In August of 2002, Russ Rose had a clear vision, and it looked years into the future.

"A great deal of the success of this program is going to be based on the contributions of the incoming class," the Penn State women's volleyball head coach said before the start of that season.

Rose knew that setter Sam Tortorello was going to be a good one. He expected Kaleena Walters to contribute immediately and consistently. He also anticipated that Amy Morris would have her name called quite frequently at Rec Hall over the four seasons to come.

Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Tonight, Morris will play in Rec Hall for the first time since Nov. 8, 2002. The 6-footer is now Tennessee's libero, and she will go up against her former team in the regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament, when the No. 17 Lady Volunteers take on the No. 2 Nittany Lions.

Morris was a starter at outside hitter for the first 11 matches of her freshman season at Penn State. When she went onto the court to begin the season opener against Rutgers, Tortorello and Walters were on the bench.

"Amy is a person I expect to play all of the time," Rose said at the start of that freshman campaign. "She's a fighter, and she is going to be a mainstay with the type of personality this team needs."

After a dismal performance against Florida three weeks into the season, however, Morris' starting days were finished and her playing time curtailed.

Friend and Tennessee player Jasmine Fullove called Morris on the phone sometime between this time and the middle of November, and the wheels for a transfer to Knoxville were set in motion.

The 2001 Indiana High School Player of the Year would play just a handful more games as a Lion before officially ending her unimpressive Penn State career with an unimpressive statline against Purdue: one kill, one block, one service error.

By Thanksgiving, Morris was officially off the team.

Lions senior Kim Holm confirmed that there was a closed door meeting between Morris and Rose, in which the former revealed she was very unhappy at Penn State and wished to transfer. Rose did not try to stand in her way.

"There were a lot of factors," Morris says now.

"Penn State wasn't really the right fit for me. I got along with everyone, but I just wasn't happy."

That is the extent to which anyone seems to be willing to talk about the details of the breakup. It is clear, though, that the subject of Amy Morris' departure makes people uncomfortable, at least when they are on the record.

Tortorello will acknowledge only the bare essentials of Morris' time as a Lion.

"She came here with Kaleena and I, and she was Kaleena's roommate," Tortorello said before indicating she would say nothing more on the record.

Lady Vols head coach Rob Patrick admitted he was unsure as to why Morris left Penn State, and suggested asking Rose.

Walters said the two were close, but suggested that someone looking for answers should speak to Rose.

Rose tried directing the inquiry to Walters, but was then informed that his co-captain referred the matter to him.

"The Tennessee program offered her more of an opportunity to be herself and to do what she wanted," Rose said. "She was communicating with them before we had finalized any sort of transaction."

That communication in and of itself might constitute an NCAA rules violation, but Rose was unconcerned with the details and did not seem bothered by it.

In the year after transferring from the Lions, Morris was given ample opportunity to be herself. And being herself, by her own admission, included being loud -- even in statements that would appear in the newspaper the next day.

"At Penn State things were real tense and everyone was real strict," Morris told The UT Daily Beacon almost a full year after she left Penn State. "Here it's about having fun and everyone is more relaxed, and that definitely makes me play better."

Morris later said Tennessee's players were what really made the difference to her between Penn State and Tennessee.

"I felt like I fit in the moment I got [to Tennessee]," Morris told The Daily Beacon. "We are all really loud and even though it gets us in trouble sometimes, it makes us a better team."

The Lions are not the loudest team. Russ Rose is not a loud coach.

"Amy was always really competitive, and she could have brought a lot to this program, but she just got Coach on a bad day," Walters said. "I mean, things happen. She's doing really well at Tennessee, and she really likes it there, so she made the right decision."

Though there may not be much talk of her severed relationship with the Penn State program, people do not shy away from discussing Morris' on-court competitive "spunk" and athletic ability.

"I recruited her for the one thing I respect about her even now," Rose said. "She's a tough competitor and plays the game hard, and that's what I recruited her for. And I would recruit another player that has those same traits because I think those traits are very important. She was about the toughest kid out there that year."

Morris was an honorable mention All-American last year at outside hitter. Patrick moved her into the libero spot for this season, during which she has set the Tennessee single-season digs record.

"She does a great job receiving serve for us and really anchors our defense," Patrick said.

Rose said that Morris is the type of player that has to be seen to be fully appreciated, especially because there is no one on the Lions who is quite like her. She's the type of supremely confident player that walks into the gym without even considering the possibility of defeat.

Playing this weekend in Rec Hall against Penn State only drives her further. One involved party said the match might be "very competitive."

"It gives me a little more motivation," Morris said. "I'm proud of all the things we've done at Tennessee and getting to the Sweet 16 is great in and of itself, but the fact I get to go there and play against them is definitely motivating.

So after almost four full seasons, the three heralded freshmen from 2002 wind up in the same place, on the same court, vying for the same goal.

"It's kinda funny how things work out that I wind up toward the end of my senior year playing back there," Morris said. "I hoped I'd get a chance to play there again so I think it's good. I'm pretty excited about it."

Tortorello lived up to expectations, leading the Lions as an All-American setter. Walters may have exceeded expectations, taking over the libero spot back in 2002 and never letting go.

Morris decided it was best to let go of her hopes of playing each Big Ten season in front of her friends and family in the Midwest.

Rose feels the decision made in that closed-door meeting three years ago benefited everyone.

"She could have stayed and had success, but it's pretty hard to question the success she's had at Tennessee," Rose said. "Obviously it's worked out well for both teams."