Russ Rose had figured out how to dominate Big Ten Conference volleyball — and the entire nation — and John Cook knew it.
Rose’s Penn State teams had the formula of having elite players in the front row banging kills, and then subbing in what Cook calls the “little people,” or defensive specialists, who have fresh legs and are dedicated to playing great back-row defense. Those players, Cook says, can make a difference.
Penn State had a stretch where it won six NCAA championships in eight years, and eight straight Big Ten titles, in part by playing great defense.