Ava Jurevicius became the fifth member of Penn State women’s volleyball’s 2025 recruiting class when she verbally committed to the Nittany Lions Saturday morning, announcing the news on her Instagram account.
The younger sister of redshirt freshman pin hitter Caroline Jurevicius, Ava joined Marin Collins, Lexi Gin, Gabby Nichols, and Alexis Ewing in Penn State’s 2025 class. Caroline announced her transfer from Nebraska to Penn State on December 21, 2023 and recently made her debut with the Nittany Lions in a pair of exhibition matches against Pitt this spring.
Now, the Jurevicius sisters will reunite as Penn State teammates next fall. They previously spent two seasons as teammates at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School in Ohio in 2021 and 2022. Ava transferred to Lincoln Lutheran and VCNebraska for club volleyball as a junior in 2023 during Caroline’s redshirt season at Nebraska and will remain there for her senior year.
Ava and Caroline won an Ohio Division II state championship together in 2022, then Ava helped Lincoln Lutheran win its fourth Nebraska Class C-2 state title in the last five years during her first season with the Warriors last fall, a 36-2 campaign. Jurevicius is teammates with 2025 Nebraska libero commit Keri Leimbach.
Jurevicius wrote on Instagram:
I’m thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something big at Penn State University. There are coaches who have taught, teammates who have battled alongside me, and believers who have supported from the beginning. Thank you to all of you.
This is a dream come true and I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned from this sport. My path has been different, but with this shot to walk on for the Lions, one thing still remains… I have work to do. The biggest thank you goes to the PSU coaching staff for this amazing opportunity.
Where She Might Play
Ava, who’s listed at 5-foot-10, is expected to fill a utility or defensive specialist role at Penn State, similar to senior backup setter Quinn Menger, who comes in to serve occasionally. Ava played right-side hitter and DS at Lincoln Lutheran and finished the 2023 season with 262 digs, 194 kills, 44 total blocks, and 38 aces, per MaxPreps.
Jurevicius’ father, Joe, played wide receiver at Penn State from 1994-97 before an 11-year career with four different teams in the NFL. Ava recently visited Penn State’s campus and tried on her future uniform during a photoshoot prior to her announcement. She wore No. 8 last fall and donned the same number in her commitment photo.
Fifth-year senior pin hitter Camryn Hannah, who currently wears No. 8 for the Nittany Lions, will extinguish her eligibility following the 2024 season, so it will be available for Jurevicius if she wants to continue wearing it. Caroline is wearing No. 14 for the Nittany Lions this season, while their father wore No. 83 at Penn State.
Future Looks Bright
Jurevicius has an impressive athletic pedigree and a solid support system behind her as she heads into her senior year of high school. Ava can lean on her older sister for advice and will be well prepared as she makes the transition to Penn State, as scores of current and former players and commits welcomed her to the family following her announcement Saturday.