Penn State women’s volleyball commits Ava Falduto and Izzy Starck have been regular contributors for USA’s youth national teams, but are now stepping up their competition in Mexico at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship.

Falduto and Starck are among 12 high school athletes selected to represent the U.S. at the 16-team tournament, the timing of which prevented college players from participating due to the upcoming NCAA season. Earlier this month on August 11, Falduto won a gold medal at the U19 World Championship with many of the same teammates in Croatia.

Falduto and Starck kindly took the time to answer a few questions about their most recent experiences representing USA volleyball on the international stage in a pair of exclusive interviews with DigNittanyVolleyball.

“It was a really cool feeling and something I will never forget,” Falduto said of winning gold in Croatia. “The feeling of coming back after being down two sets just showed how much we wanted to win, and we were never going to give up.”

Although she didn’t join Falduto at the event, as USA volleyball elected to send setters Campbell Flynn and Charlie Fuerbringer, Starck said she was happy to see her future Penn State teammate succeed in such a big competition and to be back in the gym playing alongside her.

“I was so excited and was really happy, because she deserved it,” Starck said. “It’s so great being back, and it’s really my favorite thing being back in the USA gym with all the amazing athletes.”

Falduto and Starck were teammates this May in Puerto Rico when the U.S. also won gold at the 2023 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup, which was Starck’s second time donning the gold medal in the event. Starck made her youth national team debut in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in July 2022 and was on the floor for championship point against Brazil.

Starck and Falduto verbally committed to the Nittany Lions’ 2024 recruiting class in mid-June of 2022 and intend to enroll early at Penn State in January 2024 following their senior seasons of high school volleyball. They will miss their first few matches for Viera High School and IC Catholic Prep, respectively, as a chance to win another gold medal took precedent despite how badly they surely want to be with their teammates right now.

“My message to them is to just keep grinding in practice and staying together and they will be just fine,” Falduto said. “We are extremely motivated to get back to state this year, and this time win it all. I am really excited to see what this team can do.”

Starck had a similar sentiment when discussing what she wants her new teammates to prioritize while she’s in Mexico. “My message is really just to work hard and stay determined,” she said.

Starck played her first three seasons at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, where she won a Colorado 5A state championship as a freshman and was named the Gatorade Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year as a junior, before her family moved to Florida this summer. Falduto led the Knights to a 33-2 record and an Illinois 2A state runner-up finish as a junior last fall.

Viera went 22-6 and lost to New Smyrna Beach in five sets in Florida’s 2022 6A state championship match, but the addition of Starck gives the Hawks a strong chance to win a state title this fall given her supreme talent at the setter position.

“We are all meshing really well, and they all are so welcoming and have such great determination,” Starck said. “I am really excited, and I know they really want to work hard to win.”

The U.S. finished the first round of pool play at the U21 World Championship 2-1 and will play Italy to begin the second round of pool play Monday at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the match on YouTube right here. The U.S. women’s U21 team is seeking its first medal in this event.

Falduto had a match-high 19 digs and seven successful receptions in a 3-1 win over the Netherlands on Saturday. She had 15 digs and 16 successful receptions in a 3-1 loss to Turkey Friday. Falduto opened the tournament with 10 digs and five successful receptions in a sweep of Cuba Thursday. Starck has come off the bench so far in relief of Flynn, a Nebraska commit.

“I’m looking forward to gaining a ton of experience playing against these older girls and seeing what we can do against tough competition,” Falduto said of playing up a level.

Starck said she’s excited to be challenging herself as a player and getting to explore the cities of Aguascalientes and León, Mexico. The U.S. team had Sunday off after three consecutive days of matches to begin the tournament. They went bowling and did some sightseeing together.

Later this year, Starck and Falduto will play in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match in Orlando, Florida, earning their invites at the Louisville and Chicago UA Next camp stops, respectively, this spring. The date of the match has yet to be announced.

“It’s an awesome feeling that Izzy and I have spent so much time playing together before college,” Falduto said. “I think we are extremely close already, and it’s only going to help us prepare for college.”

The libero-setter connection of Falduto and Starck should have Penn State volleyball fans plenty excited about the future of those two highly important positions. The fact that they’re enrolling a semester early and will go through spring practice with the Nittany Lions bodes well for their chances of making an immediate impact in 2024.

“It’s so fun to play with her,” Starck said. “We are super comfortable together and have so much trust in each other, which makes it so easy to play with her.”