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No. 7 Penn State Women’s Volleyball Defeats No. 4 Louisville in 3-0 Sweep

Vaseline September 4, 2024

In the season opener at home, the Penn State women’s volleyball team (3-0) defeated the No. 4 Louisville women’s volleyball team (2-1) 3-0 before a crowd of nearly 4,000 fans at Rec Hall.

A raucous student body 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 hot start. In a run-heavy contest, the Nittany Lions used 45 kills to emerge victorious.

How it happened

Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley sent out a starting lineup of Taylor Trammell, Gillian Grimes, Jess Mruzik, Anjelina Starck, Caroline Jurevicius, Izzy Starck and Maggie Mendelson.

Anna DeBeer opened the first set with a kill, but Jess Mruzik lit up the crowd with one of her own to tie the score early at 1-1. A dig from Grimes then led to a Jurevicius kill, assisted by Izzy Starck, to give Penn State its first lead of the match.

A couple of errors by the Nittany Lions put the Cardinals back ahead before Mendelson tapped one over the net to even the score. The back-and-forth first set continued, but a 3-0 run capped by a block at the net by Jurevicius and Trammell put Penn State up 11-7.

After a long rally, Charitie Luper fouled the Louisville net, giving the Blue and White a 14-10 lead. Izzy Starck then set up Camryn Hannah for a kill, bringing fans to their feet and sending the game to its first media timeout with Penn State up five.

The Nittany Lions came out of halftime energized, and Cardinal head coach Dani Busboom Kelly wanted to talk to her team, which trailed 17-11. A free ball gave Trammell an easy kill, and Izzy Starck, the team’s setter, followed it up with a kill to force another Louisville timeout with the score at 19-11.

The Cardinals halted the 4-0 run after the break, but it didn’t take long for Penn State to continue its onslaught at the net and extend its lead to 22-13. A kill by Cara Cresse was quickly answered with a crosscourt spike by Mruzik that stayed just outside the back corner line.

Jurevicius threw a kill to set point, and did the same to score the set-winning kill, giving Penn State a 25-15 win in the first set.

Louisville started the second set 4-2 and despite a kill from Mruzik and an error from DeBeer, they took a 7-4 lead. Izzy Starck responded with an ace and the Cardinals made two offensive errors, giving Penn State an early 8-7 lead.

With the score tied at 10-10, Anjelina Starck’s hustle kept the game alive, eventually leading to her younger sister Izzy setting up Mendelson for a kill and sending Rec Hall into a howler. Izzy Starck had another assist on the next play to Jurevicius to make it 13-10 and force a Cardinal timeout.

Immediately after the timeout, Mendelson made an emphatic kill and Penn State extended its run to 7-0, forcing Louisville to take another timeout at 16-10 down. The Cardinals finally had an answer after the stop with a Cresse kill and block on back-to-back plays. Schumacher-Cawley then took a timeout after Jurevicius committed an attack foul, cutting the lead to three.

Louisville used three straight 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 their second timeout. Mendelson eventually responded with a block to give the Nittany Lions back the momentum.

The run trend continued, this time in Penn State’s favor, as a 4-0 spurt propelled the home team to a 20-16 lead. The Nittany Lions never looked back, extending the lead to 24-18 and set point. Despite a miraculous hustle play, Louisville kept the set alive with blocks from Luper and PK Kong.

However, Penn State took the next point when freshmen Ava Falduto and Izzy Starck provided an assist and kill, giving Penn State a 2-0 lead.

Anjelina Starck opened the third set with an ace that DeBeer thought would go out, but Louisville responded quickly with a Cresse kill. However, a play later, Jurevicius climbed the ladder on the right side of the court for a crosscourt kill.

Neither team held a lead of more than one point until Hannah and Mruzik both made kills, giving Penn State a 9-7 lead. Louisville couldn’t stop the Nittany Lions’ onslaught, and three straight kills gave them a 12-8 lead.

The blue and whites kept going, making it 18-12 behind a pair of Hannah and Mruzik kills. Jurevicius also got in on the action with a high-speed kill to extend the lead to seven and force a Cardinal timeout.

After the break, Penn State didn’t slow down. Trammell had a block and kill before a long rally ended with another Mruzik kill to make it 22-13. Hannah followed up the kills with a service ace and an attack error from Louisville made it match point at 24-13.

Mruzik ended the match with her 13th kill to give Penn State a 3-0 victory and spark a “We Are Penn State” chant from the fans. The team lined up in front of their alma mater and received a standing ovation after defeating the No. 4 team in the country.

Takeaway meals

The group of newcomers that Schumacher-Cawley was excited about did not disappoint in the home opener. Freshmen Falduto and Izzy Starck, along with transfers Mendelson and Jurevicius, had a big impact for Penn State in this game.
Rec Hall was rowdy during its first home women’s volleyball game since Nov. 18, 2023. The crowd, led by a group of students in white, boosted the Nittany Lions’ energy throughout the game.
Penn State made hustle play after hustle play. With impressive communication and an early willingness to put their bodies on the line, the Nittany Lions flew all over the court, especially libero Grimes.
Mendelson was a powerhouse at the net in her first match at Rec Hall, especially in the opening set, with five kills off six attacks.

What now?

Penn State travels to Lexington for another top 10 non-conference game against No. 9 Kentucky at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Michael Siroty is a rising sophomore from Westfield, New Jersey majoring in broadcast journalism. When he’s not writing articles or making TikToks for Onward State, Siroty can be found taking leisurely strolls around Beaver Stadium or working his summer camp job. You can reach out to him to discuss your sushi order or music taste on Instagram and Twitter @msiroty or via email at (email protected).

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