We're bringing back hidden gems! Some longtime BSD readers may remember this series where we look back at games we've enjoyed over the years that haven't quite left Penn State lore. yeah. We're going to give these games their due as we look back at various memorable (but not-so-memorable) games from various Nittany Lions teams over the years.
Then, a thrilling match between Penn State and Texas for the 2009 national title helped continue the most dominant run in women's volleyball history.
Gather around, kids, we're talking volleyball today! The Penn State Nittany Lions held the record for most national titles in the sport until a few years ago when Stanford reclaimed the lead with nine. Penn State's seven national titles remain second-most in the sports world.
Starting in 2007, the team won six national titles in eight years, four of them in a row, and the 2008 team went down as one of the best teams in the history of the sport, if not the best. . But that's not what we're talking about today. Today we'll focus on the in between, his 2009 national championship between Penn State and the Texas Longhorns.
In 2009, Texas was in a similar situation as Penn State was in 2007. Their last national championship was a long time ago, and their recent resurgence has raised hopes for more. Everything was going according to plan. The only thing standing in their way was the two-time defending national champion. He was in the midst of his record 109-game winning streak and had just finished a season in which he didn't drop a set until the opening round. National tournament semifinals. While not as formidable as the 2008 team, the 2009 team was still a force to be reckoned with. And Texas knew it would take a big effort to beat the undefeated Lions.
The Longhorns did their best. In fact, their first punch was so good that they won his first two sets. Victory, and modern title, was so close that one could almost taste it.
Megan Hodge, Alisha Glass, Blair Brown and Ariel Wilson had other plans. In a hard-fought third set, Hodge sank a set point and Texas came back. That ray of hope was all the Lions needed. The Longhorns didn't make things easy, but the Nittany Lions took the fourth set. And after the Longhorns took an early lead, Penn State was able to take on Texas again in the fifth with its back against the wall. Leading 14-12, Texas rebounded from the first set point. But the Nittany Lions were too much. Penn State would continue its second straight undefeated season (the Lions own two of the five undefeated seasons in the history of the sport) and bring it its third consecutive national title.
Penn State's run from 2007 to 2014 was one of the most dominant in the history of the sport. However, such conceded goals rarely happened and it took the Lions' greatest effort to fend off a team desperately trying to claim their own title.
