The ability to identify and land talent from the transfer portal has been one of the main storylines of Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s early tenure as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

For the 2022 season, she brought in four experienced players — Kash Williams at OH, Taylor Trammell at MB, Zoe Weatherington at RS/Opp, and Leisa Elisaia at setter. All four ended up as starters, and were instrumental in helping Penn State to a 26-8 record and Sweet 16 berth in Coach Katie’s first season as head coach at her alma mater.

Recently, we were able to obtain exclusive interviews with four of the five players who joined the 2023 team via the portal — setter Mac Podraza, OH Jess Mruzik, DS/libero Lina Perugini, and setter Ally Van Eekeren — about why they chose Penn State volleyball, their relationships with the coaching staff, and their goals for the summer ahead of their enrollment. (Schumacher-Cawley also added fellow Chicago native RS/Opp Camryn Hannah to the 2023 roster, which has 19 players as things currently stand.)

With the Big Ten having released the league schedule on Wednesday, the 2023 season has finally taken shape. The Nittany Lions will play their first pre-conference match on Friday, August 25 at 8 p.m. ET against the Florida Gators at Amalie Arena in Tampa, site of this year’s Final Four December 14-16, and will open their Big Ten season on Wednesday, September 20 when they host Rutgers.

In the meantime, the players are taking advantage of the opportunity to get acquainted before the start of training camp in August.

Mac Podraza on Choosing #5 and Working with her Former Club Team this Spring

Podraza, the reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year, said she’s wearing No. 5 this season for the Nittany Lions and shared the backstory of her decision to honor a Penn State alumna with her jersey choice.

“Kristin Carpenter wore it when she played here, and she made an impact on me when I was committed to Maryland,” Podraza said. “It’s somewhat of an homage to my younger self, as well as a tip of the cap to Carp.”

Podraza and Mruzik spent the spring coaching their former club programs, as Podraza worked with Mintonette Sports’ setters and Mruzik coached Legacy Volleyball Club’s 15-1 team. They often ran into Penn State’s coaching staff at club tournaments and would chat about the upcoming season. Mruzik was among the Penn State players who served as counselors during the program’s 7 Star Camp last Sunday, while Podraza is arriving in State College in the next few days.

“I have enjoyed working with them more than they will ever know,” Podraza said. “I have learned so much about coaching and playing. Having to teach someone a skill makes you think about it in such a different way that I think has only made me a stronger player this offseason.”

What about Penn State appealed to you during your transfer portal recruiting process?

Podraza: “I was most excited about the potential of Penn State. Jess Mruzik and I had been chatting a bunch about our own process, and just that we thought Penn State could be a powerhouse if we can get the right people there — like each other. Penn State was the volleyball powerhouse I grew up on, and even though I never really saw myself playing there, I was 100 percent a 12-year-old kid with a Penn State sweatshirt. I think the history that is Penn State volleyball — and the fact that we now have the opportunity to be a part of this rebuild and make Penn State volleyball the powerhouse it once was — was the biggest factor for me and made my decision easy.”

Mruzik: “A lot of things drew me to Penn State, but I think the biggest ones were the coaching staff and the culture. The program has so much history behind it, and I am just lucky enough that I get the opportunity to hopefully create even more history this season. Rec Hall has always been my favorite place to play in the Big Ten, but now I luckily get to call it home. Everyone in this program, from fans to staff to players, truly cares about one another and wants to succeed. That was one of the first things I picked up on during my visit.”

Perugini: “The work ethic and the drive of every single person involved. I grew up watching Penn State volleyball win national championships, so I know that winning nattys and the work ethic to win is ingrained in Penn State volleyball’s culture. I went to games and camps growing up a lot. To this day, I haven’t played on a team or against a team that competed as hard as the Penn State girls I would watch at camp. It was in their eyes — the want to win; the competition. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s amazing. Right when Brian [Toron] called me, I paused conversations with all other schools, because I knew I wanted to be a part of a winning culture like this, especially in my home state.”

Van Eekeren: “Penn State volleyball is a top, winning volleyball program, and a program I have wanted to be a part of since I was 10 years old. On my visit, the girls made me feel so welcome — I absolutely loved them, the coaches, and the entire staff. I know that everyone here has the same goal for this team, which is to play hard and win, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

What are some things you like about Katie Schumacher-Cawley and the rest of Penn State’s coaching staff?

