Penn State Volleyball Sweeps Northwestern On Emotional Senior Night

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

No. 14 Penn State women’s volleyball swept Northwestern for the second time this season Saturday at Rec Hall during the program’s annual senior night match.

Jess Mruzik led the Nittany Lions (19-8, 13-5 Big Ten) with a match-high 15 kills and eight digs, hitting .364 against the Wildcats in Penn State’s final home match of the regular season. Mac Podraza had a match-high 40 assists, three digs, and a block, guiding Penn State’s offense to a .293 clip in the win.

Box Score

Before the match, as usual on senior night, a handful of Penn State’s underclassmen gave Northwestern’s seniors a bouquet of flowers and shared a hug at midcourt. Penn State waited to honor its graduates until after the match, allowing their families and friends ample time to soak in the touching ceremony, which featured a message from Zoe Weatherington’s mother, Karen, on the video board, as she was unable to make it due to her coaching responsibilities at Charlotte.

Outside of the four fifth-year seniors who will exhaust their eligibility this season, the rest of Penn State’s senior night honorees will have decisions to make regarding the 2024 season and whether they want to return for another year of college volleyball. Mruzik and Camryn Hannah, who had nine kills, were not recognized with the rest of the seniors, indicating they are likely leaning toward a return.

Junior defensive specialist Cassie Kuerschen, who’s scheduled to graduate from the university this academic year, participated in the senior night festivities, but it’s too soon to tell what Penn State’s players with remaining eligibility are planning for next fall. For instance, alumna Katie Clark was honored with the seniors in 2021 before returning for her fifth season in 2022.

The Nittany Lions began the match strong with their best hitting percentage of the night in the first set, tallying a .483 mark in a dominant 25-15 win to go up 1-0. The second and third sets were much closer, but Penn State completed the sweep thanks to timely 3-0 scoring runs at the end of each frame. Katie Schumacher-Cawley subbed in seniors Ally Van Eekeren and Macy Van Den Elzen for match point before Van Den Elzen recorded a dig, setting up Podraza for an assist to Mruzik, whose kill closed things out.

Weatherington had eight kills and a match-high seven total blocks in the win, while Taylor Trammell added six kills and six blocks. Gill Grimes tied Mruzik with a team-high eight digs and had two of Penn State’s three aces. Anjelina Starck, who had three digs and a kill, was among six substitutes for the Nittany Lions Saturday night, including senior defensive specialist Lina Perugini.

The Nittany Lions will hit the road for a pair of matches to wrap up the regular season Wednesday and Friday, first traveling to College Park for their only showdown against Maryland (16-14, 6-12 Big Ten) this fall before heading to Columbus for a rematch with Ohio State (10-17, 7-11 Big Ten), a team they beat 3-2 earlier this season at Rec Hall.

Allie Holland, who had five kills, two blocks, and dig, joined fellow Ohioan Maddy Bilinovic (five digs) and Schumacher-Cawley for the post-match press conference. Holland and Bilinovic cried as they reflected on their Penn State careers thus far, showing just how much playing for this program means to them. The transcript of questions and answers can be found below.

Schumacher-Cawley’s opening statement:

“I just want to say congratulations to these guys. They’ve had great careers here. Not only have they been great on the court, they’ve been exceptional off the court, and I’m happy for them both. It was great to get this win for this graduating class.”

What was it like to get the win tonight?

Bilinovic: “It was an awesome atmosphere, and to do it on senior night — Allie, Macy, and I have been here all four years — I think that it means so much to us. I think the group understands that and did what we needed to do to get us that win.”

Allie, what are you going to do to change the gears as you go into two away matches to finish up the regular season?

Holland: “We’re going to take a day off to reset, see our families, spend time with the girls, and then get back in the gym and get ready to go get two more dubs.”

Coach, what were your biggest takeaways from the last two sets?

KSC: “I think that this group competes hard. Whether we’re down three or four points, we keep grinding and finding ways to score. They don’t stop. I think they’re working really well as a team.”

Allie and Maddy, what does it mean to you to represent Penn State volleyball and this university?

Holland: “It means everything. I’ve given my blood, sweat, and tears here for four years, and I’ve done it with my best friends. I’m forever grateful for the people who let me have this opportunity.”

Bilinovic: “Yeah, as clichΓ© as it sounds, this was my dream. To everyone who made it happen and to all my teammates and everyone I’ve gotten to meet over the years, through all the ups and downs, I wouldn’t trade it, and I have no regrets. This is my home, and it forever will be.”