After 15 kills and more than 30 swings, junior outside hitter Megan Hodge did something she hadn't done all match until she was just two points away from a second straight national championship.

She committed a hitting error.

After the semifinal win against Nebraska Thursday, Penn State coach Russ Rose couldn't find the words to describe Hodge's clutch performance in big matches. He only knew she elevated her level of play the last month, when tournament time was approaching.

Crumbling down on her back and having teammates pile on top moments after winning her second straight NCAA title, Hodge was again the catalyst to a championship run, earning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor for the second year in a row.

In the final weekend, she compiled 39 kills and 26 digs.

"The weakest part of my game was my defense," Hodge said in a post-match interview. "That's something I picked up in this tournament."

Stanford's powerful outside tandem of Cynthia Barboza and Alix Klineman combined to hit just .110, with Hodge and senior libero Roberta Holehouse swallowing up most digs to give the Nittany Lions the advantage on the rally.

While not undermining the defense, Rose did not hide the fact his team relies on its offense to succeed. Hodge, evidently, is as crucial behind the attack line when passing and digging balls than when she is swinging over blockers. She's a primary passer in the Lions' serve receive and sprawled down and across the court to make point-saving digs.

Still, Hodge's value on the offensive side of the net became more apparent when the Lions were in need of a point.

When the Lions started the match down 0-3, Hodge earned the first kill. When the Cardinal stormed back in the second set to knot the score at 14, Hodge sent the Lions into a media timeout up one. And, when Stanford was closing the gap midway through the third set, Hodge floored five consecutive Lion kills to inch closer to a championship.

"They have five great hitters and a great setter, so when the pass is right on the net, it is hard to commit to Megan Hodge," Barboza said. "You've gotta come in serving tough, you've gotta get them out of system. When they were in system, they were really good and that helped Megan Hodge out a lot."