The Nittany Lions closes out their Chicago trip with a 3-set victory over the DePaul Blue Demons (25-23, 27-25, 25-21). Kennedy Martin (16.5 pts, 15 kills, 0.333 hitting percentage, 3 blocks) and Whitney Lauenstein (16 pts, 16 kills, 0.333 hitting percentage) led the Nittany Lions’ effort.
After the historic match at Wrigley Field, the Nittany Lions looked like they took some time to adjust to playing indoors again with a slow start to the match. The Nittany Lions needed a 6-point run to win the set 25-23. The gutsy comeback was headlined by Ryla Jones (5 kills, 0.400 hitting percentage, 6 blocks) and Ava Falduto (13 digs and 10 assists) showing the gritty defense against an inspired DePaul offense in front of a sold-out crowd.
While the Lions looked to runaway with the match at the start of the second set, the DePaul Blue Demons, led by Isabela Taveres Salomon, put up a strong fight keeping the 2nd set close at 27-25 even having their own set points. But the effort was not enough to fully stop Kennedy Martin (16.5 pts, 15 kills, 0.333 hitting percentage, 3 blocks) and Whitney Lauenstein (16 pts, 16 kills, 0.333 hitting percentage) who took over this set.
Alexis Stucky (37 assists, 11 digs and 3 service aces) had her first double-double wearing a Penn State jersey. She orchestrated an offense that hit 0.307 team hitting efficiency with 6 different players having at least 4 kills. The momentum continued in the 3rd set as Haley Burgdorf (8 kills, 0.545 hitting percentage, 5 digs) strung a handful of kills in a row. Whitney Lauenstein also caught fire to close out the set.
The Nittany Lions will need to start strong and maintain their strong defensive performance and their varied offense against their next opponents, #4 Stanford on Friday.
Post-Match Interview with Haley Burgdorf
After the match, DigNittany’s Ethan Kasales interviewed Penn State’s Haley Burgdorf and Ryla Jones. Below is a transcript of the questions and answers, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Ethan Kasales: What was it like being back in the Chicago area with all your family and friends here?
Haley Burgdorf: It’s been definitely great. Getting to see all my family and friends, and them be here for me is really lovely. And as a freshman, it means a lot, just seeing your family wherever you go.
Ethan Kasales: What was your experience like yesterday at Wrigley?
Haley Burgdorf: It was insane. But, as soon as I got on the court, I knew we had one business to do as a team, which was win. Obviously it didn’t go our way. But, once we got on the court, I feel like that’s all. It really felt like it was just six people on my team. But it’s really cool.
Ethan Kasales: You hit over 0.500 today. What was working well for you?
Haley Burgdorf: Using the block a lot. That usually works for me. Or just going high hands. Usually one of those two work really well for me. And Stucky does a great job giving me the perfect set to tool off a block or go really low. And obviously, the BIC attack we have a really good connection. You don’t see it often, so a lot of teams are surprised by that, but Stucky’s just a really great setter, and she does a lot of amazing things for us hitters.
Ethan Kasales: What’s the relationship like with the rest of the freshman class?
Haley Burgdorf: We’re all in this together. We support each other through and through. I mean, we all live in a house together. We do crafts together. Like, it’s just really fun. And we’re all, like I said, here for each other. No matter who goes in, like, we’re gonna cheer them on the best we can always.
Ethan Kasales: So what do you enjoy most about playing for Coach Katie?
Haley Burgdorf: Just the environment of the team. Like, I love how disciplined we are, how hard at work we’re gonna be, and it’s just amazing to play for her. She was a star at Penn State before us. I get to learn from what she learned, and it helps so much. Same with Megan (Hodge) and Abby (Detering).
Ethan Kasales: What do you admire about Megan’s career as a player?
Haley Burgdorf: Just that she understands the game and understands what we go through. And her advice. She’s just so crafty with the game. Even, like, in practice, she’ll block us sometimes. And I aspire to be like her and really take notes from her.
Ethan Kasales: What have you learned from the senior leaders on this year’s team?
Haley Burgdorf: I’ve learned that whether you’re on or off the court, you have to give it your all for your teammates, the one right next to you. It might not go your way at the end of the day, but this whole team has you, and that’s really important to us. Also, the discipline and the intention. Juice (Nathan) and Ken (Martin) have been here. Juice has been here all four years, and Ken was here for a year. So it’s just learning from them and watching them grow.
Ethan Kasales: How does it feel be playing such a significant role early in your freshman year?
Haley Burgdorf: It feels great. It feels like I could provide a good pass, and if not, I know someone else has my back. They tell me, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re gonna move on,” because, obviously, as a freshman, people are going to try and pick on you a lot. The people on the court do a really good job of saying, “Hey, I got you. You’re gonna dive the next pass.” It’s just a great team that we have.
Ethan Kasales: What was it about Penn State that caught your eye during the recruiting process?
Haley Burgdorf: It was definitely how it felt like home at first. I landed and thought, “Wow, I feel really comfortable here.” Obviously, the coaching staff and Ava Falduto and Caroline Jurevicius were a big reason why I committed here. The coaching staff was insane. They were all really nice, and they wanted me to get better. Caroline and Ava made it seem like so much fun here and made it seem like such a winning program. Then they won the national championship, and I was like, “Of course I’m gonna go here. This is what I want to do, is win.”
Ethan Kasales: Did you know Ava at all before you came here?
Haley Burgdorf: A little bit. I saw her play outside in high school, but that’s all I really knew. Then, when I went on my recruiting visit, she said, “Oh, I’m from Illinois.” I was like, “Oh, my God. I kind of remember you.” So it’s a really special bond we have.
