Holehouse Continues Success At Penn State

The Penn State Nittany Lions volleyball team has a #3 ranking and a national championship is in site. Junior libero, Roberta Holehouse is playing a key role in the team’s success. In addition to being a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team, she also played in all 35 matches and 114 games, while moving positions from the squad’s defensive and serving specialist to libero. Her 440 digs led the ’06 team and placed her 9th on the Penn State single-season chart; and also ranked 8th in the Big Ten. In fact, she had at least one dig in every match of the season, including 27 double-digit dig matches; and set a new career-high while falling just short of the Penn State record for digs in a four-game match with 27 in the NCAA Regional Final match at Washington on December 9th, 2006. Oh, and she can serve too. She led the team with 50 service aces, which placed her 10th on the Penn State single-season chart; and at the top of the Big Ten rankings. She racked up a career-high six aces against Tennessee State on September 15th, 2006.

As a homeschooled student athlete in Maryland, she played basketball and volleyball for the Christian Home Educators Network. She was team captain for the Bravehearts from 2002-2004 and a two-year basketball letterwinner while leading her team to a four year record of 74-1. She also led the volleyball team to a No. 5 ranking in the Baltimore Metro area during senior season; and averaged 4.7 kills per game in 2004, earning All-American, Baltimore County/City Player of the Year, First Team All-Metro honors, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Model Tournament in 2003 and 2004.

Holehouse has continued to get better. Since her freshman year at Penn State, she has developed into an all around talent. “Roberta is still developing her understanding of what my expectations are for her,” said Russ Rose, head volleyball coach at Penn State University, “And I’ll expect more from her this year as well. She is a good server, a fearless digger and our quickest player. She’ll be called upon to either continue in the libero position or as a backrow player coming in with the type of serve that will be able to generate point scoring opportunities. She has a great feel for the game and when relaxed, can make some incredible plays.”
Roberta Holehouse spoke with Homeschool Sports Insider earlier this year about how Homeschooling preparred her for college athletics and how she handles life on campus at one of the most high-profile universities in the country.

How has Homeschooling played a part in your life?
First off it really gave me a head start for school. I was able to take courses at a community college which allowed me to get some of my prerequisite work out of the way. Second, it gave me the opportunity to enjoy other areas of my life other than school. I owned two horses growing up and homeschooling gave my dad and I the ability to ride together in between schooling. Homeschooling also allowed me to really develop my volleyball game. I was able to play on a strong team with a coach who knew the game inside and out. You could say that homeschooling opened the door to my volleyball career.

How did Homeschooling prepare you for life in college?
Being homeschooled really forced me to manage my time which, you can ask my mom, was not my strongest area growing up. I had to be able to get all of my work done, as well as find time to feed my horses twice a day, head to volleyball practice which was sometimes an hour away, and fit in a piano lesson. It was no easy task but to this day I am thankful that I learned such a valuable life lesson.

What advice would you give other Homeschool athletes working to play college sports?
I would tell homeschooled athletes that they need to get involved in a program or two that are competitive and will push you to become a better player. If you cannot find a homeschool team, which I was so privileged to find, then join a local league or a travel team. It’s important that you get your name out there where a college coach will be able to find you. At the same time, it’s important that you take responsibility and develop your skills on your own.

Can you walk us through a typical day in the life of Roberta Holehouse?
So a typical day would start around 8 am with an individual lift that lasts about an hour. Once I’ve finished my lift I’ll run or ride my grandma’s old green bike to class somewhere on campus. I usually have 2 to 3 classes each day and I’ll find some time between them to eat lunch. If my class is close enough I’ll eat at Otto’s which is by far my favorite place to eat, they make killer quesadillas. From class I’ll run to practice which begins at 3 pm. We usually practice for about 3 hours, sometimes 4 depending on how we’re playing. From practice I’ll eat dinner either at home or at the commons across the street. Once I finally arrive home to a stack of homework, I usually hit the books for a couple of hours before I head to bed. It’s a pretty busy schedule but after freshman year and getting the hang of it it is quite managable.

How do you deal with the pressure of being on such a high profile school like Penn State?
Being able to deal with the pressures of being on such a high profile team is something that every girl on our team has to deal with. Personally, I’ve been able to deal with it by just taking each day one at a time. If I look ahead to a match or a test or anything that creates some sort of stress in my life I start to feel overwhelmed and most of the time start to break down. I have to live life in the moment and take care of my responsibilities at that time. As for the pressure of being on the court in front of thousands of people, I have to be totally and 100 percent confident, removing all doubt from my mind. Also, I have to be able to shut out every surrounding noise and just focus on the ball and the player at the time handling the ball.

Who / What gave you the motivation and encouragement to get here?
My mom was a huge part of me coming to Penn State. My dad wasn’t as gungho about it because he was still hurt that his oldest daughter had decided to go to school for volleyball instead of basketball, but he quickly got over it. My mom told me that she saw me at a huge school, making a impact on one of the top programs in the country. She drove me to every practice, every game and was my biggest fan throughout my entire highschool career. To this day she comes to pretty much every home match while still taking care of my 3 younger siblings. She’s a pretty incredibly lady and I attribute much of my success to her.

Who was your sports hero growing up?
I never really had one sports hero growing up but I always enjoyed reading articles about Logan Tom. I was actually fortunate enough this summer to play with her here at Penn State for a couple of games!
What were your favorite team(s) growing up?
New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

What is your favorite pre-game meal?
Anything with mashed potatoes!

What is your favorite movie?
Braveheart

What is your favorite music/song?
James Morrison

What is your favorite memory / story about being Homeschooled?
Traveling to Nebraska for Homeschool nationals and winning the entire tournament.

What would you be doing if you werent playing volleyball at Penn State?
Becoming a vet. I absolutely love animals and would have 12 dogs at my apartment if I was allowed to have a pet.

What is the greatest advice you have ever received and who gave it to you?
Well this is a tough question because I have received so much great advice from so many people over the years but I will have to say to worry only about the things I can control. Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. Worrying fixes nothing. A very close friend of mine gave me that advice. -HSI