Christa Harmotto was a little surprised and nervous when Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose allowed her to serve for match point during a late-season Big Ten Conference match against Northwestern.

"With 6,000 people screaming, I knew I had to put it in," said Harmotto, a senior middle hitter for the defending NCAA Division I champions. "Then to have a dig during the rally, made it even more special."

It was only the second time Harmotto served during the match. The serve was of average variety, but marked the beginning of a victorious rally which ended with Nicole Fawcett's kill. Harmotto, a 6-foot-2 middle hitter who attended Hopewell High School, recorded a dig during the rally, which ended a three-game sweep of Northwestern.

More importantly, that victory clinched the sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference championship for Penn State.

"I wouldn't want anybody else to serve championship point than her," said Rose, who usually subs in a back-row player when Harmotto rotates to the back row. "Not that she's an especailly good server. If it would have been for the 21st point, I probably would have subbed her out."

But with Penn State leading 24-11 and needing only one point to clinch the match victory, Rose gave Harmotto, a four-year starter, the honor of serving for match point.

"I consider Christa a special person," Rose said. "The chance to serve in that situation was a tribute to who she is as a player. This is Christa's senior year and I felt it would be appropriate to have her in that position."

Penn State enters the NCAA tournament with a 32-0 record, 21-0 in the Big Ten, and is ranked No. 1 in the country. The Nittany Lions recorded 3-0 sweeps in all 32 matches.

"It was definitely an exciting moment," Harmotto said. "To win the sixth outright championship in a row is definitely something special, but we've got bigger goals to accomplish. I'm not trying to downplay the Big Ten title by any means. We just have to keep our focus."

Penn State concludes its Big Ten schedule this weekend with matches at Ohio State and Michigan. Wins in those matches will insure a No. 1 seed for the Nittany Lions in the NCAA Division I Tournament. They will play Long Island University tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Rec Hall in a first-round match.

"We scout everybody the same and prepare the same for everybody," said Harmotto, when asked if it's tough to get up for matches with inferior opposition. "A team can go off any night, regardless of whether it's at home or on the road. We have to make sure we're on top of our game every night."

Harmotto is a three-time first team All-Big Ten Conference selection, who was named conference MVP in 2007. She has also been voted to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star Team three times, first team in 2007, second team in 2006 and honorable mention in 2005.

She is on track to become one of only three players in Penn State history to become a four-time AVCA All-American.

"Christa is one of the most amazing people I've ever met," said Penn State assistant coach Salima Rockwell, who played in the WPIAL at Penn Hills High School. "She's one of the hardest workers I've come across and one of the best attitudes you'll ever come across. She loves the game. She loves to play. She's an absolute joy to coach."

Harmotto's most recent, and possibly biggest honor came last week, as she was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year in women's volleyball. Harmotto holds a 3.47 grade point average in elementary education.

"I will be student teaching in West Sussex, England, next semester," Harmotto said. "I had five different regional choices to do my student teaching. I could have done it in Western Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia area, Central Pennsylvania, South Dakota or England. Penn State takes about 15 to 20 students over to England every semester. It's similar to a study abroad program.

"I will be in England from Jan. 4 through April 4. When I come back, I have one more month at Penn State to finish up my degree. I will be graduating in May."

Harmotto leads the country in hitting percentage (.515), a mark that is just shy of the NCAA record. For her career, Harmotto is attacking at a school-record .436 percentage with an average of 2.88 kills per game.

Earlier this season, Harmotto became one of four players in Nittany Lion women's volleyball history to record more than 1,000 career kills and 600 career blocks.

Harmotto would like to become a teacher, but may put that career on hold.

"I would like to play professionally in Europe or South America after I graduate," Harmotto said. "I haven't been able to check into it much, but I would like to continue playing as long as I can."