2009’s final volleyball world update is dominated by recent happenings in Tampa, Fla.

AVCA CONVENTION

The most highly attended AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) convention in history took place Dec. 16-20 in Tampa, Fla., where administrators, coaches, players and fans met to discuss the current sand volleyball legislation, among other pressing topics in the sport.

The five-day schedule included indoor and sand coaching clinics, recruiting and educational seminars, and ample networking opportunities. This came in addition to the jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon, the AVCA All-America/Player of the Year banquet, the Spalding Reception and Coaches Tournament, the AVCA silent auction, a Texas hold ’em tournament and party, the club AVCA Holiday Tournament, the Under Armour All-America match and skills competition, and to top it off, the NCAA women’s volleyball championship semifinals and finals.

NCAA FINAL FOUR

Before the season started, No.1 Penn State vs. No. 2 Texas was the national championship matchup volleyball nation dreamed of. When Penn State defeated Hawai’i and Texas throttled Minnesota in the Final Four, the matchup was set. It most certainly did not disappoint.

Penn State (38-0) became the first team ever to claim three consecutive national titles, while also winning its unprecedented 102nd straight match, with a come-from-behind 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13 victory over the Longhorns (29-2) Saturday night.

In the fifth and deciding set, tied at 12-12, Darcy Dorton's kill gave Penn State the advantage. The very next point, Texas' Destinee Hooker sent an attack attempt long, giving the Nittany Lions their first match point. After a timeout, Juliann Faucette put down a kill from the right side to pull Texas to within one, at 14-13. But four-time first-team All-American Megan Hodge unleashed a big swing from the left side for a kill to give the Nittany Lions the comeback and the title. It matched the closest fifth set in NCAA title match history (UCLA defeated Stanford 15-13 in the fifth set in 1984).

Hodge led Penn State with 21 kills, 13 digs and five blocks. Penn State also got 13 kills and 14 digs from Blair Brown, 13 kills on .323 hitting from Darcy Dorton, 22 digs and two aces from Alyssa D'Errico, and nine blocks from Fatima Balza.

Texas’ senior outside hitter, Hooker, finished with a career-high 34 kills on .316 hitting to go with 17 digs, as well as three blocks and a pair of service aces. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Nine teams had previously won back-to-back national championships in women's volleyball but all failed to claim a third title in a row. Penn State succeeded and joined the ranks as arguably the greatest NCAA women’s volleyball team ever assembled.

COACH OF THE YEAR

The AVCA announced University of Hawai’i head women's volleyball coach Dave Shoji as the 2009 AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year.

Shoji claimed his milestone 1,000th victory on Oct. 17 and coached the Rainbow Wahine to their 28th NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th NCAA Tournament Regional appearance in program history this season. The squad advanced to the NCAA semifinal round for the ninth time, its first trip since 2003, when it swept the University of Michigan in last week's NCAA Division I Stanford Regional final.

Hawai’i steamrolled through the season with a 32-2 overall record, captured its 10th straight Western Athletic Conference tournament title, secured its 14th consecutive WAC regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 league mark, and won 28 straight matches before losing to No. 1 Penn State in the national semifinals in four sets.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

No surprise with this selection as the AVCA also announced Penn State University senior Megan Hodge as the 2009 Nfinity/AVCA Division I National Player of the Year.

Hodge was a force to be reckoned with during all four of her years as a Nittany Lion. The 6’3” outside hitter led the Big Ten with a 4.75 kills per set average and was second in the league in hitting percentage (.399), while also ranking in the top 10 nationally in both categories.

Most impressively, during Hodge's time in Happy Valley, Penn State put together a dazzling 141-5 record and three straight national championships. Penn State’s last loss with Hodge came Sept. 15, 2007, against Stanford.

GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

It was only fitting that two-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor personally delivered the Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year award to Shakopee High School senior outside hitter Ashley Wittman Monday. May-Treanor’s partner, Kerri Walsh, was the first player to win the award almost 15 years ago.

Wittman is the first volleyball athlete from Minnesota to be so honored in the 25-year history of the Gatorade awards program, which recognizes athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character. She is also the first female athlete from Minnesota to win a Gatorade National Player of the Year award.

This past season, she led her team to a 32-0 record and its third straight state championship. Wittman also served as captain of the 2008 U.S. Girls' Youth National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship and was a member of the USA Select Red Team that won gold at the 2007 USA Volleyball High Performance Championships.

Wittman signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at 2009 national semifinalist University of Minnesota next fall. She will graduate early from Shakopee and begin attending spring classes at Minnesota.