Balanced Performance Powers No. 14 Penn State Women’s Volleyball to Win Over Michigan State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In the first match of the final home stand of the regular season, the No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions (18-8 overall, 12-5 Big Ten) rebounded from a first-set loss to claim a commanding 3-1 victory over the Michigan State Spartans (16-12 overall, 8-9 Big Ten).

The Nittany Lions and Spartans began the contest locked in a back-and-forth duel in the opening frame of action. Penn State reached set point first, but a carry call on Taylor Trammell negated what would have been the set-winning kill.

A Zuzanna Kulig service ace followed by Aliyah Moore’s kill off of a Penn State block attempt gave Michigan State the improbable 26-24 Set 1 victory.

But the close defeat seemed to light a fire under the Nittany Lions, as the blue and white used a number of key skills and timely blocks to grab control of the match in the second set and never looked back.

“I feel like blocking is just a big change in momentum,” outside hitter Zoe Weatherington said. “You know you have that ability to shut a hitter down. That’ll make your teammates trust you more than they already do.”

After going without a block for the entirety of the first set, Penn State recorded 10 rejections throughout the remainder of the contest. Trammell led all Penn State players with five blocks, while Weatherington and Allie Holland each contributed to four apiece.

Offensively, the Nittany Lions were led once again by Jess Mruzik, as the outside hitter tallied 19 kills on a .484 clip to garner her 10th consecutive match with double-digit kills. Camryn Hannah had 11 terminations while Weatherington completed her all-around impressive performance with 10.

“I thought Mac [Podraza] was moving the ball around well,” coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said. “And players were one-on-one and they were doing their job and scoring.”

“Everyone’s aggressive and they have the green light to swing.”

The aggression proved to be key in Penn State’s storm back to victory. The Nittany Lions avenged their five-set loss to the Spartans in East Lansing on Oct. 28, and in the process, kept themselves firmly in the hunt to host NCAA Tournament matches in two weeks.

But before that will come Senior Day for the Penn State players, as the final home match of the regular season is slated for Saturday, Nov. 18 against Northwestern.

While the team features a mixture of seniors who transferred in from elsewhere and those who have spent their entire careers in Happy Valley, the match will undoubtedly be a special one for all involved. The significance isn’t lost on Ohio State grad transfer Mac Podraza.

“Getting to be a part of this program, the legacy that it has, and having my name follow the long list of talented Penn State volleyball players is – I mean I have chills just talking about it,” Podraza said. “So it’s something that I do not take lightly and I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Kasey Kreider is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email kmk6865@psu.edu.