Ally Van Eekeren Transfers To Penn State Volleyball

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Ally Van Eekeren, a 6-foot setter from Naperville, Illinois, will play her fifth and final college season with Penn State women’s volleyball after graduate transferring from High Point University, announcing the news on her social media Wednesday.

A member of the 2019 recruiting class, Van Eekeren played for Benet Academy before enrolling at Creighton, where she spent her first three seasons. Van Eekeren was named the 2022 Big South Setter of the Year as a senior at High Point and also earned a first-team all-conference nod.

Van Eekeren and fellow setter Mac Podraza, who committed to the Nittany Lions via the transfer portal on Monday, visited Penn State’s campus together last weekend. They met the team and toured Rec Hall with the coaching staff before eventually picking Penn State as their new home for the 2023 season.

Podraza and Van Eekeren will arrive on campus after the spring semester and begin preparations for the fall with their new teammates.

Van Eekeren finished the 2022 campaign with 975 assists, 245 digs, 128 kills, 51 total blocks, and 27 aces. She led High Point to the Big South title and an NCAA tournament berth last fall, where her team lost to Southern Cal in the first round in Columbus, Ohio.

Van Eekeren had 408 assists, 114 digs, 33 aces, 24 kills, and 10 total blocks during her Creighton career, including a solid sophomore season that featured the most playing time of her Blue Jay tenure.

Here’s the link to Ally Van Eekeren’s full bio on the High Point website:

Ally Van Eekeren’s Bio on the High Point website

You can access her stats by clicking on “Stats” on the Menu Bar below her photo and Player Profile

Van Eekeren represented Sports Performance Volleyball on the club circuit, based out of Aurora, Illinois, leading her 18s team to a 2018 AAU national championship. She committed to Creighton in February 2017 before ever playing varsity for her high school team.

Van Eekeren’s mother, Amy, played volleyball for Illinois. Her brother, Jackson, was a setter on the 2021 NCAA champion Hawaii team. Ally will be among three players from Illinois on Penn State’s 2023 roster, including sophomore defensive specialist Gillian Grimes and incoming freshman middle blocker Catherine Burke.

Here’s the video of Van Eekeren’s final match for High Point, versus USC in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament:

https://youtu.be/1vXVGZkaRcs