Four Penn State Volleyball Commits Earn AVCA All-Region Recognition

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Four Penn State women’s volleyball commits from the program’s 2021 recruiting class earned AVCA high school all-region recognition Monday.

Outside hitter Anjelina Starck, setter Rachel Muisenga, middle blocker Erika Williams, and libero/defensive specialist Cassie Kuerschen found themselves on their respective all-region teams, which means they’re eligible to be named Under Armour All-Americans when the rosters are announced November 11.

This year’s Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match has unfortunately been canceled due to COVID-19 precautions, but the 24 first-team selections will still be celebrated at a later date, according to AVCA Phenom, which organizes the event.

Annie Cate Fitzpatrick and Macy Van Den Elzen participated in the prestigious exhibition match in Orlando, Florida, last year before enrolling at Penn State, where they are currently training for the upcoming spring season. Lauren Clark, Gabby Blossom, and Jonni Parker also played in the Under Armour match as high school seniors prior to their arrival in University Park.

Colorado and Illinois decided to push their girls’ volleyball seasons to the spring, so Starck and Muisenga will have to wait a few more months to hit the court for their final campaigns at Rampart High School (Colorado Springs) and Benet Academy (Lisle), respectively. Muisenga led her team to a 41-1 record and the 4A Illinois state championship as a junior last fall.

Texas and Tennessee, where Williams and Kuerschen reside, elected to hold their high school volleyball seasons as scheduled this fall. Williams and Kingwood Park are currently 12-8 as of the publication of this article, while Kuerschen and Knoxville Catholic recently finished their season 22-9. Kuerschen set the school’s all-time digs record with 1,874. She flipped her verbal commitment from her hometown University of Tennessee to the Nittany Lions on October 16.

Starck (13), Muisenga (30), Williams (92), and Kuerschen (118) are all ranked within the PrepVolleyball.com Top150 for the 2021 recruiting class. The Nittany Lions also hold a verbal commitment this cycle from Richmond, Virginia, setter Quinn Menger, who picked Penn State during her junior season on September 16, 2019. Menger has led St. Catherine’s School to a 7-0 start to the season.