Ethan Kasales: Did you ever actually get to play against her in high school?
Haley Burgdorf: I did not. I’ve seen her at tournaments. That’s really it. But I was like, “Wow, that’s Ava Falduto. She’s hitting outside.”
Ethan Kasales: What are some of your goals for the rest of the season?
Haley Burgdorf: To be an important factor on the court for the rest of my team and provide what they need. Being that person for them on the court. You can come to me if you need something, and I’ll come to you if I need something. Just being there for them is what I really want to do, and obviously keep up my passing and do what I can.
Ethan Kasales: What would you say are your strengths as a player?
Haley Burgdorf: Definitely my six rotations, especially my passing and defense. I think I could go out there, be ready to pass a ball, dime it, and give the best opportunity for our hitters and Stuckey to run our offense. When it’s on, it’s on. And, like I said, just being there in general.
Post-Match Interview with Ryla Jones
Ethan Kasales: What do you think were some of the keys to that big first set comeback for you guys today?
Ryla Jones: I think just being really disciplined. The other team obviously plays at a really good level, and they have a lot of effort. They make long rally plays, so we wanted to be the team that wins the longer rally plays and stays disciplined throughout the long matches because I think that was something we didn’t do a great job of yesterday.
Ethan Kasales: What was your experience like at Wrigley?
Ryla Jones: It was awesome. I mean, tough loss, but to see that many people there was really cool and really good for women’s volleyball. I think we’re all just really grateful for the experience, but it was a tough loss.
Ethan Kasales: What do you enjoy most about playing with Alexis?
Ryla Jones: I think she just feeds me so much confidence, and basically all the sets she gives me are perfect. She’s a really vocal player. She’s really aggressive, has lots of energy, and I think that’s not something you find in a lot of players.
Ethan Kasales: What’s your relationship like with two other middles (Gabbie Nichols and Kendall Northern)?
Ryla Jones: We have a really tight-knit middle group. I’m not gonna lie, they’re both really funny. We always give each other confidence, so I think having them by my side helps me play, and having me by their side also helps them play.
Ethan Kasales: You played for the same club as Emmi (Sellman) and Alexis (Ewing). What’s your relationship like with them?
Ryla Jones: Awesome. I didn’t get to play with Alexis. She got there the year that I left. But me and Emmi go way back. We’ve been playing together since we were 13, so to have such familiar faces beyond college volleyball really helps. I know that they’re always there for me in my corner, and the same goes for them.
Ethan Kasales: What were some of your favorite experiences playing club with Emmi?
Ryla Jones: Probably just the club tournaments. Outside of volleyball, obviously, you get a lot better as you go on. But I think she made practices really fun. She made tournaments really fun. She had a lively attitude and personality, so it’s just fun to play with her.
Ethan Kasales: What was it about Penn State when you were in the portal that draw your eye?
Ryla Jones: Definitely Katie and the coaching staff. I just really wanted to play at a high level, but also have a great relationship with my team and my coaches. As soon as I got on the phone with Katie, it just felt really comfortable. When I talked to some of the girls on the team, they already made me feel like I was part of the family. I think that was a really big thing. Then the discipline and the effort they always have in the practice gym really mattered to me too.
Ethan Kasales: What is it about just Penn State in general and the history of this program that you’ve enjoyed being a part of?
Ryla Jones: Other than the great relationships and the awesome coaching staff, I just think this team plays like a family. Even when someone’s getting in my ass, excuse my language, I know it’s coming from a good place, and they hold me to a really high standard. I love playing at a high level, and they do that every day in the gym, especially South Gym. If you’ve been in South Gym, you know how hard it gets. So I think that’s the big thing.
Ethan Kasales: What are you most looking forward to about playing Stanford in a historic venue like the Palestra?
Ryla Jones: I’m excited. I think we are grateful for all the awesome volleyball experiences we’ve been having this preseason. But we want to win. We want to do our best to play at a high level against high-level teams. So we’re just going out there, playing a great team, and playing really hard.
Ethan Kasales: What would you say are some of your biggest strengths to your game?
Ryla Jones: Outside of volleyball, I’d probably just say my energy. I try to bring the most energy I can to the team, and I hope that it really translates to my play. This season, I’d probably say my serving has gotten a lot better. That’s kind of the difference-maker when you get back behind the line—getting the other team out of system, getting aces when I can, and then getting up in transition and working really hard off the net.
Ethan Kasales: What’s your mindset at the (service) line? Do you always have the same routine?
Ryla Jones: Yeah, always the same routine. I take a deep breath, and then, whatever the serving call is, I try to do my best to serve a dropper there.
Ethan Kasales: What is your relationship with Abby Detering? What has she brought to the team?
Ryla Jones: I think she brings a lot of experience, not only from a playing standpoint, but also from the coaching experience that she has. I feel like she really helped our offense a lot during training this past spring and even this preseason. She did a really good job working with the setters and middles.
Ethan Kasales: What’s impressed to you about the freshmen and their contributions early?
Ryla Jones: They just go out there and play really hard. They obviously are coming right out of club and high school volleyball, so it’s a different pace. I think Finley and Haley, especially, have the ability to come out, take hard swings, and play at such a high level, even if this is their first time playing in college.
Ethan Kasales: What impresses you about Ava Falduto’s game?
Ryla Jones: She’s literally everywhere. Every ball, she’s getting a touch on it, and it’s up. Her energy really spreads to everyone else on the team, so her confidence and how aggressive she is in the back row really matter.