The Missing Puzzle Piece?: How Caroline Jurevicius’ hot streak kept Penn State unbeaten in October

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – When assessing the No. 3 Penn State women’s volleyball team, you don’t expect to find many weaknesses among the players on the floor.

Just about everywhere you look, the Nittany Lions have an embarrassment of riches on their hands.

Jess Mruzik and Camryn Hannah are two of the most dominant outside hitters in the Big Ten. Taylor Trammell and Maggie Mendelson can block and score from the middle. Gillian Grimes, Ava Falduto and Anjelina Starck eat up hardwood in the back row like it’s for breakfast. And freshman setter Izzy Starck is – well, pretty good at just about everything.

The one potential hole in a Nittany Lion team that seems poised to otherwise contend for a national championship has been at the opposite hitter spot. Both junior Alexa Markley and redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius have spent time interchanging at that position, particularly throughout recent weeks as coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley tries to ride the hot hand.

During media availability on Tuesday, Schumacher-Cawley indicated that the approach wasn’t going to change when it came to determining who was going to get the nod at that spot going forward.

“It’s going to be rotating because we need to score points,” Schumacher-Cawley said of her right-side hitter slot. “And until someone can step up and consistently earn that spot, then that’s what it will be.”

If it’s fair to characterize Schumacher-Cawley’s statement as a challenge to her duo of talented pin hitters, then for Jurevicius, the challenge was accepted on Wednesday night.

Before analyzing Jurevicius’ performance against Michigan, it’s important to provide a quick snapshot of her season to this point.

After redshirting last year at Nebraska, Jurevicius transferred across the conference to follow in the footsteps of her father, Joe, who was a standout receiver for Penn State’s football team in the 1990s.

Jurevicius got off to a fast start, hopping into the starting lineup right away and delivering seven kills in her collegiate debut against No. 15 Tennessee. A few days later, Jurevicius announced her presence to the Rec Hall faithful by racking up 11 kills – still her career-high – in her first Penn State home match versus No. 4 Louisville.

But for most rookies, their freshman season can be a roller coaster. While Jurevicius oozed raw talent and showed many flashes of brilliance, she also had moments of disappointment.

Jurevicius hit -.143 in Penn State’s only loss of the season to No. 1 Pitt, and later on had two rough matches back-to-back against Michigan State and Maryland.

After struggling against Ohio State on Oct. 18, Markley relieved Jurevicius in the lineup, and the former Big Ten All-Freshman selection provided a spark while Jurevicius – also dealing with an undisclosed shoulder issue – sat on the sideline.

But when Markley ran into troubles of her own against UCLA, it opened the door for Jurevicius to crack back into the lineup. Playing from only the third set on, Jurevicius had eight kills on .500 hitting in Penn State’s 3-2 win over the Bruins.

Jurevicius backed it up when the Nittany Lions made the short trip to the Galen Center, collecting eight kills on less efficient hitting, but adding a career-high seven blocks against No. 16 USC.

Playing against a competitive Michigan team on Wednesday night back at Rec Hall, it was valid to wonder if Jurevicius could keep her momentum rolling into the stretch run of Penn State’s season.

All told Jurevicius had six kills and only one error for a .333 hitting clip, while she also added in two blocks. The numbers weren’t gaudy by any means, but they were timely.

In the second set when the Nittany Lions found themselves back on their heels for practically the only time all night, Jurevicius strung together a run of two kills and a solo block in four points, flipping the script from Penn State being down 10-8 to holding the advantage 12-10.

After some contributions from her All-American teammate and former Wolverine in Mruzik, Jurevicius added another kill to balloon Penn State’s lead to 17-11 and force Michigan head coach Erin Virtue to call a timeout that, in essence, waved the white flag on the set.

After the match, Jurevicius was quick to credit her veteran teammates for helping her progress throughout the season.

“They just remind me to calm down,” Jurevicius said. “I think that’s a very, very big thing for me, and they’re very grounding presences around me.”

Jurevicius also mentioned that going the extra mile to get her mind and body ready for play has been a big factor.

“I think just doing a little bit of extra stuff on the side, whether that be reps, coming in for film, doing a little bit of extra treatment on the shoulder,” Jurevicius said about what she attributes her recent success to. “It’s the little things that all accumulate, and it’s no secret that pays off.”

Only time will tell if this burst of production from Jurevicius will be consistent, or if her roller coaster season will continue.

But with talent all over the floor, if Jurevicius can continue playing her best volleyball, it sets up Penn State’s offense as a puzzle that is fully complete, and an attack that is – pardon the pun – “vicious” for any opposing defense to face.

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