Penn State Volleyball Ties Athletes Unlimited Pros 2-2 In Exciting Exhibition

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball hosted an all-star team of Athletes Unlimited pros Friday night at Rec Hall for an incredibly fun scrimmage that wrapped up the first-of-its-kind exhibition tour that traveled to nine college campuses this spring.

The match ended in a 2-2 tie (22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 23-25) after a night full of competitive and highly entertaining volleyball. The Nittany Lions hit .343 for the match and out-blocked the AU pros 15-5 in front of a grateful crowd that welcomed Penn State legends Alisha Glass Childress and Deja McClendon back to Rec Hall.

Both teams signed autographs and chatted with a long line of fans afterward, helping to grow the game of volleyball as Athletes Unlimited hoped this tour would accomplish. They also posed for photos on the court with Penn State’s newest Team IMPACT teammate, Olivia, who was honored in a ceremony earlier in the day as well.

https://twitter.com/JoshWalk/status/1649523911019642882?s=20

Box Score

Midway through the match, Childress and McClendon changed into Penn State jerseys and joined the Nittany Lions for the remainder of play, much to the delight of the home crowd, which featured incoming setter transfer Mac Podraza, recent All-American outside hitter Kashauna Williams, and local freshman-to-be Kate Lally, a setter from State College Area High School.

Maddy Bilinovic began the match wearing Penn State’s blue libero jersey, but rising sophomore Gillian Grimes later took a turn in the off-color shirt as Penn State’s coaching staff tried some different lineup combinations. The Nittany Lions passed particularly well Friday night, giving starting setter Quinn Menger and Childress better opportunities to dish the ball to Penn State’s attackers.

Zoe Weatherington and Anjelina Starck led a group of five Penn State players with at least eight kills, tallying a team-high 15 and 12, respectively. Starck hit .522 with zero attack errors in a standout showing for the rising junior, while Taylor Trammell, Allie Holland, and Alexa Markley also performed well. Willow Johnson led all players with 21 kills on a dominant night for the former Oregon star.

McClendon finished with nine kills and 12 digs, while Childress combined for 36 assists, 12 digs, two blocks, an ace, and a kill. Grimes (five digs, three assists, one kill) and Holland (nine kills, seven blocks, two digs) each had an ace in the back-and-forth match. Penn State held the pros to a .250 hitting percentage and had just under half as many attack errors.

Menger did an excellent job running Penn State’s offense with 27 assists, five digs, and two kills, showcasing her skills as a setter after primarily serving as a defensive specialist the last two seasons. Bilinovic and rising junior Cassie Kuerschen had eight and five digs, respectively. Macy Van Den Elzen also subbed in and recorded a kill, as all 10 Penn State players saw the floor.

The opportunity to test themselves in this fashion will certainly help the Nittany Lions heading into the summer, when the team will add nine newcomers to the program as preparations ramp up for the fall. Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley answered a few questions after the match regarding her team’s performance during spring practice and how valuable it was for them to hear advice from McClendon, Childress, and fellow Penn State great Megan Hodge Easy, who visited the team last weekend.

Post Match Q&A with Coach Katie

What was the experience like hosting this match and everything that went with it?

KSC: “It was so fun to have AU Volleyball here, to play with Deja and Alisha, to have our players exposed to them. It was a special couple of days for us. I’m so happy that everyone enjoyed it.”

How do you think your team played tonight?

“I thought we played hard. The first set, we missed quite a few serves, but I think we calmed down a little bit and competed. Everyone played and everyone did something well.”

What are your thoughts on the spring as a whole? How did it go for you?

“I’m really proud of these 10 and what they did, on and off the court. They all made strides and they know that they’re all going to be able to contribute this fall. I’m excited for them.”

How many scrimmages were you able to get in this spring?

“We went to West Virginia and [played in] this, but we competed every day in practice. We had our practice players and all that. I think they did a really good job of getting better and competing.”

How valuable was it for the players to hear from Alisha and Deja?

“I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that. The history with those two and the love that they have for Penn State and Penn State volleyball is unmatched.”

Megan Hodge visited practice recently as well. What was that like?

“It was quite a week for these guys. Megan Hodge was in town for Blue-White weekend, stopped by, talked to the players, and gave them words of wisdom. It was fun. It’s been a really fun week.”

What advice do you have for the team heading into the summer on what they can work on?

“Hey, you have to keep getting better. Get stronger and continue to be great teammates.”

What are your thoughts on the newcomers who are going to be joining the program?

“I’ll let you know in August. No, I’m excited. I’m excited for everyone who’s joining the program. I think it’s going to be a special group.”