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Dennis Hohenshelt begins his third season with the Penn State women's volleyball program after spending 10 seasons as the Nittany Lion men's volleyball assistant coach. Among other duties, Hohenshelt is involved in match preparation, player development and recruiting. "Every year Dennis gets better and better as he learns what I need as well as the nuances about the women's game," said head coach Russ Rose. "He did a great job with Arielle (Wilson) and her development last year, and the players like him. He keeps things loose and is a valuable member of our staff." Under Hohenshelt's tutelage, freshman middle hitter Arielle Wilson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the University Park NCAA Regional Championship Most Outstanding Player. For the season, she attacked at a .446 clip while averaging 2.39 kills per game, and in Big Ten-only matches, Wilson became just the second freshman ever to lead the conference in blocks, averaging 1.78 blocks per game. In all matches, Wilson tallied 1.80 blocks per game, good for first on the team and third in the nation. Hohenshelt aided the Penn State men's team in reaching the 2006 national championship match for the first time in 11 seasons, defeating then-No. 1 UC Irvine in five games in the national semifinal contest at Rec Hall. During his tenure with the men's team, Penn State accumulated an overall record of 237-82 (.743), including a 110-4 (.965) mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and nine EIVA titles and National Collegiate Championship appearances. He was also instrumental in recruiting the core of men's volleyball players who captured the 2008 NCAA National Championship. Boasting a considerable amount of experience with USA Volleyball, Hohenshelt was a coaching assistant with the 2004 USA Boy's Youth National Team that won the NORCECA Zone gold medal. He was also the assistant coach for the USA Boy's Junior National Team during the summer of 2002 in Brazil and helped lead the U.S. Junior National Team to a third-place finish at the NORCECA Championships. He assisted with the U.S. Boy's Youth National Team in the summer of 1997 and scouted for the U.S. Men's National Team at the 1997 World Cup. He also aided at the tryouts for the U.S. Men's National and Junior National teams. A native of Harrisburg, Pa., and a 1993 graduate of Juniata College, Hohenshelt led the Eagles to consecutive EIVA Division III titles in 1992 and 1993, earning Most Valuable Player accolades his senior year. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in secondary education and social studies, Hohenshelt served two years as an assistant coach for the Juniata men's program from 1994-95. He was promoted to head coach in 1996 and led the Eagles to an 18-8 record and a second place finish in the EIVA Division III Tournament. Hohenshelt also was assistant coach at Huntingdon (Pa.) High School from 1993-1995. He is married to the former Tara Rowlyk, who is an assistant coach for the Penn State women's lacrosse team. The couple has one son, Jacob, who was born in July of 2005.
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