No. 3 Penn State sweeps No. 11 Oregon in a Rec Hall in “Wear White” game

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State welcomed new in-conference foe Oregon with a sweep in front of a packed and raucous Rec Hall.

After losing the first sets against Michigan State and Maryland earlier in the week, No. 3 Penn State took down the No. 11 Ducks in three sets. It is the Nittany Lions’ ninth sweep of the 2024 season.

“It’s the ability to come out and be ready to go,” head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said in response to how the team re-grouped for three strong sets. “That’s a skill they’re working on, and we’re getting better at it.”

The Ducks and Nittany Lions traded early points in the first set. Penn State then went on a 4-0 scoring run to pull ahead.

The blue and white would not look back, going up 1-0 by a score of 25-19. Outside hitter Jess Mruzik racked up eight kills and two blocks.

In Set 2, the Nittany Lions jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer called a timeout. Penn State would also win an early-set challenge of a fourth touch to keep momentum in their favor.

Oregon rallied back to take the lead midway through the set. However, the Nittany Lions immediately responded to cruise to a 2-0 lead on four consecutive points to end the set.

By the time Penn State was up 8-3 in the third set, Oregon used both of their timeouts. Fittingly, Jess Mruzik had the final kill, her 16th of the match, to take a 25-17 win in Set 3.

“I think that Jess is honestly the greatest player I’ve ever played next to,” Nebraska transfer Caroline Jurevicius said of Mruzik. “You learn a lot from her, whether it be as a woman or as a player.”

Jurevicius, after two consecutive games hitting in the negatives, led the team with .455 on the night. Her fellow former Cornhusker, Maggie Mendelson, led the match with five blocks. Mruzik had her 13th game of the season with double-digit kills and added eight digs and three blocks to the stat sheet as well.

The Nittany Lions defense also played commendably. Oregon only hit .075 for the entire match, and Penn State held starters Colby Neal and Mimi Colyer to below -.100 hitting.

Coach Schumacher-Cawley also credited the Rec Hall crowd decked out in white for bringing the energy and noise.

“You hear players that are in Big Ten interviews saying that this is one of the hardest places to play,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think it does rattle some players.”

Penn State notched their fifth-ranked win of the season, advancing to 14-1. They play next on Friday, Oct. 11 against Michigan State, kicking off a three-game road trip.

Oregon falls to 11-2 and is back at home on Wednesday where they will face the University of Southern California.

Jack Rachinsky is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jjr6682@psu.edu.