Kate Kalczynski became the fifth member of Penn State women’s volleyball’s 2027 recruiting class when the 6-foot outside hitter verbally committed to the Nittany Lions Sunday night.
Kalczynski visited Penn State’s campus April 10-12 and attended the team’s first match of the spring season against Villanova, a 3-1 win April 11 at Rec Hall. Fellow 2027 Penn State commit Nejari Crooks also attended that match and sat alongside Kalczynski in the bleachers.
“Different path, same dream!!” Kalczynski wrote on Instagram. “I am SO excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at Penn State University! I would like to thank my parents, family, friends, Mercy Volleyball + Loretta, Roly, and finally, my Legacy family. A huge thank you to Coach Jen for making this happen and sticking by my side the entire time, no matter how difficult it got.
“Another huge thank you to Coach Katie [Schumacher-Cawley], Brian [Toron], Megan [Hodge Easy], and Abby [Detering] for giving me this chance to live out my dreams! B1G things to come! Little me would be proud! WE ARE.”
Kalczynski (Troy, MI) will be a senior at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in the fall. Her mother played volleyball at Michigan State and her father played baseball for the Spartans.
Schumacher-Cawley played against Kalczynski’s mother, Angela (Morley) Kalczynski, while they were in college. Morley, a middle blocker for the Spartans, was named first-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2002.
Kalczynski was previously committed to Ohio State before flipping her verbal to the Nittany Lions. She represents Legacy Volleyball Club. Penn State great and 2024 NCAA national champion Jess Mruzik played for the same high school and club programs as Kalczynski.
Kalczynski is a strong passer and defensive player, proving herself particularly reliable in those areas in last fall’s state championship run for Mercy. She had 16 kills, including the match winner, and 12 digs in the 2025 MHSAA Division I state title, a 3-1 win over Bloomfield Hills. Kalczynski also won a state title with the Marlins as a freshman in 2023, while Mruzik won a state title there as a senior in 2019.
Kalczynski is ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, per Prep Dig. Penn State has the most commits ranked within the top 15 nationally that cycle with four, two more than Nebraska and Texas A&M, which are tied for second-most.
Kalczynski joined Olivia Henry (No. 2 overall, No. 1 OH, per Prep Dig), Taylor Harrington (No. 10 overall, No. 2 MB), Nejari Crooks (No. 11 overall, No. 1 RS), and Molly Robertson (No. 107 overall) in Penn State’s 2027 class. Penn State commits and current players congratulated Kalczynski on her commitment, sharing their excitement to play together next year on her Instagram post.
Schumacher-Cawley and her staff did an excellent job landing commitments from their top targets this cycle, many of whom hail from the East Coast. All five of Penn State’s 2027 commits live within driving distance of University Park, with Kalczynski and Crooks (High Point, North Carolina) living the farthest away.