Izzy Starck, Ava Falduto Sign With Penn State Volleyball

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball signed two of the nation’s best players in the 2024 recruiting class Wednesday morning in setter Izzy Starck and libero/defensive specialist Ava Falduto.

The program officially welcomed Starck and Falduto on social media after receiving their national letters of intent. Starck, the younger sister of Penn State outside hitter Anjelina Starck, is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect from the 2024 cycle, per Prep Dig. Falduto is ranked No. 5 overall by PrepVolleyball.com.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley discussed Starck and Falduto in a pair of graphics released by the program on social media following their signings, touching on the duo’s extensive experience with USA volleyball and her excitement to welcome them to campus this January as early enrollees. Gabby Blossom was the most recent Penn State women’s volleyball player to enroll a semester early, doing so in spring 2018.

Starck and Falduto are currently leading their high school teams on deep playoff runs. Starck and the Viera Hawks (27-4) beat Chiles High School 3-1 Wednesday evening to advance to Florida’s 6A state championship match Thursday at 7 p.m. Falduto and IC Catholic Prep  (35-3) play Carmi-White County High School in the Illinois 2A state semifinals Friday. Both were named AVCA first-team high school All-Americans and will compete in the Under Armour All-America Match January 2, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.

Starck transferred to Viera for her senior season after playing her first three years of high school volleyball for the Rampart Rams in Colorado Springs, Colorado, alongside her sister. Izzy and Anjelina helped Rampart win the first Colorado 5A state championship in program history in spring 2021. The Starck sisters are both Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year honorees.

Falduto was named IVCA first-team all-state as an outside hitter for the Knights, showcasing her versatile skill set and ability to terminate offensively, as she surpassed 1,000 career kills in October. Although she will be focused on defense at Penn State, Falduto’s experience as a hitter will certainly be beneficial as she acclimates to the Big Ten, the nation’s premier volleyball conference, which is adding USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington in 2024.

Falduto and Starck verbally committed to the Nittany Lions within two days of each other in June 2022 and have remained the only members of Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class. They won gold medals with the U.S. youth national team at the 2023 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup last May in Puerto Rico. Falduto was named Best Receiver afterward. The Elmhurst, Illinois, native followed it up with a gold medal at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championship in Croatia and Hungary last August.

Falduto and Starck also represented the U.S. at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship later that month in Mexico, playing up a level due to the beginning of the NCAA women’s volleyball season conflicting with the event. Starck, Falduto, and their 10 U.S. teammates finished sixth in the 16-team tournament despite playing against women several years their superior.

Schumacher-Cawley gave DigNittanyVolleyball an exclusive signing-day rundown on Starck and Falduto’s addition to the program before Wednesday’s practice at Rec Hall. Senior outside hitter Jess Mruzik and sophomore libero Gill Grimes also provided some advice for Penn State’s soon-to-be freshmen during our interviews with them Wednesday.

“I’m super happy it’s finally official,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “They’ve been on campus several times and I feel like they’ve been committed forever. I’m really excited to get them here in January. I think they’re both exceptional players, great people, and I think they’re going to add a ton of excitement to the team.”

Schumacher-Cawley discussed the value of Starck and Falduto getting an early start to their college careers this spring, allowing them to practice with their new Penn State teammates and build chemistry while the majority of their 2024 classmates are playing one final club season and wrapping up high school.

“I think it will be great to get them acclimated with classes here and getting in the weight room and in the gym training,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think they’re both really high-energy kids who really, really love volleyball. They like being in the gym and they like to work out. They’re eager and want to play at a high level and are excited about Penn State.”

Schumacher-Cawley said Starck and Falduto stood out in the program’s second annual 7 Star Camp at Rec Hall last June, which has quickly become a premier event for the nation’s top prospects.

“I think having them both in camp, they really set themselves apart,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “They’re really aggressive, want to learn, and they’re just fun to have around.”

When asked what advice she has for Starck and Falduto as they finish up their high school careers, Penn State’s second-year head coach said she wants them to enjoy the next few months, and hopefully bring home a pair of state titles soon.

“They’re both competing for state championships,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I talked to both of them today and just wished them the best of luck. I want them to enjoy what they have left in high school and with their friends there. It’s a big deal to come early and I think it’s a lot, but I know they’re really excited about it. I just want them to enjoy their time with their families and their high school teammates.”

Grimes and Mruzik also shared advice for Penn State’s incoming freshmen while catching up with DigNittanyVolleyball before Wednesday’s practice.

“I think they’ll have a great time with us,” Grimes said. “The advice I would say is just be ready and have fun. Live in the moment, because you’ll play in matches like we did last Friday [against Nebraska], and [the atmosphere at Rec Hall] was a dream come true.”

Mruzik, who leads Penn State’s offense with 382 kills heading into this weekend’s home matches against Michigan and Wisconsin, said she reached out to Starck and Falduto earlier in the day Wednesday to welcome them to the program.

“I’m super excited,” Mruzik said. “I talked to both of them today. They’re graduating early, which is something that I did at Michigan, and I thought it was super beneficial. I told them that I’m always here for them for whatever they need — volleyball, life, school, whatever. I told them to just enjoy the process and soak it all in, because it goes by super fast.”