Penn State Women’s Volleyball Weekend Preview

Penn State Women’s Volleyball Weekend Preview

Penn State Women’s Volleyball is looking at a big, Big Ten weekend with back-to-back matchups against some serious rivals.

The girls travel to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on Friday to take on the Fighting Illini for a 9 p.m. game time. Then up to Minneapolis, Minnesota to face the University of Minnesota Gophers for a Saturday 9 p.m. game time.

Penn State is currently 2-0 in Big Ten play with wins over Rutgers and Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 15 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten.

The blue and white sits behind No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 2 Nebraska who are both undefeated with 11-0 records.

It is known nationwide that the Big Ten is a highly competitive conference, but fans tend to underestimate the intense competition in Women’s Volleyball alone.

Penn State’s next matchups are 50% on the season; Illinois is 6-6 and Minnesota is 5-5. They are also both 1-1 in conference play. Minnesota sits at No. 13 in the nation.

The Nittany Lions are looking to advance to 4-0 in Big Ten conference play and ultimately, it shouldn’t be a problem for them.

Outside hitter, Jess Mruzik has just been awarded her second Big Ten Player of the Week this MONTH. Mruzik is averaging over .500 in hitting this season and is electric.

She is the second player to win the award twice in a season since Haleigh Washington in 2017.

Mruzik is a key player to look for this upcoming weekend because of her recent outstanding performances and the momentum she has been able to keep alive for this Penn State team.

Mruzik leads the team in points, 188.5, and kills, 164 so far this season.

Although Mruzik has seemed to steal the show so far this season, Camryn Hannah is another key Penn Stater to pay attention to as she is tallying kills with ease so far this season.

When it comes to Friday’s matchup, Penn State has some serious threats to look out for.

Illinois’ star player, Raina Terry, has 260.5 points and 229 kills on the season. The 6’3 senior leads the team in all aspects and is a huge difference-maker for the Fighting Illini.

Illinois outscores Penn State in total kills this season with 605 compared to Penn State’s 513.

In regards to Saturday’s matchup, Penn State is looking to knock down No. 13 Minnesota and move up in the rankings.

Some key Gophers to look out for include Minnesota’s Mckenna Wucherer and Taylor Landfair. The two have combined for a total of 238 kills and 278 points this season.

Although their record may deceive them, Minnesota has proved to be a force to be reckoned with this season and surely will not go down without a fight.

All in all, Penn State has proved to be a legitimate volleyball squad as per usual but the Nittany Lions still have some work to do to establish where they stand in the Big Ten Conference.

The blue and white are looking to create some separation and make themselves heard in the Big Ten.

Nevertheless, an exciting weekend of Penn State Volleyball is ahead of us.

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