Podraza: “One of my favorite things that the coaching staff said to me during my transfer recruiting process was to just trust them to do their job. I am an eager, competitive person, and I want to play with the best, so I was constantly asking them about who else they were going to bring on and who else we could recruit, and they said to me, ‘Just trust us, we got this.’ It’s one thing for them to say it, but then they took it one step further and proved it, and made me believe in them all that much more. Katie is a badass who wants to win, and I am excited to work with her to make that happen. There aren’t many people who know what it takes to be a winner, and I know she is one of them, so I am excited to learn all I can from her and to win a whole bunch.”

Mruzik: “Ever since I went through the recruiting process when I was younger, one of the biggest components of a program I looked for was how close it felt to being a family. The first conversation with Katie that I had when I hit the portal was more about myself as a person than anything volleyball related. Katie and the rest of the coaching staff always go out of their way to see how I’m doing. If we run into each other at club tournaments, we could talk for hours. Even though I haven’t known them for that long, they treat me like I’ve been a Penn Stater my whole life.

“Honestly, it’s really scary and difficult to leave a place that you’ve called home since you were a little kid, but Katie, Dan [Gwitt], Brian [Toron], and everyone else involved in the program made me feel so at home and like I was one of their own. Katie’s played, so she knows what we go through. She knows what it takes, she’s extremely relatable, and I am very lucky that I get to play for her and the rest of the coaching staff.”

Perugini: “Coach Katie and the whole staff is absolutely amazing. I admire how Katie can relate to us as players and young women, but still has that fire in her to be a dominant team. She loves all of her girls and makes us feel loved, but still knows how to take care of business on the court. The balance is so impressive, especially at such a high level. Brian was my first phone call with Penn State, and just his first phone call made me pause conversations with all other schools. He is right to the point, persistent, super attentive to detail, and makes sure everything is in order and ready to go.

“Dan has both the playing and coaching experience, and he has the fire in him that wants to win. I know everyone hates to lose, but I can already tell that he hates it a little extra, and I love that. He’s going to motivate us to win some big points and pull through in some tough matches. I can already see that from him. Everyone else on the staff is just as impressive. Tina [Readling] is super organized and cares so much about our experience as college athletes, trying to make it the best possible. Everyone else I met are also all phenomenal. You can tell that they’re all the best in the business.”

Van Eekeren: “Coach Katie is a strong leader and great role model for me. I know she wants the best for me as both a player and a person. She has played at the highest level, coaches at the highest level, and challenges her players to be the best they can be. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to play for her here at Penn State. Dan was my first contact with Penn State in the recruitment process. I enjoyed talking with him and respect his knowledge of the game. The way Brian talked about the Penn State offense and his attention to detail is impressive to me, and I look forward to learning from him. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to play under this staff and can’t wait to get started.”

What are your goals for the next few months as far as training with your new teammates and getting acclimated to Penn State?

Podraza: “People keep asking me how Penn State is going to be in the fall, and my consistent answer is that we look really good on paper. We have all the right pieces, and in the offseason it all fell right into place on paper. The next challenge is making it work really well on the court. That’s where summer and these next few months leading up to preseason come into play. We’re going to spend a lot of time in the weight room and on the volleyball court getting better and learning how to work well together. I am excited to work with these girls to create chemistry on the court, so that what looks good on paper can translate to wins on the court.”

Mruzik: “I am really excited to get to work and train with the group of girls we have this season. I know we can accomplish some pretty amazing things. As far as goals go for the next few months, I am someone who values relationships pretty heavily, and know that that plays into how things translate on the court as well. Obviously, we’re going to be better after getting in the gym and weight room, but I am most excited to just get to know everyone better and learn how I can contribute to the team in whatever way possible. I keep saying I’m ‘excited,’ but that really is the only word to describe what and how I feel about this upcoming season.”

Perugini: “Sunbelt volleyball is a lot different than Big Ten volleyball. My goal is to make that transition. I want to get used to the different speed of the game, the expectations held in Penn State’s gym versus my old school’s gym, and the defensive and passing philosophies here. Another important goal is to build relationships with all of the girls and really get to know everyone. This is such a special group and I’m so excited for it.”

Van Eekeren: “I am ready to be on campus and get started with volleyball open gyms and workouts this summer. I had the opportunity to get to know some of the girls while attending the USA national team open program and we hit it off instantly. The next few months will give us time to get to know each other even more, while working out and training in preparation for our season.”