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Howland's Grant ready for fun finale at Penn State
Howland grad seeks second national title
For Nia Grant, the hard part is over.
She helped the Penn State University volleyball team win its sixth national championship last year, while finishing second on the team with a .350 hitting percentage.
The Howland graduate also excelled academically, inching closer to a communications degree.
Grant’s senior year at Penn State is shaping up to be all fun and games, and that’s just fine with her.
“I think I’m enjoying it a lot more than last year,” Grant said of the college experience. “I get to see my friends more than in the past and do more fun things around campus.
“It’s awesome. I love it.”
With just six credits on the schedule this fall, the brunt of her course load is already complete. Between summer classes and extra attention in the offseason on her school work, Grant has made sure she won’t go through college without at least some fun.
“This is the easiest year I’ve had it,” she said. “I sleep a good majority of the morning, go to the gym, come back and rest, go to practice and then go to bed.
“I sound kind of boring when I put it like that.”
Grant’s time in Happy Valley has been anything but boring. The Nittany Lions’ run to a national title last season almost certainly trumps any other experience, but she’s just trying to soak it all in right now before it’s over.
“It was unbelievable,” Grant said. “It’s hard to put into words. It was like a dream come true, but now we don’t really think about it as much.
“We’re just eager to have the same success again this year.
Grant has started 47 of Penn State’s 49 sets, leads the team in hitting percentage (.485) and blocks (47) and is fourth on the team in kills (121) and digs (30). The No. 3 Nittany Lions have followed up their championship season with a 14-1 record and started Big Ten play last week with a sweep of No. 5 Wisconsin in a rematch of last year’s national final.
Grant had seven kills, two kills and two blocks against the Badgers.
“The feeling’s always nice, but we didn’t go into the match thinking it was anything more than another team,” Grant said. “We definitely have room to improve.
“It’s very early in the season, still. We want to peak at tournament time, just like any team, but I know what this group is capable of so that’s what were working toward.”
While Grant enjoys her final days as a Nittany Lion and a college student, she knows the inevitable is coming. While she’s not exactly looking forward to senior day, it’s a moment her and her parents will cherish.
“I have thought about it a couple times and I got chocked up, so I don’t want to think about it,” Grant said. “It’s going to be so awesome. There’s probably going to be a lot of emotion, but I’m just so thankful to have them.”
Would a second national championship be the perfect cherry on top.
“Oh my God,” she said. “I can’t every describe what that moment would be like. I just want to make sure we get there.”