The Penn State women’s volleyball program held its second weekly media availability of the 2025 season Thursday afternoon before practice.

Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley met with the media in her office, then we headed downstairs to speak with sophomore defensive specialist Ava Falduto just outside Rec Hall’s South Gym.

The Nittany Lions (2-0) opened the season with a pair of wins in the AVCA First Serve, sweeping Creighton in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then rallying from a 2-1 deficit to beat Kansas in five in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kennedy Martin was named Big Ten Player of the Week for week zero after combing for 32 kills.

Penn State will face Arizona State and TCU Sunday and Monday at 5 p.m. ET at PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, as part of the State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase. Both matches will air on FOX. The full transcripts of questions and answers from Schumacher-Cawley’s and Falduto’s press conferences can be found below.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

What were some of the main positives from last weekend? Obviously, you had two different types of matches, but were able to show some nice grit in both of them.

“I think winning is hard, and winning in a new environment is difficult at times. It was nice to see the team compete and find a way to win at the end of Monday’s [match]. I thought, overall, it was a good weekend for us, and [showed] us things that we need to improve on. That’s the goal, to get better every weekend.”

You don’t actually play Pitt [this weekend], but you’re going to what will be really loud environment against two ranked teams. How are you preparing for that?

“It’s going to be a tough weekend, for sure. We’re playing at PPG Paints, so a different arena, not necessarily Pitt’s. I think it will be great for the area and for young girls to come out and watch the team play. I think this opening weekend was a great lead-in to what we deal with in the Big Ten and at these larger venues.”

Obviously, you’re opening the season traveling a lot. How excited are you and the rest of the team to finally come home after Pittsburgh?

“Well, let’s get to Pittsburgh first. No, I mean, two great teams we’re going to play this weekend. And then, yeah, the schedule works out really well for us, that we can be home for a couple weeks, and continue to prepare for the Big Ten season.”

What did you think of some of the new rules that they rolled out for the AVCA First Serve?

“Monday, the line judges had to come on, because the program wasn’t working. It was interesting. It needs a try. I think volleyball is always trying to grow the game. I wasn’t a fan of the timeouts [for TV purposes at 10 and 20 points], but we still got the W, so I can’t complain.”

What are your takeaways on the newcomers, especially Kennedy [Martin] and Emmi [Sellman]?

“I think they’re really great people, and I’m really happy they’re a part of our program. They’re doing great things in the gym, and they’re great teammates. They fit in really well here, and I’m excited to see them grow and continue to get better here at Penn State.”

Why do you think Emmi was able to gain that respect so quickly from her teammates and earn that captaincy role?

“Emmi was here [in January]. She came early and spent a lot of time with the team this summer. I think it’s just her personality. She wants to win, she wants to help people, and I think she’s always encouraging her teammates. She’s made her own path.”

Jordan [Hopp] and Gill [Grimes] were also named captains. What’s impressed you about them so far this season?

“I think, just being a part of last year’s team, and understanding what we did, and what needs to be done in order for us to be successful. Gill’s a senior, and Jordan as well. I think they both have great experiences to help them lead and to help the younger players.”

What are some things that stand out about Arizona State on film?

“Well, I know they’ll compete really hard. I think their staff does a great job. I think, offensively, they’re really fast. We’ll have to play a great game to beat them. Our serve-pass game has to be better. I would like to see us be a little bit more aggressive from the end line. We’ll have to depend on a lot of people to score points for us.”

Looking ahead to TCU, have you had a chance to watch them at all?

“I’m familiar with some of their players. I think they’ve done a great job in that program the last couple years, and they’ve made huge strides. I know they’ll compete hard, and they’ll give us their best match. It’s what preseason is all about, competing at a high level and learning what your team needs to do. But, no, I think both teams will push us and make it uncomfortable, and we need to work our way out of it.”

Kennedy [Martin] had a really good opening weekend. How excited are you to see her develop with a new team and have that type of player [on your roster]?

