No. 7 Penn State Upsets No. 4 Louisville in Home Opener

Penn State Women’s Volleyball hosted the Louisville Cardinals in the team’s home opener at Rec Hall.

The ladies took a trip to Tennessee and Temple this past weekend to earn their first two wins of the season ranking them at No. 7 ahead of tonight’s matchup.

Louisville, also 2-0, tallied wins against Wisconsin and Tennessee earlier this week.

Penn State dominantly swept the Cardinals on Tuesday night, winning all three sets with ease.

Graduate outside hitter, Jess Mruzik, led the team with 13 kills, nine digs and three blocks.

Mruzik has been a staple to the Nittany Lions offense and continues to make big plays in big games just like she did tonight.

The Nittany Lions won the first set 25-15 with the help of freshman setter Izzy Starck who recently made her Penn State and collegiate debut. Starck won Big Ten Freshman of the Week after her performance against Tennessee.

Penn State won the second set, 25-19, and secured a big win in the third set with a 25-13 performance.

Starck had 32 assists on the night.

“I think it's no secret that Izzy Starck is an extremely hard worker, and always has been,” teammate Caroline Jurevicius said. “Her reputation from even before I knew her, has definitely preceded her, and the work that she does on the side to get better, whether it be watching film at like 11 o'clock at night or getting to the gym 30 minutes early, it really showed so I'm proud of her.”

Jurevicius is a redshirt freshman from Nebraska alongside junior Maggie Mendelson who was also a huge asset to Tuesday’s win.

Jurevicius added 11 kills and Mendelson tallied seven. The two are thrilled to now play for Penn State and they are excited about making the transfer together.

“I grew up being a Penn State volleyball fan, I was a little girl up in those stands the last time I was in here and to be on the court where so many women have come through here and made this program, it's surreal,” Jurevicus said.

Penn State totaled 45 kills tonight all across the board.

“Everyone had kills and that’s what we want, we want a balanced offense,” Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said.

Penn State looks to remain undefeated heading into their next matchup at No. 10 Kentucky on Friday.

Gia Sabatino is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gms6168@psu.edu