Jess Mruzik Paces Penn State Volleyball In Ball State Sweep

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

No. 7 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Ball State Saturday evening at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington to claim the Kentucky Invitational title.

Jess Mruzik had a match-high 17 kills and hit .469 against the Cardinals, who competed hard and didn’t give away many points despite being outmatched physically. Taylor Trammell and Maggie Mendelson combined for 21 kills and only one attack error on 31 swings, as Trammell hit an absurd .917 Saturday.

Box Score

The Nittany Lions (5-0) remained undefeated after reverse sweeping tournament host Kentucky Friday night and taking care of former Penn State volleyball player Darcy Dorton’s Cardinals. Dorton, who finished her career at the College of Charleston, is in her second season as an assistant coach at Ball State.

It was an impressive weekend overall for Trammell, a Lexington native who had plenty of family and friends in attendance to watch her play. Trammell had 23 kills on the weekend, including 12 in Penn State’s comeback win over the Wildcats, and added six total blocks. She and Mendelson (10 kills, three blocks) are establishing themselves as one of the premier middle blocker duos in the country.

Izzy Starck finished an excellent weekend in Lexington with 43 assists, five digs, and two blocks against the Cardinals, a day after recording a career-high 47 assists and 17 digs versus the Wildcats. Putting up 43 assists in only three sets showcases Starck’s ability to quickly generate offense, as she guided Penn State to a .369 hitting percentage (.455 in the second).

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Starck recognized by the Big Ten for the second week in a row on Monday, whether that’s following up her freshman of the week selection or taking home her first setter of the week nod. Starck’s older sister, Anjelina, matched her with five digs of her own against the Cardinals, while junior libero Gill Grimes led all players with 15 digs. Freshman Ava Falduto added seven digs, two of Penn State’s four aces, and an assist.

Sophomore Joce Nathan made her second appearance of the season at defensive specialist and came on to serve. Nathan was one of four substitutes for the Nittany Lions, as Hannah (nine kills, three digs), Falduto, and Quinn Menger also came off the bench. We spoke to Grimes and Falduto after the match, as well as head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, in exclusive interviews. The full transcript of questions and answers can be found below.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

Jess had a nice match today. What does it do for your team when she’s on like that? What else stood out?

“Jess plays six rotations, and I think she steadied out and found ways to score. I thought our passing was much better. Taylor hit .900 or whatever it was, and it was because of the passing. I thought Izzy did a good job setting the middles today.”

What kind of challenges did Ball State pose for you guys?

“I thought they were aggressive. They were feisty. I think they’re well-coached. I think they’ll do some good things in their conference. They play hard and they pushed us a lot. They’ll have a great season.”

What were some of the positives, on the whole, that you noticed this weekend?

“I think just being able to bounce back from bad plays and to be able to have a little bit of a sense of urgency and to find ways to score. I’m happy with the way we played. I think the team knows that there are things we need to improve on if we want to continue to get better.”

What are some of those things you want to clean up moving forward?

“I think, defensively, we’re making good plays, but I think we can do a better job making changes quicker. I thought our serving was much better. We need to continue to be able to serve and pass well. We’ll find ways to score. I think Izzy did a really good job of moving the ball around all weekend. She plays a complete game.”

What are Gill and Ava doing well lately?

“I think Gill and Ava are seeing the game well. They’re competing hard, passing, and digging. I think that they’re doing a good job and they’re making changes and helping the hitters know which shots are open. I think they’re coming along really well.”

What are some things that the team is doing well, in general, that stands out to you early in the season?

“I think we’re competing hard. It’s hard to win. It’s hard to win on the road. I’m happy to be leaving here 2-0 [on the weekend].”

Gill Grimes & Ava Falduto

What were some of your biggest positive takeaways from the weekend?

Grimes: “I thought that the grit we showed last night, playing in that atmosphere and coming back for the reverse sweep, showed the type of team we are and the type of team we want to be throughout the whole entire season.”

How have players like Gill helped you along as a freshman?

Falduto: “Playing next to Gill and all the upperclassmen has been a privilege, honestly. They’ve paved the way for us, they show us what’s up, and it’s been a blessing learning from them. I’m taking a lot of good information from them.”

How important is serving tough?

