This post is the fourth in a four-part series that looks at the Penn State Women’s Volleyball roster for 2023. This article focuses on the libero/defensive specialist positions, with a rundown on returnees, “new Penn Staters” who arrived through the Transfer Portal, and incoming freshmen.
Here are links to the previous three parts in this series: Part 1: Pin Hitters, Part 2: Middle Blockers, and Part 3, Setters.
As a bonus, we’ll be posting an interview next week “How Penn State Fared with the Transfer Portal.” So keep an eye on DigNittanyVolleyball.com, and follow us on Twitter — @DigNittany — or on the DigNittanyVolleyball Forum.
Oh, and in case it isn’t clear, where there is text that is highlighted in blue and bolded (other than the headings) that text is a link — for example, player names are linked to their bios.
The “Smalls” Look to Come up Big in 2023
Maddy Bilinovic, Gillian Grimes, Cassie Kuerschen, and Quinn Menger will all be back in 2023, joined by incoming transfer Lina Perugini (the starting libero in 2022 for Coastal Carolina), and true freshmen Joce Nathan and Kate Lally. The competition for starting libero and the defensive specialist spots in 2023 should be intense. Here’s a quick rundown on the players who will be competing for starting backrow spots in the 2023 line-up.
In 2022, Maddy Bilinovic grabbed the starting libero jersey in preseason practice and never let go. She led the team with 3.39 digs/set (Leisa Elisaia was 2nd with 2.19 digs/set), and was a vocal leader during matches, in the gym and in the locker room. In particular, she did a great job mentoring the younger players.
The word from Spring practice is that her first contact is really good and that she has improved her reads. It’s going to be really competitive for “the shirt,” in 2023, and Maddy Bilinovic will be in the thick of that competition.
When Gillian Grimes arrived at Penn State in 2022 as a true freshman, she made an immediate impact. She was one of only three players to appear in all 129 sets in 2022 (Leisa Elisaia and Maddy Bilinovic were the other two). She averaged 1.84 digs/set (3rd on the team) and compiled a .973 reception % (trailing only Bilinovic’s .974 among players with a minimum of 30 attempts).
Her experience in 2022 made her really comfortable during 2023 Spring practice, and she was able to improve all facets of her game. Her first contact is great, but with her work in the Spring, she’s doing a better job defensively working at all three backrow spots. She knows she still needs to get stronger, but has worked hard to improve in that area. As important as the stats, she’s known as a great person and a great teammate. She will definitely be in the mix in the battle for the starting libero position.
Lina Perugini is yet another “new Penn Stater” who came to Penn State via the Transfer Portal. Lina brings some impressive credentials to Penn State — she was named second-team All-Sun Belt Conference following the 2022 season, appearing in all of Coastal Carolina’s 114 sets and averaging 4.14 digs per set (fourth-best in the conference). She also earned All-Sun Belt second-team honors following the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Defensively, she’s very good, and she brings great experience to Penn State.
Lina is known as a high-energy player who flies around the court. Her childhood dream was to go to Penn State (she attended a Penn State volleyball camp when she was younger, and has a photo showing her with Paulina Prieto-Cerame). She is a battler — she started at Coastal Carolina as a walk-on, and graduated having earned a scholarship. She definitely will contribute.
2023 will mark Cassie Kuerschen’s third season with the Nittany Lions, and she is aiming to make it her best season yet. In 2022 she ranked third among backrow players with 123 sets played, and 2nd with 1.99 digs/set. She had great Spring, as she worked on her overall game and on developing an even more aggressive serve. She reportedly improved alot on serve-receive.
Cassie has a great attitude and is a natural leader — people want to be around her. She is a stellar student, and will be competing for rightback or somewhere in the backrow as a serving specialist.
Quinn Menger: Quinn is the ultimate team player. Because she was the only setter on campus during Spring practice, she had to practice at setter and still find time to work on her defense skills and her serve. That’s tough, but Quinn pulled it off. She’s a great teammate and works hard to help the team, regardless of her role. She’s a great leader, and will be competing for playing time in the backrow and as a serving specialist.
Joce Nathan: Joce has had a very successful HS and club career in Delaware. She has a very aggressive serve and should be able to help there. She’ll be looking to improve her first contact. She has great energy and stamina, and will contribute in whatever way the team needs.
Kate Lally will be a true freshman in 2023. She can set and play backrow, and has an aggressive serve. Similar to Quinn Menger, she will provide depth at setter and in the back row.
Note: The chart below only contains college stats, so neither Joce Nathan nor Kate Lally have any stats. But trust us, they both played last season, and played well.
| Player | 2023 Class | Ht | SP | MP | Digs/ Set | RE | TA | Rec % | Asst/ Set | SA/ Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maddie Bilinovic | 4/Sr. | 5-07 | 129 | 34 | 3.39 | 19 | 730 | .974 | 0.91 | 0.22 |
| Gillian Grimes | 2/So. | 5-06 | 129 | 34 | 1.84 | 14 | 517 | .973 | 0.23 | 0.22 |
| Cassie Kuerschen | 3/Jr. | 5-09 | 123 | 33 | 1.99 | 14 | 404 | .965 | 0.24 | 0.20 |
| Lina Perugini | 4/Gr. | 5-07 | 114 | 30 | 4.15 | 19 | 609 | .969 | 0.96 | 0.13 |
| Quinn Menger | 3/Jr. | 5-09 | 13 | 10 | 0.38 | 0 | 3 | 1.000 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| Joce Nathan | 1/Fr. | 5-06 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 |
| Kate Lally | 1/Fr. | 5-09 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 |