“She’s a special player, but she works really hard, and she wants to get better. I think she’s a great teammate. She makes players around her better, and that’s what makes her special. I’m excited we get to be a part of her journey and continue this season with her, and next season. The sky’s the limit for her. She’s only going to keep getting better and better.”

Maggie [Mendelson] had a huge match against Kansas. She had a big kill on match point for Kansas [in the fourth set]. What impressed you about her?

“Maggie has been working really hard with Izzy [Starck], attacking, and finding different ways to score. I’m really happy to see her having success. She works hard. She’s prepared. She comes to practice every day ready to compete and to get better. It makes me happy when you see players like that be successful.”

We’re also going to talk to Ava [Falduto] today. Where have you seen her take some positive steps from last year to this year?

“Ava is really confident. I think she had a fantastic preseason in terms of practices and stuff like that. Ava is a fiery player who everyone loves playing with. I think her serve-receive has gotten a ton better. Obviously, defensively, I think she’s one of the best defensive players in the country. She’s going to help us win.”

Behind closed doors, what’s the team’s chemistry like? Are the pieces still coming together?

“It’s a totally different group, but same in some areas in that I think they’re really great teammates, and they take care of each other off the court. I think we have quite a group of new faces, but the returners always do a great job of welcoming new players. I think, every practice, every weekend, this team will get better and better, but I’m really happy with how they treat each other. The expectations are high for each of them, but they compete and hold each other accountable.”

What are some of the similarities and differences between the Jurevicius sisters and the Starck sisters?

“They’re really, really good sisters. The four of them, each sister, they get along so well. They’re really good to each other. It’s fun having sisters in the gym. If one of them scores on another one, it’s bragging rights at some point. No, I think it’s pretty neat to have had two sets of sisters play here. There have been a couple in the past. It’s just a fun environment to be around, to continue the tradition of being a family and taking care of one another.”

How enjoyable is it for you to watch your daughters, [Stella and Nora], play for State High?

“Go State High! It’s great. I got to go to their match on Tuesday. We were off on Tuesday, so I got to see them play. It’s really neat to see them have the experience of playing together in high school, and going to school together. It’s a lot of fun.”

Why do you think you guys have been so successful in the fifth set lately? You’ve won your last seven matches in a row that went five.

“I think we’re conditioned well. We put the team in situations in practice to force them to side-out or find a way to score. I think it’s a group that stays calm under pressure, but is so focused. Kansas made some unforced errors, but I think we capitalized on [them] and found ways to score. Everyone did their job.”

It wasn’t a pretty match, by any means, but you worked your way back from being down 2-1. What do you tell your team during timeouts to help them focus?

“I think it’s the players knowing their role and what they need to do to help the team. Whether it’s in serve-receive, blocking, or serving, just taking it one skill at a time, and to kind of settle in. I always say, ‘Enjoy the moment.’ Because I think it’s a pretty special environment that we were in this past weekend. But, more so, just to trust your skills, and to trust one another. I think we compete really hard. It’s hard to win, but we found a couple positives out of each match, and we have to keep getting better.”

How important will it be to clean up the passing a little bit so Izzy’s not running around as much?

“Izzy’s a phenomenal setter, and she can set on the fly, but, yeah, we need to serve and pass every day, and continue to focus on who’s taking what ball, and just getting more comfortable in some of the passing rotations.”

Has anything surprised you so far in a positive or negative sense this season?

“No, I mean, it’s nice to win. I was really happy to see this group compete and finish that match on Monday, because, like I said, there are a lot of new pieces, and I wasn’t sure how it would go. It was nice to see some of the returners take over a little bit and kind of have that swag that they’ve been in that position before. I’m proud of the returners.”

What was it like getting to catch up with your former teammate, Ashley (Pederson) Buckley? What did she say to the team when she came to practice [in Sioux Falls]?

“She’s great. To see someone who I played with, and to be in her hometown, [it was great to see her and her family]. She told the team to enjoy the moment, and how fast it goes. And that these will be like sisters for life.”

