Campus Cribs

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 19, 2008

Campus Cribs

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Penn State volleyball junior middle hitter Kelsey Ream (left) and redshirt sophomore middle hitter Blair Brown share more than just memories of last year's national championship season. The pair also share a small two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac about four blocks north of the Penn State campus. The house is close enough to campus to bike to class, but far enough away to provide peace and quiet after a long practice. And their teammates are not far away. Seniors Christa Harmotto and Nicole Fawcett and sophomore Alyssa D'Errico live next door.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

When Ream (left) and Brown moved in last year, the former tenants (friends of Ream and Brown's Nittany Lion teammates), left generous parting gifts. Furniture, pots, pans and food remained in the house -- along with a small cactus. The unusual plant (in these parts of the country, anyway) has a special spot in the living room on a 7-foot tall bookshelf, also a gift from the former tenants.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Ream and Brown have a third roommate of sorts, Ream's male Beta fish, Earl. Ream's mother, Rebecca, gave her the dark blue fish on September 15. "I think I fed him too much last night," she laughed, but it hadn't seemed to bother him.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

On Ream's dresser, the national title rings sit proudly next to the championship plaque -- a reminder of the past season and inspiration for the current one. So far the undefeated Nittany Lions are right on track.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

The pair stocks the refrigerator full of milk, yogurt and hot dogs -- all necessities. Brown also stocks up on ingredients to make quesadillas, one of her new favorites.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

For Brown, icy pops are a must-have in the freezer.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Brown contemplates the labeling of snacks in her walk-in pantry after seeing a box of whole grain cheddar gold fish (third shelf). "They were the only ones the [grocery store] had," Brown said, defending her choice. She questioned aloud why labels advertise their healthy ingredients. "Do you ever see foods say they have trans fat?" she asked.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

If you think nailing a giant banner to a wall is difficult, think about doing that on a surgically repaired ankle. Only days after having ankle surgery, Brown (right) nailed the women's volleyball national championship banner to the wall with Ream's help. Teammate Roberta Holehouse received the banner from a Penn State pep band member who had made the trip to Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA finals in December.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Ream and Brown bask in the glory of their championship banner.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Two couches line the left side of the living room, Ream's favorite napping place. "I hate being stuck in my room," she said, and often ventures upstairs to the living room for homework and relaxation.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Brown points to three books standing upright on the bottom shelf. They were gifts from her mother, Jaima, to keep her occupied after ankle surgery in January. 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' is the first and largest of the three. Movie-watching is also a favorite pastime in the house, and both Ream and Brown said that 'Sex in the City' was their favorite movie. "It was awful -- but so good," Brown said. "I came home and didn't want to talk to anyone. I felt like I had been broken up with seven times."

Penn State Women's Volleyball

Brown is a huge Audrey Hepburn fan, and the black and white photo over her dresser in her bedroom is just one of her many tributes to the actress. Her favorite Hepburn movie? 'My Fair Lady.'

Penn State Women's Volleyball

It's no secret Ream loves heels, as the back of her closet door is full of them. Standing 6-foot-2, Ream joked she wears her heels to stand just as tall as the 6-foot-5 Brown. But Ream can't always catch up because Brown often wears heels, too. Even after ankle surgery, Brown would wear a bootie on the injured foot and a heeled shoe on the other.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

On the towering bookshelf that houses the cactus, the players have many pictures, some from parties and others from Penn State's Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), a university fundraiser for children of the Four Diamonds Fund. The photo of which the pair is most proud, however, is the team photo (shown here) taken after the national championship victory in December.

Penn State Women's Volleyball

A piece of the net from the national championship game hangs from the wall in Ream's room. The 3-2 win over Stanford (30-25, 30-26, 23-20, 19-30, 15-8) was especially sweet for Ream, who grew up in the State College area and became a Nittany Lion after transferring from Miami (Fla.) during her freshman year.