Jess Mruzik has been red hot so far in the 2024 season, and the Oregon Ducks weren’t able to slow her down, as she totalled 16 kills, eight digs, and three solo blocks, hitting .353 as Penn State defeated Oregon in straight sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-17) in a B1G match Friday night at Rec Hall.
From GoPSUsports.com:
The Nittany Lions won their sixth-straight match to improve to 14-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Ducks saw their 11-match winning streak come to an end as they dipped to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Mruzik is off to a torrid start to Big Ten play, hitting .327 while averaging 5.36 kills and 2.93 digs per set through four conference wins. The latest performance came just one night after she hit .313 with 17 kills and 14 digs in a four-set win over Maryland.
Penn State was again strong in the middle as Maggie Mendelson hit .353 with seven kills and five blocks and, Taylor Trammell hit .417 with seven kills. The Nittany Lions also received solid production from the right side with Caroline Jurevicius hitting .455 with five kills.
Gillian Grimes led Penn State in digs with 10, while Anjelina Starck tallied eight. Ava Falduto had four digs, but more of her production came at the service line. The Nittany Lions scored 19 points with the defensive specialist at the line.
Michelle Ohowobete was the most efficient player for Oregon, hitting .350 with 10 kills, eight digs, and three blocks. The Ducks were held to .075 hitting. Penn State has held 11 of its 14 opponents to under .200 hitting, including five of its six nationally-ranked opponents.
Penn State has won 13 straight matches at Rec Hall, including all nine matches this season. The Nittany Lions have won 10 straight Big Ten regular season matches dating back to last season.
Set 1
Mruzik started strong with eight kills while leading Penn State to a 25-19 win in the opening set. Trammell had four kills on her four attacks. The Nittany Lions broke a 9-9 tie with a 4-0 run that was capped by a kill from Mruzik. They later used a 5-0 run to go up 19-11. The first three points of the run came on kills by Mruzik. The fourth point came on a solo block by Mruzik. Set point was later scored on a kill by Mruzik.Set 2
Penn State held Oregon to .088 hitting in a 25-19 win in set two. Mruzik and Camryn Hannah led the attack with three kills apiece. The Nittany Lions led by just one at 19-18 before scoring six of the final seven points. The set ended with a 4-0 Penn State run that included kills by Jurevicius and Mruzik.Set 3
Mruzik added five more kills on .400 hitting in Penn State’s 25-17 win to close the match. Mendelson had four kills on five attacks and added two solo blocks, while Jurevicius tallied three on her five attacks. Izzy Starck totaled 13 assists while leading the Nittany Lions to .342 hitting. It was Mruzik with a kill off a set from Izzy Starck to end the match.