Whether intentionally or not, sometimes Christa Harmotto doesn't know what's going on.

Her roommate, Nicole Fawcett, sees Harmotto's name next to the incoming call icon on her cell phone. But when she answers, sometimes the familiar voice on the other end plays a friendly gag, pretending not to recognize her.

Or, how about when Harmotto and Alyssa D'Errico purposely walk into Target through the exit doors?

But when it's time to drop the comic persona and put her game face on, Harmotto immerses herself in a role she plays quite well -- the intense, energetic and productive middle hitter on the women's volleyball team.

Harmotto enters tonight's home opener against Long Island just four kills shy of 1,000 for her career. However, Harmotto looks puzzled when told of her impending milestone, similar to the look on Fawcett's face when Harmotto prank calls her.

Maybe eyes open at the talk of her milestone because it's surprising to many. The Aliquippa native swung at a .492 percentage last season, placing her second on Penn State's all-time single-season list. Harmotto attributes the gaudy hitting percentage to her setters. The current one, Alisha Glass, has the number Harmotto needs in the back of her mind.

"Setting her early in games is good to hold blocks," Glass says. "I don't think that necessarily she's playing to get her 1,000th kill, and I don't think we're trying to do that for her."

Watch the fiery middle hitter play, and it's no wonder why head coach Russ Rose agonizes over her health as much as opponents fret her backslide attack -- the play Harmotto would like to see result in No. 1,000.

"She always goes at one speed, which sometimes is a disadvantage," Rose said. "If she would pace herself, if she would be a little more conserving of her energy, then she wouldn't spend as much time with the trainers than she does. The way she is, it's not uncommon for her to get hurt because she's just falling hard all the time."

Off to the side, Harmotto gets her hand wrapped.

"Just my paw," Harmotto says. "No worries."

Harmotto almost always takes a swing instead of a conservative tip. It's that kind of aggressive play that led to a hyperextended knee her freshman year.

"I forget about it a lot," Harmotto says of the injury. "I choose to forget about it. The only thing that reminds me of it is the scar on my leg. I don't really like to think about injuries and let it affect my game. It happened in an unfortunate time, but things got better.

So much better in fact, that Rose says Harmotto was on the cusp of national player of the year last year. Despite all the success he witnesses from his senior middle hitter, even Rose needed a reminder for the milestone.

"Did you hear that?" Rose asked marketing and promotions manager, Jeff Fisher, at practice this week. "She's four away from 1,000 kills, so you'll have to get her a ball."

"Who's that?" Fisher replied.

"Christa," Rose said.

Rose says many middle hitters don't get an opportunity to accumulate so many kills because teams live and die by its outside hitters.

"It's not too often a middle hitter will receive more attempts than an outside will," Fawcett says. "They have to be a lot more crafty with their shots because it's a lot quicker and they don't have a lot of time to think and see what the blocks do."

Credit Glass for allowing Harmotto as many attempts as she's gotten the last two years, especially with Fawcett and junior Megan Hodge on the outside -- both have already racked up 1,000 kills. The All-American setter knows how to accommodate her hitters because she was once reaping the benefits of a good set.

Glass holds the national record for career kills in high school, and laughs at the prospect of giving up setting to pulverize 1,000 balls herself. For that to happen though, the Nittany Lions would have to abandon the 5-1 formation they run now, and switch to a 6-2 -- this adds an extra hitter and setter.

"[Rose] and I joke all the time," Glass says. "He originally recruited me to run a 6-2. He's always like, 'Oh we're gonna bring it back.' I like where I am right now, and these hitters are great, so I would never try to do what they do."

Fawcett describes Harmotto as crazy and insane -- she even laughs at herself sometimes. When Rec Hall starts to buzz tonight at 7, Rose's club will take the home floor for the first time since being crowned national champions last December.

That is what Harmotto will focus on, slapping hands and huddling next to her teammates that helped her accomplish a feat of greater significance than personal accolades.

"I don't think it was something that is necessarily a goal or anything," Harmotto said. "It was just something that happens along some people's careers. I'm honored to receive that, but honestly, my focus is on winning the matches and my teammates, because those are the things that are important."

Rose cherishes such humility.

"Christa is an individual that if I had the choice, you would never release her, you would never let her graduate," Rose said. "She's a very special talent and a very special young person."