Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

 
No college volleyball team outside of California had won an NCAA men’s tournament title until Ed Josefoski’s Penn State team came along in 1994. With 14 kills and 12 digs from the 6-foot-5 outside hitter, the Nittany Lions defeated perennial powerhouse UCLA in the NCAA finals, breaking the historic shutout held by the Golden State schools. But winning titles wasn’t unusual for Josefoski, a 1990 Penn Hills graduate and the first four-year letterman in Indians boys volleyball history. As Penn Hills’ team captain, Josefoski led the team to consecutive WPIAL titles in 1989-90, and also won the state title in 1990, as one of the most-successful boys volleyball players in Western Pennsylvania history. He earned first-team all-WPIAL and all-state honors as a junior and senior. Additionally, Volleyball Magazine selected him for its “Fab 50,” ranking him as one of the nation’s top high school players his senior year. But volleyball wasn’t his only sport. The versatile athlete also was a leading scorer for the Penn Hills boys basketball team, a Dapper Dan Roundball Classic selection and a two-time all-section honoree who could have played Division I hoops. Along with Penn State, he was recruited by a number of top college volleyball programs including Southern Cal, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and the U.S. Naval Academy. At Penn State, Josefoski had the unusual distinction of being the only player in NCAA volleyball history to finish first, second, third and fourth at the NCAA championship. After winning the NCAA title in 1994, the Nittany Lions were national runners-up in 1995. Penn State also won four EIVA conference titles with Josefoski, the conference championship MVP in 1994. Twice, Josefoski was named an NCAA All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, in 1994 and ‘95. His career resume also includes international competition. He medalled at two U.S. Olympic Festivals (1991, 1993), trained with the U.S. men’s national team in 1995, and was a member of the U.S. roster at the 1995 World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan. Josefoski played professionally in Brazilian Superior League in 1995-96.