Izzy Starck Claims Second Big Ten Freshman Of The Week Honors

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Izzy Starck became the first Penn State women’s volleyball player since Ali Frantti in 2014 to begin her collegiate career with back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors to start the season.

Starck led the Nittany Lions (5-0) to wins over Louisville, Kentucky, and Ball State in week two, tallying 122 assists, 28 digs, eight kills, eight blocks, and two aces. She had career highs of 47 assists and 17 digs in Penn State’s reverse sweep of the Wildcats Friday night in Lexington.

Starck was named to the Kentucky Invitational all-tournament team alongside Taylor Trammell (MVP) and Camryn Hannah, as the freshman setter did an excellent job of working the ball around to a variety of hitters. Her teammates and head coach confirmed as much when discussing Starck’s impact on the offense in post-match interviews last weekend.

“I thought Izzy did a good job setting the middles today,” Katie Schumacher-Cawley said after Penn State’s sweep of Ball State Saturday. Trammell and Maggie Mendelson combined for 21 kills and only one attack error on 31 swings against the Cardinals, as Trammell hit a blistering .917 in the win.

“I thought Izzy, defensively, did some nice things at the net blocking,” Schumacher-Cawley said after the Kentucky win. “She pays attention to what’s going on and she listens to instructions. I think she’s a great student of the game.”

Trammell was equally complimentary of Starck’s game when we spoke to her following the 3-2 win over Kentucky. Penn State often struggled to work the ball to the middles last season and, at times, became a bit over-reliant on Jess Mruzik to take a majority of the swings, allowing opposing teams to double up their block on her. In the early stages of this season, Starck has kept teams guessing where she’s going to go with the ball.

“Izzy’s a dog,” Trammell said. “She’s actually a big dog. Izzy, obviously, switching up plays, doing things, communicating, it’s something that’s so rare just from a freshman, in general. Seeing how she does that every single night, rises to the occasion, and can push, I’m so impressed by that girl. She’s amazing.”

Heading into week three of the season, when the Nittany Lions will host Duke, Princeton, and St. John’s in the Penn State Invitational, Starck has 45 digs, good for second on the team behind only junior libero Gill Grimes’ 58. Starck also has 191 assists (10.61 per set), 12 kills, 11 blocks, and three aces.

The transition from high school to high-major Division I volleyball has been fairly smooth for Starck despite an admitted case of nerves before the Tennessee season opener, a 3-1 win over the Lady Vols, which is nothing out of the ordinary.

“I think Izzy’s great,” Grimes said Saturday. “She moves the ball around a lot, which makes it easier for our pins, too, so they get a lot of one-on-ones and our middles get a lot of one-on-ones. I think her defense has been really great for our team, too.”

Starck and fellow freshman Ava Falduto, who has 44 digs, 15 assists, and six aces, arrived on campus a semester early this January and participated in spring practices with the team. They also took part in the program’s first foreign tour since 2017 when the Nittany Lions traveled to Slovenia, Italy, and Greece in May, which likely has something to do with the solid chemistry they’ve shown in the early going of the season.

“She does not play like a freshman,” Falduto said of her classmate. “She runs the court well and she’s very calm and composed. She does her job very well.”

Starck was joined by Illinois’ Raina Terry, Michigan State’s Nalani Iosia, and Purdue’s Taylor Anderson in being recognized by the Big Ten for their week-two performances. A big reason why Penn State was able to come back from a 2-0 deficit against Kentucky was Starck’s connection with Hannah, who went off for 22 kills and hit .469 to silence the Memorial Coliseum faithful.

“Oh, my god, it was really cool to see her run the court and not be timid, not be scared,” Hannah said. “She told us what she needed from us, and we gave that back to her. I think that’s how we need to be moving forward.”