Penn State Volleyball Swept By Louisville In Rough Road Outing

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

No. 12 Penn State women’s volleyball was swept by No. 2 Louisville Sunday afternoon at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Louisville’s campus. The Cardinals cut Penn State’s lead in the all-time series to 7-2.

There were only two tie scores, one each in the first and second set, and Penn State did not lead at any point during the match, which aired on ESPN2. Jess Mruzik led the Nittany Lions with a match-high 12 kills and seven digs, taking by far the most swings of any player with 41, but was held to a .146 hitting percentage.

Box Score

Louisville’s Anna DeBeer and Charitie Luper also struggled a bit to keep the ball in play with six attack errors of their own, matching Mruzik’s mark. DeBeer had a double-double with 10 kills (.148) and 11 digs, while libero Elena Scott (18 digs) and setter Elle Glock (35 assists, six digs) also turned in standout performances for the 8-0 Cardinals. Luper had nine kills and eight digs.

Louisville hit .186 to Penn State’s .055 and finished with a 50-30 advantage in digs. Penn State out-blocked Louisville 10-7, fueled by Taylor Trammell’s six total blocks in her home state of Kentucky. The Nittany Lions had a difficult time passing with much consistency and were held without an ace. They had eight service errors. Louisville had five aces, led by Cara Cresse’s match-high three, and only three service errors. Cresse also had six kills and three total blocks.

Trammell, who hails from Lexington, had a large group of friends and family in attendance for the match. Fellow middle blocker Allie Holland had four kills, three total blocks, and two digs, but was one of four Nittany Lions to hit .000 for the match, joining Trammell, Camryn Hannah, and Zoe Weatherington. Alexa Markley provided a spark off the bench with three kills and two total blocks.

Cassie Kuerschen was in the starting lineup alongside fellow defensive specialist Maddy Bilinovic and libero Gill Grimes. Kuerschen led Penn State’s defense with nine digs, while Grimes had four and Bilinovic had three. The Nittany Lions hit .029 in the first set, .167 in the second, and .000 in the third. Mac Podraza had 23 assists, two digs, two total blocks, and three service errors.

The Nittany Lions (4-3) will have an opportunity to regroup in practice this week before hosting UMBC Friday at 7 p.m. as part of the Penn State Classic. They also play Seton Hall Saturday at 4 p.m. at Rec Hall. Trammell and Schumacher-Cawley answered questions outside Penn State’s locker room following the Louisville loss. The transcript can be found below.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

Obviously, it wasn’t the result your team wanted. What were some takeaways from the match?

“Our serve-pass game has to be better. It’s something we talk about all the time. I think we had three missed serves and got aced four times in the first set, and that’s tough. That’s tough to do. Being able to control the ball on our side and find ways to better the ball.”

Is there anything that Louisville did, in particular, that stood out to you?

“They played confidently. They played aggressively. I think they’re a very good team. They play well here.”

How do these early-season losses motivate the team moving forward?

“Well, if that doesn’t motivate you, then you have no business being here. No, we have to get back to work. We have to figure out the lineup and make sure we have the right pieces in at the right time.”

You were rotating Mac [Podraza] and Ally [Van Eekeren] a little bit there. What went into that decision? How do you think they played?

“Just trying to get another hitter on the floor and trying to mix it up a little bit to create some space and points.”

What’s your message to the team heading into practice this week?

“That we have to work every day, and that that wasn’t the type of volleyball I think that Penn State plays. We weren’t gritty and we didn’t really punch back. We need to get back to doing those things.”

What do you need to see from your defense and serving in general?

“I think we need to serve a whole lot more aggressively and be able to hit spots on the court. We need to compete.”

What are some things you want to see from your offense? It wasn’t very efficient today.

“Yeah, no, I think Jess is the only one. Jess had 12 kills. I think everyone else had [four], three, or two. We have to create and find other attackers who can score.”

Taylor Trammell

I’m sure you had a lot of fans and family here in attendance. What was it like having them make the trip to watch you play?

“Yeah, it was super awesome to finally get to play in my home state. I’m glad that I have a big support system around me and that they were able to make the trip here. I just appreciate them so much for what they do for me.”

What were some things that Louisville did well today?

“I think that, obviously, their serve and pass game was pretty intense. I think that that’s what they’re known for. I think they did a good job today. I think that we did put down their front row pretty well. We’ll see them again soon, hopefully.”

What are some things you guys have to work on heading into next weekend’s matches?

“I think, overall, we have a lot to work on as a team and where we’re going to go this season. I think it’s more of our mindsets, just seeing what we can do. We have to come together more and work for the common goal, which is to win each game.”

How do these early-season losses motivate the team moving forward?

“I think it motivates everybody, because we know we can do better, and we know that we will get better. There’s no doubt in my mind that we will be a top 16 and up team. Our goal is to win a national championship, and that still hasn’t changed.”

What’s your message to the team heading into practice this week?

“Going into practice, we just talked about this, but I think everybody just needs to be motivated to work hard, play hard. We have to go in there with everything we have. Every day, it has to be 100 percent from everybody, because you’re only as strong as your weakest player.”

What are some things you want to work on personally?

“Personally, I think working on more out-of-system plays and running things behind, setting up some more gaps for our hitters. Making it so it’s easier for them to get some swings on the ball. Just growing as a player, doing everything I can to help my team.”