No losses, an overhaul of the NCAA record book and more All-Americans on one team than any before pose the mind-boggling question for the two-time national champions.
Might the 2008 Penn State women's volleyball team be the best ever?
When Nicole Fawcett's 10th kill against Stanford on Dec. 20 in Omaha, Neb., secured Penn State's second consecutive national championship, emotions erupted in the form of a dog pile, the weight of months of lofty expectations lifted for a team returning all seven starters from its title run a season ago.
There's no ignoring the 38-0 mark, part of an NCAA record 64-match winning streak, or the 114-2 record in sets, including an NCAA-best 111 straight. The Nittany Lions could fill the court with an All-American at all six positions, another NCAA first.
"They kept working hard and listening to me telling them what their potential was," Penn State coach Russ Rose said. "Other people can talk about those things. Other people will have more opinions. These guys know what they did -- they will have that the rest of their lives."
Still, coaches, players and the media hesitate to call the Lions the best of all-time. If not for getting overly amazed by the staggering offensive statistics put up for four months, the label is ditched out of the difficulty of trying to compare one team to another.
ESPN.com writer Mechelle Voepel says it's tough to compare eras in any sport because athletes evolve and get better each year. Stanford coach John Dunning hinted toward a similar feeling after losing back-to-back finals to Penn State.
"I guess time will tell," Dunning said Dec. 20. "Right now, I would say they have a record that continues. It's an amazing season that they just finished. I don't like to compare teams, personally, as I don't like to compare players because I don't think it is right or fair."
Add Penn State coach Russ Rose to the group that refuses to play up the historical significance of his team's accomplishments. Never denying the pressure to have success because of the number of returning players, Rose felt the Big Ten adequately prepped his team for the caliber of opponent the NCAA tournament offers.
Voepel argues the Big Ten is not as strong as the Pac-10, making it easier for an eastern team to go undefeated. The Pac-10 had five teams finish in the top 10 in the final Bison/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Penn State was the only Big Ten team to finish in the top 10.
Voepel says West Coast schools recruit better athletes, and the depth of the Pac-10 provides a more demanding test each weekend.
Rose just tries to keep his players focused on what happens in State College.
"I told them all season long keep working hard," Rose said. "There will be a time to look back on it."
Voepel recalls the 2007 Nebraska team as a group with comparable talent to this year's Lions. Fielding a club with multiple player of the year candidates, the Cornhuskers fell in the regional final to California.
She calls Rose's approach "calm in the eye of the storm," understanding focus is as crucial as ability.
"The pivotal moment for that volleyball squad for Russ's personality carrying through was Game 5 in Omaha against Nebraska," Voepel said. "That was where he said I'm not talking about big picture, I'm not talking about your place in history. I'm talking about what I want you to do on the next point."
The Lions overcame a 10-8 deficit in the fifth-set sprint to 15 back on Dec. 18.
Spending her last days of winter break with her family in her small town of Leland, Mich., junior setter Alisha Glass still gets bombarded with congratulations from strangers whenever she goes out dressed in Penn State attire.
Records and honors pale in comparison to what Glass will take from this undefeated season. She says to have one underlying goal of winning a national championship and following through on it is a unique situation.
But Glass wouldn't say if finishing with an unblemished record warranted the label of women's volleyball's best ever.
"What people say about us is what they wanna say," Glass said. "We're the only ones that knew what it was like playing on the floor."
Allow Voepel to chime in.
"Any time you go undefeated, you gain a place in history even if there's a debate," Voepel said. "Being perfect gains you a type of sporting immortality."
