Lina Perugini Transfers To Penn State Volleyball

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Lina Perugini, a 5-foot-7 libero/defensive specialist from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, will play her fifth and final college season with Penn State women’s volleyball after graduate transferring from Coastal Carolina.

Perugini was a four-year starter at libero for the Chanticleers. She was named second-team All-Sun Belt following the 2022 season, appearing in all 114 sets, averaging 4.14 digs per set (fourth-best in the conference) and totaling 15 service aces. She also earned All-Sun Belt second-team honors following the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

Perugini graduated in May 2022 with her bachelor’s degree in public health and has been pursuing her MBA, which she will receive this spring. She originally walked on at Coastal Carolina before earning a scholarship.

If there’s one characteristic that defines Perugini, it’s determination. During her freshman year at Coastal Carolina, she described what motivates her:

I am motivated because of my brother, [Carlo]. He was a high-level athlete recruited by a lot of Division I colleges. However, he had three ACL tears and suffered significant hearing loss to the point that he is nearly deaf when he is not wearing his hearing aids. His senior year of high school, he wrestled with a torn ACL and won districts [District 11] and made a run at the state tournament. He left an impact on the community and I feel I have to live up to that legacy as a Perugini. He just motivates me to keep going.

Perugini toured Penn State’s campus and the facilities at Rec Hall with the coaching staff and had a chance to meet her new teammates while in town last week. She was in attendance at Rec Hall for the men’s volleyball team’s 3-1 win over USC last Friday.

Perugini had a career-high 33 digs in Coastal Carolina’s 3-2 loss to Wofford on September 9 last season. She had double-digit digs in 27 of 30 matches last fall for the Chanticleers, who finished 17-13 and 9-7 in conference play. Perugini tallied 1,674 digs, 363 assists, and 39 aces during her decorated career in Conway, South Carolina.

Here’s a link to Lina’s full bio on Coastal Carolina’s website:

Lina Perugini’s Full Bio

You can access her stats by clicking on “Stats” on the menu bar below her name.

A member of the 2019 recruiting class, Perugini played for Liberty High School and East Coast Power Volleyball on the club circuit before enrolling at Coastal Carolina.

At East Coast Power, she was coached by Pennsylvania Volleyball Hall of Fame coach Mike Krause and Taylor Krause — Mike’s daughter and a former Penn State player and captain. Senior pin hitter Macy Van Den Elzen also played for East Coast Power, and Lina and Macy will be the only players on Penn State’s 2023 roster from Pennsylvania.

Perugini will bring significant experience to Penn State’s defensive specialist rotation after arriving on campus following the spring semester.

Known as an aggressive defender, she will be in the mix for back-row playing time, along with returnees Maddy Bilinovic, Gillian Grimes, Cassie Kuerschen, and setter/defensive specialist Quinn Menger. Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley will also welcome freshman defensive specialist Jocelyn Nathan to campus this summer.

Perugini is the latest transfer to pick the Nittany Lions this offseason, joining setter Mac Podraza, outside hitter Jess Mruzik, setter Ally Van Eekeren and right-side hitter Camryn Hannah as 2023 roster additions.

For a look at Perugini in action, below is the video of Coastal Carolina’s match against Penn State on September 17, 2022, a 3-0 victory for the Nittany Lions in last season’s Penn State Classic:

https://youtu.be/Qu9Kg6gthtw