In its first home game, the Penn State women’s volleyball team (No. 7) (3-0) defeated No. 4 Louisville (2-1) 3-0 in front of nearly 4,000 fans at Rec Hall.
A raucous student group set the stage for Penn State’s first home game of the year, and the Nittany Lions used the energy to get off to a fiery start. In a match full of runs, the Nittany Lions emerged victorious with 45 kills.
How it happened
Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley sent a starting lineup with Taylor Trammell, Gillian Grimes, Jess Mruzik, Anjelina Starck, Caroline Jurevicius, Izzy Starck and Maggie Mendelson into the race.
Anna DeBeer opened the first set with a kill, but Jess Mruzik wowed the crowd with a kill of her own, tying the score early at 1-1. A dig by Grimes then led to a Jurevicius kill, assisted by Izzy Starck, giving Penn State its first lead of the match.
A couple of errors by the Nittany Lions put the Cardinals back in front before Mendelson easily tipped a ball over the net to tie the game. The first set continued to be back and forth, but a 3-0 run, led by a block at the net by Jurevicius and Trammell, put Penn State ahead 11-7.
After a long recovery, Charitie Luper committed a goal violation against Louisville and gave the Blue-Whites a 14-10 lead. Izzy Starck then set up a kill for Camryn Hannah that brought the fans to their feet and sent the game into the first media timeout with a 5-0 lead for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions came out of the break full of energy, and Cardinal head coach Dani Busboom Kelly wanted to talk things through again as her team trailed 17-11. A loose ball gave Trammell an easy kill, and Izzy Starck, the team’s setter, followed with a kill to force Louisville to take another timeout at 19-11.
The Cardinals stopped the 4-0 run coming out of the break, but it didn’t take long for Penn State to continue its attack on goal, extending the lead to 22-13. On a kill by Cara Cresse, Mruzik quickly answered with a crosscourt spike that narrowly missed the baseline in the back corner.
Jurevicius made set point with a kill and she did the same to score the set-winning kill, giving Penn State a convincing 25-15 win in the first set.
Louisville started the second set 4-2 and took a 7-4 lead despite a kill from Mruzik and an error from DeBeer. However, Izzy Starck responded with an ace and the Cardinals made two attack errors, allowing Penn State to quickly take an 8-7 lead.
With the score tied at 10-10, Anjelina Starck’s effort kept the game alive, which eventually led to her younger sister Izzy Mendelson getting a kill to send Rec Hall into a frenzy. Izzy Starck provided another assist to Jurevicius on the following play, making it 13-10 and forcing a Cardinals timeout.
Immediately after the timeout, Mendelson made a crucial kill and Penn State extended its run to 7-0, forcing Louisville to call another timeout with a 16-10 deficit. The Cardinals finally had an answer after the break with a kill and block by Cresse on two consecutive plays. Schumacher-Cawley then called a timeout after Jurevicius committed an attack error, cutting the lead to three.
Louisville used three consecutive Luper kills, all assisted by Elle Glock, to make the run 6-0 and tie the score at 16-16, forcing Penn State to take a second timeout. Mendelson finally responded with a block to give the Nittany Lions the momentum back.
The run trend continued, this time in Penn State’s favor, as a 4-0 run put the home team up 20-16. The Nittany Lions didn’t let up and created a 24-18 lead and set point. Despite a miraculous hustle play, Louisville kept the set alive with a block from Luper and PK Kong.
However, Penn State got the next point when freshmen Ava Falduto and Izzy Starck each had an assist and a kill to give Penn State a 2-0 lead.
Anjelina Starck opened the third set with an ace that DeBeer ruled out, but Louisville quickly responded with a cress kill. One play later, however, Jurevicius climbed the ladder on the right side of the court and scored a crosscourt kill.
Neither team had a lead of more than a point until Hannah and Mruzik each scored a kill to put Penn State ahead 9-7. Louisville couldn’t stop the Nittany Lions’ attack at the net, and three consecutive kills put the team ahead 12-8.
The blue-whites continued and increased their lead to 18-12 thanks to two kills from Hannah and Mruzik. Jurevicius was also in action with a high-speed kill, extending the lead to seven and forcing a timeout from the Cardinals.
After the break, Penn State didn’t let up. Trammell blocked and killed before a long rally ended with another kill from Mruzik, making the score 22-13. Hannah followed the kills with an ace, and an attack error from Louisville made it match point at 24-13.
Mruzik finished the game with her 13th kill to give Penn State a 3-0 victory. Fans chanted “We Are Penn State” as the team lined up in front of their alma mater to a standing ovation after defeating the fourth-best team in the nation.
Findings
- The group of newcomers Schumacher-Cawley was looking forward to seeing did not disappoint in their home opener. Freshmen Falduto and Izzy Starck, as well as transfers Mendelson and Jurevicius, had a big impact for Penn State in this game.
- The volume at Rec Hall was high for its first home women’s volleyball game since November 18, 2023. Led by a white-clad student group, the crowd fueled the Nittany Lions’ energy throughout the game.
- Penn State made one tough play after another. With impressive communication and an early-season willingness to put their bodies on the line, the Nittany Lions flew all over the court, especially libero Grimes.
- Mendelson was a force at the net in her first match at Rec Hall, especially in the opening set, scoring five kills on six attacks.
What’s next?
Penn State travels to Lexington for another top-10 non-conference game against No. 9 Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
