A year has passed since Penn State last played Stanford in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship title match, and it seems only the colors of the jerseys have changed.
"This is the first time we are not supposed to win this final," Stanford's Cynthia Barboza said about playing Penn State again at Friday's press conference. "This is the first time we are the two seed. This is the first time we are in the black jersey, not the white jersey. So that is kind of fun."
When No. 1 Penn State faces second-ranked Stanford for the national championship at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., the Nittany Lions will be trying to win their second straight national championship. It will again have to come at the expense of the Cardinal, which went down to Penn State in five sets last year.
And while Barboza calls wearing the black jerseys a new event for the final, her team actually wore them in 2006, when Stanford lost to No. 1 Nebraska.
But Penn State defensive specialist Alyssa D'Errico said she figured the Cardinal would get a top seed and reach the national semifinals again this season. For her, she said it's a good thing her team is playing Stanford again.
As for Penn State coach Russ Rose, he just seems to be happy Friday is chance for a day off from competition, especially after the back-and-forth, five-set match against Nebraska in a semifinal Thursday night.
"Well, the morning after I still have a headache from all the yelling and screaming," Rose said. "But it's great to still be playing. We look forward to hopefully getting rested and prepared to play a match against a great opponent."
D'Errico said the semifinal match against the Cornhuskers, which saw Penn State (37-0) lose two sets for the first time all year, was actually a confidence booster. She said it was important the players were able to look into each others' eyes to stabilize emotionally and pull out the win.
Senior Roberta Holehouse agreed, saying the Nebraska match was a good test of her team's willpower. And although the broken records this season are exciting for her, she said there is still a bigger picture to play for: the national championship.
To win the third title in program history, Penn State will again have to beat Stanford, a team which seems like one that could test the willpower Holehouse was talking about even more.
The Cardinal (31-3) has three players with at least 368 kills on the year, with Barboza sitting at No. 1 with 401.
But Foluke Akinradewo is the main point scorer for her team. On the season, she has 368 kills on .462 hitting and 167 blocks.
From the perspective on the coach's bench, Rose said he has a good relationship with Cardinal coach John Dunning and former coach Don Shaw.
Last year in the regular season, the Lions traveled to Yale to face the Cardinal. Rose said playing Stanford at a neutral site instead of at home in Rec Hall gave his team the opportunity to demonstrate it could beat Stanford on a neutral site, something it may have to do later if it had sights on the title. And while his team lost then, Penn State returned the favor in the championship match.
Fast forward a year later, and the roles are now reversed. Stanford is in the underdog role and looking to take down favored and unbeaten Penn State on a neutral floor.
And the Cardinal is relishing the role.
"It is a lot different this year -- no one expects us to win," Akinradewo said. "That is a lot pressure off of us. It is kind of fun being the underdog once in a while, being able to take people by surprise. That is our goal for tomorrow."
