Penn State women’s volleyball commit Izzy Starck was named the Gatorade Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year for 2022-23 Friday morning.
Starck led Rampart High School to a 24-6 record and appearance in the CHSAA 5A state semifinals as a junior last fall. Her sister, Anjelina, a rising junior outside hitter for the Nittany Lions, also earned Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year recognition in 2020-21.
Starck had 501 assists, 424 kills, 332 digs, 69 blocks, and 51 aces for the Rams during a first-team all-state season in 2022. She and Anjelina helped Rampart win its first girls’ volleyball state championship in May 2021 when Izzy was a freshman and Anjelina was a senior.
Izzy and fellow Penn State commit Ava Falduto recently discussed their experience at the USA volleyball NTDP winter training series event in Anaheim, California, in an exclusive interview with DigNittanyVolleyball. It was Starck’s fifth time attending an NTDP event.
In her U.S. youth national team debut last July, Starck helped her country win gold at the 2022 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The talented setter was on the floor for match point of a sweep versus Brazil in the championship match. The U.S. didn’t drop a set the entire tournament, going 5-0 to secure a spot in the 2023 FIVB World Championship.
Starck and Falduto were in attendance at Rec Hall for Penn State’s second-round win over UCF in the NCAA tournament. watching the action together from one of the front rows. They verbally committed to the Nittany Lions in mid-June prior to their junior seasons, giving Penn State what’s already one of the nation’s most respected 2024 recruiting classes.
“I love playing with her because of the intensity and competitive energy that she brings,” Falduto said of Starck. “She runs the court extremely well and she can do it all. She is such a special and talented player.”
Following Penn State’s loss to Michigan on September 24, Starck gave a wide-ranging interview on her commitment to the Nittany Lions and how she and her sister help each other improve when they’re practicing together at home in Colorado Springs, among other topics.
“We balance each other out so well,” Izzy said. “We know exactly what one another is thinking. It’s just this really great chemistry being able to play together.”
Starck further discussed her sister’s impact on her recruitment later in the interview, while shouting out people who have been particularly influential on her volleyball career.
“I think probably just my sister being able to always push me,” Izzy said. “She’s the one who really introduced me to this program. I’ve just really found my home. I probably would have still gone here if she wasn’t here, but she made this program just really comfortable and welcoming for me. I really appreciate that from her.”
Starck is hoping to become the first Colorado volleyball player since Haleigh Washington (2012-13 & 2013-14) to receive back-to-back Gatorade honors. She’s in the midst of her 17s club season with the Colorado Juniors, which also produced her sister, Anjelina, Washington, and many other top prospects. Izzy and Anjelina will have the opportunity to be teammates again during the 2024 season.
Starck also highlighted some of the aspects about Penn State that made her want to commit to the Nittany Lions and join Falduto in the program’s 2024 recruiting class.
“The main factors were the campus, the coaches, the culture, the relationship I have with the people here, and just the overall atmosphere,” Starck said.