New Kids on the Block: How Penn State’s newcomers led the Nittany Lions to Invitational sweep

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – It would be hard for the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions women’s volleyball team to have scripted a better start to its season, even if they had gone to Hollywood to write it.

The blue and white took the momentum of three top-15 victories into its first of back-to-back weekend tournaments held inside the historic confines of Rec Hall. During the Penn State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, the Nittany Lions got the best shot from each of their three opponents – Duke, Princeton and St. John’s.

But Penn State rose to the occasion in each match and left no doubt whatsoever in a nearly flawless weekend. Not only did Penn State go 3-0, but the Nittany Lions didn’t drop a single set in any of their three contests.

Team captain Jess Mruzik may have been named the MVP of the Penn State Invitational, and that comes as no surprise. The three-time All-Big Ten selection has established herself as one of the best pin hitters in the country, after all.

But a big part of Penn State’s success this season has been its newcomers, both freshmen and transfers alike. In all three matches of the Penn State Invitational, some of the Nittany Lions’ newest members played crucial roles in securing the team’s victories.

While freshman setter Izzy Starck has gotten a lot of attention early in the season, it’s important to not forget about defensive specialist Ava Falduto, who also came into Penn State as one of the top recruits in the nation.

In Friday night’s matchup with Duke, Falduto led the way in an impressive serving performance for Penn State. Falduto served four aces in the contest, while Penn State had nine in total with only four errors.

The Illinois native also added a combined 19 digs across the three matches, as she and libero Gillian Grimes continue to lead a defense that let none of Penn State’s trio of opponents hit greater than .132 against them.

Meanwhile, her freshman counterpart Starck – the two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week – turned in another great weekend in her own right. Starck commanded Penn State’s offense to a hitting percentage over .300 in all three matches, including a gaudy .482 against Duke.

Defensively, Starck was strong as well, as she collected a career-high six blocks against Princeton and racked up 12 total blocks over the weekend. For her performance, Starck was one of three Nittany Lions – including Mruzik – who made the All-Tournament Team.

The other player in blue and white to garner that honor was redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius, who arguably had the best match of her young collegiate career in Saturday’s nightcap against St. John’s.

Jurevicius was other-worldly efficient in the contest, hitting 10-for-11 in the match. The Nebraska transfer didn’t stop there, though, as she contributed to five of Penn State’s 11 blocks to set a new career-high in that department.

And then there’s fellow Nebraska transfer Maggie Mendelson, who continued her emergence into a budding superstar for the Nittany Lions at the Invitational. The junior got it done both hitting and blocking all weekend long for the blue and white.

All told, Mendelson finished with 22 kills and 13 blocks over the trio of games. A good chunk of those blocks came paired up with either her former Nebraska teammate in Jurevicius, or her college roommate in Starck.

Penn State will have a massive matchup coming on Wednesday when they travel to play No. 1 Pitt in the Steel City. It’s likely that the Nittany Lions will rely on some of its more experienced leaders to help them play in a challenging road environment.

But don’t sleep on Penn State’s “new kids on the block.” Whether it be through passing, setting, hitting, blocking or even serving, there’s no question that Penn State’s fresh faces will have their fingerprints all over this monster matchup.

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