She wrote a nice message on her Instagram [story] of how you stuck up for her [during] her freshman year when she took a starting job [over an upperclassman]. What do those stories mean to you in terms of teammates and others having that faith in you as a leader?

“I don’t know. Ashley’s not only a great volleyball player, she’s a great friend. I think the expectations then and now are always the same. For me, it was always, as a player, to be the best teammate I could be. That’s something that I talk about a lot with this group. It was fun to see her and her boys, and spend a little bit of time with her.”

How have you seen Caroline [Jurevicius] adjusting to the left side? How valuable is it to have Megan [Hodge Easy] helping her with that?

“CJ is doing a great job. Even last year, when she was playing right-side, we would always train [our] pin hitters on both, so I don’t want to say it’s super new to her. I’m sure some things are a little uncomfortable still, but every day, she’s getting an opportunity in practice to better those skills. CJ wants to play and compete. She’ll continue to get better.”

Ava Falduto

What were some of the main takeaways from last weekend for you?

“I think it was a really exciting first weekend. I think we showed everyone what we have, the pieces that we have, and what we get to work with. And I think that’s really exciting. Obviously, it was a little rough first weekend, but that’s good, because that means we have stuff to work.”

Why do you think you guys were so successful in that fifth set [against Kansas]?

“I think we, honestly, just came together, and we knew what it takes to be in a fifth set. And no one wants to play us in a fifth set. I think that’s kind of like our motto when we’re going in there, because we play so together, and we’re so driven, and we know that nothing’s going to get past us in that fifth set. We’re not going to take that.”

What impressed you about Maggie [Mendelson’s] and Caroline [Jurevicius’] play against Kansas?

“They played really well, especially toward the end. They both came in clutch in really big moments, especially Carol hitting through the block over and over again. And Kansas had a really great block, but Maggie and Carol found a way to hit through it. All of our hitters did a really great job, and I think a lot of that had to do with Izzy [Starck’s] sets as well. She did a great job putting up really hittable balls for them.”

What do you enjoy most about playing with Gill [Grimes]?

“Gill is the best to play with. It’s really fun being next to her — passing is so easy — and she’s a good calm, but also has a lot of fire. I know I can look at her and she has my back. I have her back. So it’s really easy to play with her. It’s super fun, and we push each other a lot.”

What have you enjoyed about getting to know Addie Lyon? We saw her play a bit in the first two matches.

“Addie has done such an incredible job. She’s filling a big role, and coming in cold is not easy at all. I think she’s taken it and done an incredible job. She pushes us in practice, and she runs her side really, really well, and keeps the gym really competitive. And she’s a great person off the court as well.”

What are some of the things you think you’ve improved most from last year to this year?

“I think a lot of confidence. I think, last year, as a freshman, I was a little bit timid, but I had a lot of great leaders last year. Stepping into a bigger role, since we don’t have those leaders this year, I’ve seen a lot of improvement, and I think that’s something that I get to keep working on as well.”

What’s impressed you about the captains, [Gill Grimes, Jordan Hopp, and Emmi Sellman], this year and just their leadership in general?

“I think we have three really strong captains, and I also think all of our seniors do a really good job of leading us in the gym every day. Everyone plays a part in that. So they’ve done a really good job with communication and just getting us ready every single day for practice, for games, and they keep us together. They’re a great trio.”

What does the support of your family mean to you?

“Oh, my gosh, it means the world. As you know, they’ve shown up to every single game, so that’s been really nice. And just having them there — always supporting me, always texting me, and giving me a hug before the game — whatever I need, they’re there for me, and that means the world to me.”

What are some of the differences from last year’s team to this year’s team?

“I think every team is different, every single year. We have a lot of different parts. This year, we have [eight] new girls, so almost half the team. So, I think, just kind of figuring out who works well together has been the focus. I think we have a really strong group. We have different parts, but they work really well.”

What do you guys need to do to be successful this weekend?

“I think we just need to play our game. It doesn’t really matter who’s on the other side of the net. As long as we focus on what we need to work on and improve on from our first weekend, I think we’ll have a really great showing.”