The Penn State Nittany Lions women's volleyball program has had a long tradition. It was founded in 1976 by Tom Tait, long-time coach of the men's team, who coached the women's team from 1976–79 and was named a USA Volleyball All-Time great coach in 2007. Prior to entering the Big Ten Conference in 1991, Rose's teams experienced unprecedented success in the Atlantic 10 Conference, winning eight straight championships, never losing a conference match in that time.