Grimes: “I think that serving tough is very important, especially at this high level of the game, just because if we can get the passers out-of-system on the other side, that makes it a lot easier for us.”

What did last night’s win [against Kentucky] do for this team’s confidence?

Falduto: “I think it showed a lot, like Gill said, about who we are as a team. I think it shows that we’re able to break through what we didn’t think we could do. Coming back, after being down 2-0 in a packed Coliseum, was really huge. I think it gave us a good boost of confidence.”

Taylor was really efficient this weekend. What stood out about her play?

Grimes: “Tay’s great. We always appreciate when she puts the ball down. It also [helps] if we can pass. I think, if we’re able to pass, then she can do her thing. We love Tay.”

What kind of challenges did Ball State pose for you today?

Falduto: “It was tough, after a long night last night, coming back in the gym, but I think they’re a really good team. They have good servers and they kept us out-of-system a little bit, at first. Once we figured out the block and which shots were open, I think it definitely made a difference.”

Jess had a nice match today. What stands out about her skill set, just being an all-around player?

Grimes: “Jess is great. We love Jess. She’s a dog. I think she’s just a very calm player and knows where to place the ball. She has a very high volleyball IQ for us. She gets the job done, too.”

What are the things you’re most proud of your team for this season?

Falduto: “I think our chemistry has come a long way, just with all the tough, top-10 matches we’ve had so far. I think they’ve definitely made us better as a team and just have made us closer together.”

How valuable was it being on campus in the spring?

Falduto: “Very valuable. It definitely makes a difference, and you can tell by the way we play together and our chemistry that it has made a very good impact.”

What are some things that stand out about Izzy’s play?

Grimes: “I think Izzy’s great. 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.”

Falduto: “I agree. She does not play like a freshman. She runs the court well and she’s very calm and composed. She does her job very well.”

What do you enjoy most about celebrating with your teammates after big points?

Grimes: “I think it’s great, because, like Ava said, it’s our chemistry. We just are trying to have a blast out there. Celebrating for each one of our teammates is very special and we don’t take it for granted.”

What are some things you want to clean up as a team before your next match [Friday against Duke]?

Falduto: “Serve-and-pass game can always get better. I think we’ve been doing a solid job of that, but just always improving in that and working on team defense will definitely help us step up to the next level. Finishing on big plays as well.”

What are some things that stand out about your defensive specialists’ play so far?

Grimes: “I love playing next to Ava. I think the littles — we call ourselves the littles — we’re always working to get better and pushing each other. Joce [Nathan] and Kate [Lally], too, are helping us on the sidelines, and we’re very grateful for that, because they make us better every day.”

What impresses you about Ava? What do you enjoy most about playing alongside her?

Grimes: “Ava has been a great addition to the team, and I think we work really well together in the back row. I trust her a lot when we’re back there together and I think she’s been doing a great job for only being a freshman.”

What are some of your favorite things about playing for this coaching staff?

Falduto: “I love how different each coach is, in some sense, but how they all come together. They put up a good scout, they help us with the hitters on the other team, and they prepare us well for the matches.”

You guys are both from the Chicago area. What’s it like seeing the volleyball culture in the city?

Grimes: “It’s great. Volleyball [is in] our roots. We’re a very competitive group of girls, all of us who come from Chicago, and Katie’s from Chicago, so we all get the volleyball world. I think the volleyball there has really put us at an advantage to play at this high of a level.”

Cam went off last night [against Kentucky]. What stood out about her performance in that win?

Grimes: “Cam’s my girl. I can always count on her to put that big ball down when we’re in a long rally. I think her offense has been stellar this season so far.”

What was your experience like overseas [in Europe this May] with the rest of the team?

Falduto: “It was great. I think it built even more team chemistry than we already built up in the spring. Getting to play against the tough Italian teams, and just playing together overseas and practicing before [training camp], was a big advantage, because not a lot of teams get to do that. It built our on-and-off-the-court chemistry.”

What do you two love most about playing for Penn State?

Falduto: “I love our culture that we’ve built up, especially this year. We’re really coming together and working toward a very big goal. Just the chemistry — I keep saying chemistry — but the chemistry that we’ve built together has been great.”

Grimes: “Like Ava said, the culture. You’re playing with your best friends on the court, so all you want to do is make them better and become better [as a team], so I think that’s a really special thing that we have here.”