Penn State defeated North Carolina 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 25-15) in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament, earning the right to host an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2017!  Jess Mruzik had another monster match, hitting .280 with 21 kills, 9 digs and 4 blocks, while Cam Hannah chipped in with 13 kills (.435) and Taylor Trammell added 8 kills on eye-catching .889 hitting.  Izzy Starck directed the team to an overall .368 hitting percentage.

Box Score

From GoPSUsports.com:

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Jess Mruzik and Camryn Hannah combined for 34 kills to lead No. 2 Penn State Women’s Volleyball to a 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 25-15) win over North Carolina in the NCAA Second Round on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions upped their record to 31-2 overall and a perfect 18-0 at Rec Hall.

With the win, Penn State will host an NCAA Regional at Rec Hall for the first time since 2017. The Nittany Lions will play Marquette in the NCAA Regional Semifinal on Friday, while Creighton and Texas square off in the other semifinal match in Happy Valley. The winners meet in the Regional Final on Sunday at Rec Hall.

Mruzik went off in the win over North Carolina, hitting .280 with 21 kills, nine digs, and four blocks. Hannah was efficient with her 13 kills, hitting .435. Speaking of efficiency, Taylor Trammell was nearly perfect with eight kills and no errors on her nine attempts for an .889 hitting percentage. Caroline Jurevicius hit .368 with eight kills.

Penn State hit .368 as a team behind 41 assists from Izzy Starck. The freshman setter also contributed to that percentage with her five kills and no errors on eight attacks. She added seven digs and five blocks.

The Nittany Lions held North Carolina to an even .200 hitting. Trammell and Maggie Mendelson tallied six blocks apiece, while Gillian Grimes finished with a team-high 16 digs. Ava Falduto and Mruzik added nine digs apiece.

North Carolina, which is coached by Penn State grad and former Nittany Lions assistant coach Mike Schall, was led by Alexis Engelbrecht with 10 kills on .615 hitting. Mabrey Shaffmaster finished with a team-high 12 kills.

Set 1
Mruzik started strong with seven kills while leading Penn State to a 25-21 win in the opening set. Starck tallied 10 assists as the Nittany Lions hit .400 in the set. They trailed early ay 9-5 and were still down 12-10 before going on a 5-0 run. Jurevicius, Mruzik, and Mendelson all had kills during that stretch, while Falduto contributed an ace. The Nittany Lions held the lead the rest of the way. Mruzik closed the set with a kill.

Set 2
Mruzik didn’t slow down in the second set, adding seven more kills in Penn State’s 25-18 win. The Nittany Lions led by as much as nine in the set at 16-7 following a kill by Mendelson. Set point was again scored on a kill by Mruzik.

Set 3
North Carolina stayed alive with a 25-20 win in the third set. Safi Hampton hit .444 with five kills, while Shaffmaster had five kills. The Tar Heels started to pull away with a 3-0 run that put them up 16-11. Penn State did get as close as 22-20, but North Carolina scored the final three points.

Set 4
Hannah hit .833 with five kills to help Penn State close the match with a 25-15 win in the fourth set. Jurevicius added four kills on .500 hitting. Mendelson and Starck contributed three blocks apiece. The result was never in doubt as the Nittany Lions jumped out to a 7-1 lead and went on to lead by as much as 11. Match point was scored on a kill by Hannah.

Career Highs
Jocelyn Nathan – assists (3)