his 63rd birthday, a professor at Penn State and a published author. He’s also the Coach of the most successful women’s volleyball program in NCAA Division I history.
Rose’s Nittany Lions have won 7 National Championships, including 5 in the last 9 years, the last one being Mussie’s first year as an assistant coach with the program, 2014. He has lead Penn State to 35 straight NCAA tournament appearances and before this season began, had compiled a gaudy 1189-186 over his 37 years at the helm. He is tough, forward thinking and unrelenting when it comes to accountability; with his players, his staff and himself.
Stevie Mussie jumped at the chance to coach with Rose in 2014 and 2015 and will bring a lot of the lab from Rec Hall with her as she starts her tenure at ASU.
“It was only two years but it felt like 10 because of how much I was able to soak up and learn in that time frame.” Stevie says smiling. “It wasn’t a negative thing that it felt like 10 years, it was a great thing. Russ gives you so much responsibility and he doesn’t micromanage you. He gives you tasks or an end goal and you have to figure out how to get to that end goal. He’s not going to tell you how to do it.”
In 2005, Rose was asked to be the guest speaker at the USA Volleyball High Performance Coaches Clinic held in Colorado Springs, Co. He was funny, he was engaging but more than that, he was a prophet. He spoke about how the recent rule changes a few years earlier, with rally scoring and the libero added, would change the landscape of college volleyball. He referred to it as a sprint now, no longer a marathon and how coaches needed to adjust or they were going to be left in the dust. He chided that points were going to need to be finished quicker and that size and speed were going to be the direction the game was heading. He went deep into the laboratory.
Two years later, Rose’s Nittany Lions won their first of four straight NCAA National Championships.
While Mussie wasn’t there for that run, she has heard stories about the inner toughness and grit those athletes and teams had. “They said the Penn State groups were like that when they won 4 in a row. But those guys did it differently. They played against dudes everyday!” she says. “The practices were against male players and the stories are the girls never won a drill. So they were in there and it was hard, it was really, really hard to win and grab kills, anything like that.”
Rose’s lab is forever trying to find the edge: for his players in training, for his coaching staff looking at stat sheets and video and for a program that has aligned itself with the Mt. Olympus of our sport at the collegiate level.
The biggest lesson Mussie learned from her Penn State years? “I think the biggest thing is to coach to the player versus just having a system in place.” She says. “I think every player is going to be a little bit different and every player is going to have a switch you have to learn how to turn on and off. For me, that’s the most important thing to take away from that group and Russ specifically.”
Some years ago, Penn State was in Tempe scrimmaging ASU during a spring tournament. Rose was sitting court side but attending to his infamous book of stats he uses and pores over and letting his assistants coach. At one point, his outside hitter came to the coaches and asked, “What rotation are we in?” Rose, without turning his head to look up and see who it was simply said in a stern voice, “If you don’t know what rotation you’re in, get off the court.” The player hustled back and figured it out quickly. Rose’s eyes never lifted off the page.
Several of USAV’s National team players in the Olympic mix this past quad were from Rose’s lab. His athletes are admired for their ability to work hard, to overcome adversity and to know what it takes to get to the highest levels. Mussie saw that in her two seasons as well.
“When you’re playing with a lot of intensity and a lot of passion, good things happen and things that you wouldn’t expect to happen actually happen.” She’s observed. “Being in the gym at Penn State and seeing the passion and the fire and the laughs after someone stuffs a ball- just pure joy being out there and competing just says a lot for it. Also just being mechanically sound at all times and being able to cut loose a little bit.”
Rose is up early every morning. There is no rest in the lab. Just a week after being uncharacteristically swept out of the NCAA tournament in the third round by Hawaii last December, Rose signed a five year contract extension, one that many think will be his last. His commitment to Penn State, to his athletes and his staff demand his hard work and their success is a product of that work.
Mussie has seen it up close and personal. “People think it’s such an easy job. People think it’s so easy to recruit to Penn State, like you should get every one of the best players.” She says but she’s quick to warn, “It’s not for everyone. Coach wants people in the gym that want to be there, whether it’s staff or athletes or trainers. We have people in our gym that just wanted to come there to say they were there and coach wants people in there that want to be there. You’re bringing something every day you show up. You don’t realize how special that program is till you realize people will come in just to watch them practice. It was awesome.”
While Mussie wasn’t there for that run, she has heard stories about the inner toughness and grit those athletes and teams had. “They said the Penn State groups were like that when they won 4 in a row. But those guys did it differently. They played against dudes everyday!” she says. “The practices were against male players and the stories are the girls never won a drill. So they were in there and it was hard, it was really, really hard to win and grab kills, anything like that.”
Rose’s lab is forever trying to find the edge: for his players in training, for his coaching staff looking at stat sheets and video and for a program that has aligned itself with the Mt. Olympus of our sport at the collegiate level.
The biggest lesson Mussie learned from her Penn State years? “I think the biggest thing is to coach to the player versus just having a system in place.” She says. “I think every player is going to be a little bit different and every player is going to have a switch you have to learn how to turn on and off. For me, that’s the most important thing to take away from that group and Russ specifically.”
Some years ago, Penn State was in Tempe scrimmaging ASU during a spring tournament. Rose was sitting court side but attending to his infamous book of stats he uses and pores over and letting his assistants coach. At one point, his outside hitter came to the coaches and asked, “What rotation are we in?” Rose, without turning his head to look up and see who it was simply said in a stern voice, “If you don’t know what rotation you’re in, get off the court.” The player hustled back and figured it out quickly. Rose’s eyes never lifted off the page.
Several of USAV’s National team players in the Olympic mix this past quad were from Rose’s lab. His athletes are admired for their ability to work hard, to overcome adversity and to know what it takes to get to the highest levels. Mussie saw that in her two seasons as well.
“When you’re playing with a lot of intensity and a lot of passion, good things happen and things that you wouldn’t expect to happen actually happen.” She’s observed. “Being in the gym at Penn State and seeing the passion and the fire and the laughs after someone stuffs a ball- just pure joy being out there and competing just says a lot for it. Also just being mechanically sound at all times and being able to cut loose a little bit.”
Rose is up early every morning. There is no rest in the lab. Just a week after being uncharacteristically swept out of the NCAA tournament in the third round by Hawaii last December, Rose signed a five year contract extension, one that many think will be his last. His commitment to Penn State, to his athletes and his staff demand his hard work and their success is a product of that work.
Mussie has seen it up close and personal. “People think it’s such an easy job. People think it’s so easy to recruit to Penn State, like you should get every one of the best players.” She says but she’s quick to warn, “It’s not for everyone. Coach wants people in the gym that want to be there, whether it’s staff or athletes or trainers. We have people in our gym that just wanted to come there to say they were there and coach wants people in there that want to be there. You’re bringing something every day you show up. You don’t realize how special that program is till you realize people will come in just to watch them practice. It was awesome.”
For Mussie, her Sun Devils head into her first head coaching campaign having lost their best player, having to play their first 14 matches on the road and with a team of 11 underclassmen. That might unnerve many a first year coach, but Stevie spent two years with a man who she just refers to as ‘Coach’ and has learned better how to deal with adversity.
She’s in her own lab now…
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