Emerson “Emmi” Sellman, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter from Burtonsville, Maryland, announced her transfer from Ohio State to Penn State women’s volleyball ahead of the 2025 season on Monday via her Instagram account.
Sellman has three years of eligibility remaining after wrapping up an impressive freshman season with the Buckeyes in 2024. Sellman, who played in 20 matches and started 17, finished third on the team with 219 kills in an Ohio State offense that primarily fed fifth-year senior Emily Londot.
Londot’s 510 kills were 287 more than any other Buckeye this fall, as middle blocker Rylee Rader, another fifth-year senior, tallied 223 kills. Sellman added 128 digs, 21 blocks, 16 aces, and seven assists on her way to a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection. New Penn State teammates Izzy Starck and Caroline Jurevicius joined her in receiving said recognition from the conference.
Sellman had by far her best match of the season in a 3-2 loss to the Nittany Lions on October 18 in Columbus, recording a career-high 27 kills (.286), nine digs, one block, and one ace. Sellman’s highlights from that match can be found at the bottom of this article.
Sellman was a four-year starter at the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland, where she was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Sellman also played for Metro Volleyball Club of DC, the same program that produced 2025 Penn State signee Alexis Ewing, an outside hitter who will also arrive on campus before next season.
Sellman was ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 outside hitter in the 2024 recruiting class, per Prep Dig. Sellman visited Penn State’s campus on Wednesday, December 11 before committing to the Nittany Lions. She will enroll in classes at the university this January and participate in spring practices with the team.
Sellman already has experience playing with classmates Izzy Starck and Ava Falduto with USA volleyball and at the Under Armour All-America Match. Sellman and Falduto helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championship in August of that year in Osijek, Croatia. All three were then called up for the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship later that month in León, Mexico, where they finished sixth despite playing against women several years older than them.
Sellman captained both teams and was named the Best Receiver of the U21 event, showcasing her leadership ability and strong passing skills. Last summer, before making her college debut, Sellman was the youngest of 19 athletes selected to the 2024 U.S. women’s collegiate national team, which trained June 30-July 6 in Anaheim, California, alongside Penn State alumnae Haleigh Washington and Micha Hancock and the rest of the senior national team before it departed for the Paris Olympics.
Sellman’s addition to the Penn State program will help ease the sting of Jess Mruzik and Camryn Hannah’s graduations, as both first-team All-Big Ten outside hitters will soon extinguish their collegiate eligibility following Penn State’s NCAA tournament run. The Nittany Lions beat Creighton 3-2 Sunday night to advance to their 14th NCAA semifinals this Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky, where they will face Nebraska.
Sellman aspires to open her own veterinary practice once her playing career is over. She wore No. 14 for Ohio State, but will need to pick a new number, as Caroline Jurevicius currently wears No. 14 for the Nittany Lions.