The 2006 Penn State women's volleyball team's new era might be utterly offensive.

The Nittany Lions return four of six starters, including all four front court players from a group that hit .307 as a team last year. Leading the Lions out of the Sam Tortorello-Kaleena Walters epoch will be the All-America duo of junior Melissa Walbridge and sophomore Christa Harmotto, and AVCA National Freshman of the Year Nicole Fawcett.

"We'll be looking to make that transition," Penn State woman's volleyball head coach Russ Rose said. "I hope that the returning players can show the way to keep the program at a high level."

To stay on the national radar, the trio will look to replace the almost irreplaceable Tortorello and Walters. The duo might have been the smallest players on the floor, but they had the biggest impact. They played in every single match for the Lions in their four-year career, a characteristic that few players touch -- let alone teammates.

Outside of their leadership on and off the court, Walters and Tortorello were the central figures in the defense and offense, respectively. Tortorello was a two-time first-team All-American and arguably the best setter in the country, while her cohort, Walters, was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection at libero.

"I don't think you can replace them as people or as players," Rose said. "Their impact will take some time to replace. Nobody really stepped forward to fill their spots on the court. We recruited two setters -- Alisha Glass and Jessica Yanz -- and I think Ann Naylor should be in that discussion because she's the best defender of the three.

"The libero position is up in the air, Katie [Price] is practicing and so is Roberta [Holehouse]."

The transition will also mean a completely different look for the squad as the concentration will be to use an overpowering offense to hide what could be considered to some as a suspect defense.

Penn State has such a high caliber of players up front that the Lions' back court shouldn't need to be depended upon to win games. Harmotto and Walbridge should stuff opposing hitters like the Chicago Bulls' Ben Wallace, while Fawcett should do the heavy lifting on the offensive end.

Fawcett's 496 kills were also the most by any Penn State hitter in the last two seasons -- Ashley Pederson recorded 508 in 2003 -- but Fawcett did it in 19 fewer games. Her average of more than 4.5 kills per game was the most in the rally-scoring era, which initially started back in the 2001 season.

Fawcett is probably the most intimidating hitter the Lions have had in at least the last five seasons. At 6-foot-4, the Zanesfield, Ohio native is a load to handle up front.

Harmotto and Walbridge are virtually clones of each other in the middle, with both standing at 6-foot-2. Each recorded more than 275 kills and 140 total blocks last season and were the key to one of the best defenses in the Big Ten.

Harmotto is a huge question mark after seriously injuring her knee during the final home match of the regular season, but incoming 2006 Gatorade National High School Women's Volleyball Player of the Year Megan Hodge has experience in the middle and could always fill in at that position if need be.

"You'd like to think Nic will get a little bit better," Rose said. "Christa returning to her former self is going to be key, and I haven't had one day coaching Megan Hodge. We didn't lose any players on the offensive side so we should hope to be a little better in some areas."