Penn State women’s volleyball commit Ava Falduto will participate in her seventh United States national team development program (NTDP) training series December 27-30 in Anaheim, California.

Falduto, a 5-foot-8 libero/defensive specialist from Elmhurst, Illinois, verbally committed to the Nittany Lions on June 19, becoming the first member of Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class before setter Izzy Starck joined her two days later.

Falduto plays outside hitter for IC Catholic Prep and is having a standout junior season, leading the Knights to a conference championship and playoff berth. Falduto also represents New WAVE on the club circuit, where she has garnered a reputation as one of the nation’s best, if not the best, libero from her recruiting class.

Falduto previously attended three NTDP events in 2021 and has participated in three so far in 2022. Her trip to California this winter will allow her to continue refining her skills alongside the top youth talent in the country and learn from several esteemed coaches.

Falduto and former Penn State All-American setter Alisha Glass Childress spent some time together this summer at the NTDP event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The latter called Falduto a “baller” in a post on her Instagram story at the time, adding that she’s “pumped [Falduto’s] becoming a Nittany Lion.”

While in Tulsa, Falduto played for the Great Lakes region and was selected to the all-tournament team at the USA Volleyball All-Star Championships July 20-23.

Falduto attended Penn State’s 7 Star Camp at the beginning of the summer before announcing her commitment to the Nittany Lions several days later. Falduto took home top libero honors at the camp, as selected by Penn State’s current players who served as counselors that day.

Falduto will be joined in Anaheim by fellow NTDP regular and Penn State target Alec Rothe, a 2024 middle blocker from Dublin, Ohio, who visited Rec Hall opening weekend and watched the Nittany Lions play alongside Falduto.

Falduto and Rothe are close friends who routinely pose for photos together at training series events and interact with each other on social media.

While on campus with her family, Falduto toured the athletic facilities, including Beaver Stadium with head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, and tried on a few different Penn State uniform combinations during a photo shoot at Rec Hall.