Penn State women’s volleyball standouts Jess Mruzik, Mac Podraza, and Camryn Hannah received All-Big Ten honors Thursday afternoon when the conference announced its postseason awards, selected by the Big Ten’s 14 head coaches.

Mruzik and Podraza earned spots on the first team, while Hannah landed on the second team. Mruzik was a unanimous selection after leading the Nittany Lions with 464 kills during the regular season. It was her third straight time receiving first-team All-Big Ten recognition, while Podraza did so for the fourth year in a row. Macy Van Den Elzen was Penn State’s sportsmanship award winner.

A 𝘽𝙄𝙂 shoutout to the 2023 #B1GVolleyball All-Big Ten First Team, Second Team, Freshman Team and Sportsmanship honorees pic.twitter.com/KnUiZMvJ5L

— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) November 30, 2023

After earning a pair of second-team All-ACC nods during her three-year Clemson career, Hannah accomplished the feat again with the Nittany Lions in 2023, recording 294 kills during the regular season. Hannah established herself as Penn State’s second-most consistent scoring option behind Mruzik, showing off her powerful arm and high-flying vertical leap.

Wisconsin’s Sarah Franklin was named Big Ten Player of the Year, while Nebraska cleaned up the rest of the individual awards. Huskers libero Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career. Bergen Reilly was the first freshman to receive Big Ten Setter of the Year after leading the conference in assists per set with 10.74. Harper Murray beat out Reilly and Purdue’s Chloe Chicoine for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

John Cook was recognized by the media and his peers as Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading Nebraska to its first conference title since 2017, going 28-1 during the regular season and 19-1 in Big Ten play. Cook’s Huskers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, which began Thursday with first-round action.

Penn State’s trio of All-Big Ten selections helped the Nittany Lions beat Yale 3-1 Thursday evening at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena in Lawrence, Kansas, where they will face the host Jayhawks Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Mruzik was phenomenal in the win, tallying a match-high 19 kills and only one attack error on 37 swings. She added six digs, two assists, a block, and an ace.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley discussed what makes Mruzik special as a player during our phone conversation with Penn State’s second-year head coach following Wednesday’s practice.

“I think Jess wants to score every time she can,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think she’s involved in a lot of plays. I think Jess has stepped up her game and she’s a really fun player to watch. She’s explosive. She’s a student of the game as well. I think she’s gotten better defensively. Her serving has improved. I think she wants to be the complete player. She’s taken some really good strides to do that.”

The connection between Mruzik and Podraza has been exciting to watch this season, as the powerful duo can routinely take over a match when Penn State’s passing is on point. Podraza surpassed 5,000 career assists during the Nittany Lions’ 3-1 win over Michigan State on November 17 at Rec Hall and currently sits at 1,146 on the season. She had a match-high 42 assists, 10 digs, three aces, one kill, and one block against Yale.

“Mac’s had a great season,” Schumacher-Cawley said Wednesday. “I think she also has improved since the beginning of the season. I think she’s been really focused and wanting to be the best she can, whether it’s with film work or extra reps. I think that she’s done a great job. I’m happy she’s a Penn Stater.”

Podraza, Reilly, and Indiana’s Camryn Haworth were the three setters who landed on this year’s All-Big Ten first team. Haworth received a unanimous nod from the conference’s head coaches after leading the NCAA with 73 aces this fall.

Hannah was among five Penn State players who took between 12 and 15 swings against the Bulldogs in the first round of the tournament, finishing five of those for kills and adding a dig on an evening where the Nittany Lions hit .373 to advance to the round of 32. Schumacher-Cawley has often lauded Hannah’s confidence as a player during interviews.

“Cam takes big swings and she’s aggressive,” Schumacher-Cawley said following Penn State’s sweep of Ohio State in the regular season finale. “I think she’s just getting better and better as the season goes.”