Our lack of understanding of the factors that compensate energy defects in near resonant V-V energy transfer constrains our ability to accurately predict resonance widths and, thus, the overall importance of such processes. We have carried out one of the first truly state-to-state measurements of near resonant V-V energy transfer under single collision conditions, employing the crossed molecular beams, stimulated emission pumping technique. We have varied the energy defect ⌬E for the process: NO X 2 ⌸(v)ϩN 2 O(0,0,0)→NO X 2 ⌸(vϪ1)ϩN 2 O(0,0,1), by changing the prepared vibrational state from vϭ22 (⌬Eϭϩ14 cm Ϫ1 ) to vϭ21 (⌬EϭϪ18 cm Ϫ1 ) to vϭ20 (⌬EϭϪ49 cm Ϫ1 ). Changes in the energy transfer efficiencies and rotational distributions of vibrationally inelastically scattered NO with energy defect both strongly suggest that molecular rotation ͑both of NO and N 2 O͒ is responsible for compensating the energy defect. Furthermore it appears that relative translation is ineffective in compensating the energy defect. A ⌬J NO ϳ⌬J N 2 0 approximation also appears valid.