Gill Grimes Heading To U.S. Women’s National Team Open Program

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Rising junior libero Gill Grimes will represent the Penn State women’s volleyball team as its sole attendee at this weekend’s U.S. national team open program February 23-25 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Grimes, a Westchester, Illinois, native, tallied 666 digs during her first two seasons as a Nittany Lion, taking over the libero role last fall and rapidly gaining confidence, becoming more of a vocal presence on the court as the year went on. Her celebrations have always been top-notch, though, as Grimes can jump out of the gym in excitement and fire up her teammates with ease.

Grimes hasn’t missed a single set of action in college, appearing in all 249 since the start of the 2022 campaign. She was the very first server of the season against UConn in her Penn State debut, showcasing the coaching staff’s trust in her as one of the team’s best from the end line. Grimes has 57 aces halfway through her Penn State career, leading the Nittany Lions with 28 last season.

After attending USA volleyball’s open program as a guest coach the last two years, Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley will not be making the trip to Colorado with Grimes this weekend. Anjelina Starck, Kashauna Williams, and Zoe Weatherington represented the Nittany Lions at the 2022 event, which annually serves as a tryout for the U.S. women’s national team and collegiate national team. Last February, Weatherington, Jess Mruzik, Allie Holland, Camryn Hannah, Alexa Markley, and Ally Van Eekeren participated.

Grimes attended Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois, helping the Roadrunners win their first IHSA 3A state championship in program history as a senior in 2021. Grimes had a career-high 35 digs in the title match, a 2-1 win over Belvidere North, and finished high school with 1,623 digs, per MaxPreps. You can watch the entirety of that championship match from November 13, 2021 here.

After initially verbally committing to Michigan State, Grimes flipped to the Nittany Lions in the wake of Spartans head coach Cathy George’s retirement from the university following the 2021 season. George is now the head coach and VP of volleyball operations of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Grand Rapids Rise, which currently has Penn Staters Nia Grant, Mac Podraza, and Erika Pritchard on its roster.

Penn State fans are undoubtedly thrilled Grimes eventually chose the Nittany Lions, as the former Adversity VBC standout from Chicagoland is one of the Big Ten’s most exciting defensive players to watch. Her 3.58 digs per set in 2023 ranked 10th among the conference’s liberos. Grimes had double-digit digs in 26 of 32 matches as a sophomore, including a career-high 23 in a 3-2 win over Ohio State on October 7 at Rec Hall.

Grimes was a significant reason why the Nittany Lions finished atop the Big Ten in fewest opponent service aces allowed last season, surrendering only 0.83 per set. Schumacher-Cawley discussed Grimes’ improvement as a sophomore during an interview in early November.

“I think Gill has taken some big, big steps forward in her game,” she said. “Defensively, I think she’s understanding the game better. I think serving, for her, has always been really good. I think her serve is a lot more aggressive. She’s ready to go. She’s a competitive player.”

Grimes and touted freshman Ava Falduto, who enrolled a semester early this spring alongside setter Izzy Starck, will likely give the Nittany Lions one of the better backcourt duos in the Big Ten in 2024, right up there with Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez and Laney Choboy.

Grimes has ample experience playing in pressure-packed moments, with two NCAA tournaments, a 3-1 win over then-No. 2 Wisconsin at Rec Hall, and a narrow five-set loss to the then-No. 1 Huskers now in her past, the forensic science major tries her best to keep things in perspective and maintain her focus in those do-or-die scenarios.

“I think that really tests me as a volleyball player and as a person,” Grimes said. “I like to say that I have fun in those moments, just because I know those types of moments I’ll never get back.”

Grimes, who wears No. 3 and shared her admiration for Penn State digs leader Kendall White, now the libero for the Omaha Supernovas of the Pro Volleyball Federation, said she takes the responsibility of representing the Penn State program, and all it stands for, quite seriously.

“It’s been a dream since I was a little girl, so I’m trying not to take that for granted and just to create that legacy for our future, too,” Grimes said.