1994 NCAA National Champions
1994 National Champions
The Penn State men’s volleyball team accomplished what many thought would be impossible in 1994 when it became the first team from anywhere other than California to win a national title. Teams from the Golden State had claimed the previous 24 NCAA titles. Not only was Penn State the only program in men’s volleyball from the East to win a national title, no women’s team east of the Mississippi River had ever won a national title. After qualifying for nine NCAA Tournaments since 1981, Penn State had proven themselves as the top team in the East but defeating a California team to win the title still seemed like a dream. The dream became a reality on April 3, 1994 when the Nittany Lions outlasted perennial powerhouse and 14-time NCAA champion UCLA 9-15, 15-13, 4-15, 15-12, 15-12 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. A record-setting crowd of 7,908 witnessed Penn State come back from an 11-4 deficit in the fourth game to outscore the Bruins 11-1 down the stretch to force a fifth game and seize the momentum. Penn State then jumped out to a 8-4 lead in the final frame, saw UCLA rally to tie at 12-12, but didn’t wilt, scoring the final three points. Senior co-captain Byron Schneider posted the match winning kill and the Lions had made history. Ramon Hernandez recorded one of the most clutch performances in NCAA Tournament history in the championship match by recording 38 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and 10 digs. Ed Josefoski and Schneider each chipped in 18 kills, while Josefoski posted a team-high 12 digs. Both were named to the All-Tournament team. Just a freshman, Ivan Contreras added seven blocks and 14 kills while Kevin Hourican led the team with 11 blocks. 56
Setter Carlos Ortiz recorded 87 assists, seven kills and 10 digs. Following the match, head coach Tom Peterson was ecstatic. “We made history!” Peterson exclaimed. “No one can take that away from any of us. You can always do incredible things, but to make history that’s something even more special. That’s what we did; it will never happen again. It really does mean something special. I hope people will realize what these guys accomplished. It’s tremendous to bring the national championship to Penn State and the East for the first time.” To reach the championship, Penn State defeated Ball State 9-15, 15-7, 15-10, 15-6. Schneider was magnificent, killing 24 balls with a .645 hitting percentage and adding 12 digs. Contreras had 19 kills and a time-high eight blocks. Ortiz ran the offense flawlessly with 79 assists, adding seven digs and six blocks. The Nittany Lions controlled the match, hitting .406 as a team. The NCAA title capped off a 25-3 season that also saw the Lions take the EIVA crown. Their only losses came at the hands of Stanford, Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne and Ball State. Penn State recorded victories over some of the top programs that season, defeating Stanford twice, Ball State, Brigham Young and Ohio State three times. The Lions had four players finish the season with over 300 kills, led by Hernandez with 440. Josefoski, Contreras and Schneider all ended with over 300. Hernandez, Contreras, Josefoski and Ortiz were named All-Americans. Penn State also became just the fifth school in NCAA history and the first from the East to have its men’s and women’s volleyball programs reach the championship match in the same season. The women’s squad, under head coach Russ Rose was ousted by Long Beach State after a 31-5 season. They joined only UCLA, Long Beach State, Stanford and USC in that elite group.
PENN STATE 2011–12 • Men’s Volleyball • 27-Time Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Champions