Salima Rockwell received a ring when the Penn State University women's volleyball team won the NCAA Division I championship last year.

But Rockwell, whose maiden name was Davidson while a student-athlete at Penn Hills High School and Penn State University, doesn't wear it.

Instead she wears the ring of Penn State junior Alisha Glass.

"Before one of our matches at the Hawaiaan Airlines Classic, Alisha realized she hadn't taken off her ring," said Rockwell, now in her third season as a member of the Penn State coaching staff. "She asked me to hold it, so I wore it until after the match was over. We won all three matches that weekend and she decided to have me hold her ring during every practice and match. Finally, I just decided to hold onto it."

Rockwell now wears the ring all the time and doesn't plan on giving it back until after the season.

"We're both very superstitious, so I'm going to wear the ring for the rest of the season," said Rockwell, after Penn State captured its sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference title. "So far, it's worked."

Penn State enters the NCAA tournament tomorrow against Northeast Conference champion Long Island University with a 32-0 record and is ranked No. 1 in the country.

"My ring sits in its box at home," Rockwell said. "It's huge. It's so big I can't wear it. It's the size of three Super Bowl rings. That's why I've enjoyed wearing Alisha's ring. It actually fits."

Rockwell and Glass are both hoping for another national championship ring, as the NCAA tournament begins the weekend of Dec. 5-6.

"I may get another big one," said Rockwell, when asked if she will get the right size this time. "It kind of looks better when it's bigger."

Rockwell was a three-time All-American setter for the Nittany Lions from 1991-94 and served as a two-time team captain of the U.S. National Team during her time with the squad from 1995-99.

Last year's NCAA tournament run and eventual national title brought back painful memories for Rockwell.

"We made it to the NCAA title match during my junior year but lost to Long Beach State," Rockwell recalled. "We made it back to the Final Four in my senior year, but lost in the semis."

With that experience in mind, Rockwell had some words of wisdom for the Nittany Lions prior to their championship match last year with Stanford.

"I told the girls this was their time," Rockwell said. "This was their opportunity to show everybody what we're all about. It's something no one can take away from you. I missed that as a player, and not for lack of effort, but I didn't have a chance.

"It's something that had been kind of burning in my heart. I never wanted them to have that feeling ... having no regrets. Being able to look at themselves in the mirror when they are done playing and be able to say that 'I gave everything I could have possibly given.'"

Penn State's 3-2 win over Stanford gave Rockwell the feeling that eluded her in 1993.

"Winning was sweet," said Rockwell. "It was very similar to my appearance in the title match because I have that competitive juice flowing through my veins. I was probably hyped up as much as the girls were that night. I couldn't sleep. I wanted to get out there and set a couple balls.

"It was really neat being able to help everyone on the court from that perspective during that match. It's awesome to have knowledge, be able to translate that knowledge, and be able to share it with the team. That's the way I was as a player. I was always talking on the court. I was always very active in that way."

Rockwell began her coaching career as an assistant at Pitt from 2001-03, where she worked primarily with the Panthers' setters. She was also the Panthers' lead recruiter and signed four of their top five recruits in 2002. She dropped out of coaching to begin a career in the ultra-competitive world of pharmaceutical sales, and consistently ranked as a top-selling representative.

Rockwell returned to coaching in 2005 as an assistant under Terry Liskevych at Oregon State. Liskevych was the USA National Team coach when Rockwell was playing.

Then came another call from Penn State coach Russ Rose.

"Coach Rose had called me a few times about joining his staff, but it just wasn't the right time. This time, it was the right time," Rockwell said.

Rockwell became director of volleyball operations in 2006, then moved up to assistant coach last season.

"Very few people in the country are as good at their job as Salima is at hers," Rose said. "She has a great feel for winning and has the ability to bridge the experience of playing at Penn State and interacting with me. The fact that she advanced to being the captain of the women's national team speaks to her drive and leadership.

"Her energy is fabulous and the players really respond well to her. We are very fortunate to have her back at Penn State."

Rockwell still ranks fourth all-time on Penn State's career assists list with 5,455, and sits fourth on the career assists per game list (12.34). She ranks fifth on the career dig charts with 1,278 and sits 14th all-time on the career hitting percentage list (.301). An all-around player, Rockwell also ranked 11th on the career total blocks chart with 382.

Rockwell was a two-time member of the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team (1993 and 1994). She also earned All-Big Ten accolades four times, including three first-team selections.