Penn State Volleyball Trio Discusses 3-2 Win Over Pitt

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball wrapped up its two-match spring exhibition series against Pitt with a 3-2 win over the Panthers last Friday at Rec Hall.

After losing to Pitt in four sets the Sunday prior at Fitzgerald Field House in Oakland, the Nittany Lions stormed out to a 1-0 lead for the second straight match, and eventually prevailed with relative ease in a 15-9 fifth set. Penn State won the third set 25-16 in the most lopsided frame of the night at Rec Hall, where a large crowd and several alums were on hand to watch the action.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley and her coaching staff deployed various substitution patterns, trying more lineup combinations out than they did earlier in the week on Pitt’s campus, and the move paid dividends for the Nittany Lions, who have incorporated two true freshmen into significant roles.

Izzy Starck and Ava Falduto, who would typically be finishing up their senior year of high school in a few weeks, already have a full semester of college experience after enrolling early this January and participating in spring practice with the Nittany Lions. The team also added Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicius to the roster via the transfer portal this offseason, and both looked solid in their first two Penn State matches.

Falduto joined Starck, Mendelson, and Jurevicius in the starting lineup Friday after being the initial player off the bench in the first Pitt match. Falduto split time at libero with incumbent Gillian Grimes and appeared poised, bringing impressive energy to the floor, which often featured the two of them patrolling the backcourt together. Falduto was able to attend her senior prom in Elmhurst, Illinois, Saturday night with the rest of her graduating class at IC Catholic Prep.

Schumacher-Cawley, Mendelson, and Grimes answered questions following Penn State’s five-set win over the Panthers, who are coming off three straight trips to the Final Four and return many core players from last year’s roster, including setter Rachel Fairbanks and pin hitter Olivia Babcock. The Nittany Lions did a better job limiting the production of Pitt’s star duo Friday than they did in Oakland. As usual, Jess Mruzik was a steadying presence for Penn State, supplying leadership and her versatile skill set.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

What were some of the things you think you guys did better than the first time against Pitt?

“I thought our serve-pass game was better. I think Izzy did a good job moving the ball around. I thought, defensively, the frontcourt and backcourt worked well together and did some nice things.”

What does Maggie do particularly well?

“Maggie works hard all the time. She’s aggressive in practice and wants to get better. I thought, from last weekend to this weekend, she did a lot of good things, and continues to improve.”

We saw Ava get the start and get a lot of run. What has she brought to the team in the last few months?

“Ava’s a great defender. I think her passing has gotten a lot better. We know she’s a great player. She sees the game well and she’s really fast.”

What are some things that impress you about your pin hitters?

“I thought we took some big swings. I thought we kept the ball in play when it wasn’t a great set. We tipped and found ways to score, which I don’t think we’ve done a lot of that in the past. They kept the ball in play and found a way to either defend it or recycle it and get another attack.”

What do you think of the new two-libero rule and do you think you guys will deploy that this season?

“We didn’t really experiment with it that much this spring, but it definitely can be a tool that we can mess around with.”

How do you feel about the leadership of this year’s team so far?

“I’m really happy. I think Quinn [Menger], Jess [Mruzik], they lead the group, but I think all of the upperclassmen — Cam [Hannah], Anj [Starck], Tay [Trammell] — those five are hungry to get better and to win. I’m really proud of all of them.”

How important was it to get Jess, Taylor, and Cam back this season?

“It’s great. They’ve worked hard and I think they’re excited to have one more season to play here at Penn State. I’m happy for them and looking forward to having them here this fall.”

What are some of your goals for the team this summer?

“To continue to get better and to work as hard as they can in the weight room, to get in the gym and to help each other. They have a lot of high expectations, and they know it’s a daily commitment to get better.”

What have you seen from your team’s serving and passing lately?

“It’s something we do every day. I think they got a lot better at it. It’s something that they need to continue to focus on, and do it themselves.”

What do you like about Caroline’s jump serve?

“It’s aggressive. I think she’s an aggressive player. We give her the green light to get after it a little bit. I think she’s going to have a lot of time to work on it and get better. She’s going to be a great player.”

What are some things you saw from her and Alexa [Markley] that you liked in these two exhibitions?

“I think they both take big swings. I think they both can be really, really good blockers, and have made great changes. They can play both pins, so it’s nice to be able to mix them around a little bit. Alexa played both the left side and right side, and I thought she did a great job.”

What are some things you like most about your staff and the camaraderie you guys have?

“I think it’s a great staff. I think everyone works hard and everyone puts the players and the program first. I’m excited to see what we can do this summer and get this team moving, continue to stay on the right track, and get better.”

How valuable is it for Sydnie [Mabry] to have so many experiences with USA volleyball? I saw she just got back from China.

“It’s great. She’s one of a kind and super helpful. I appreciate everything she does.”

What are some things you enjoy most about recruiting and getting out to different tournaments?

“I think just being able to recruit the best players in the country and to find the players who we think are going to be a great fit here at Penn State.”

A lot of your players have been coaching with Happy Volley Academy here in town this spring. How pleased are you to see that?

“I think it’s great. Some of them want to be coaches, and I think it’s great for them to get their foot in the door and to help the community and help grow the game here in State College.”

What was it like having some alums back in Rec Hall to support the team?

“It’s great. I’m super lucky to have so many people who care about the program and always reach out. The ones who are close enough come back. I’m lucky to have the support I have.”

Lina [Perugini] got into coaching this spring as well. What do you like most about her?

“I think Lina’s going to be an exceptional coach. I think she’s fun. She knows the game and I think she’s just great for the sport.”

Maggie Mendelson

What were some of the keys to success tonight?

“I think just really playing as a team. We’re early in our season, we’re early in being as a team and as a collective unit. Just gelling together was really big for us tonight. We did a good job with a lot of lineups on the floor, so that was really fun.”

When you were in the transfer portal, what were some of the things about Penn State that stood out to you?

“The culture, the coaches, the tradition of Penn State. I really couldn’t ask for another school, a better school to go into, because of everything that Penn State has to offer. The coaching staff has really built me up into a better person, a better human, and just really fulfilled my insecurities that I may have had at my last school.”

What are some things you like most about Penn State’s campus?

“It’s just so pretty. I didn’t walk to any of my classes at Nebraska, but now I walk everywhere. It’s so fun and I just love seeing people on campus, so that’s really cool.”

What have you learned during your college experience so far that you can take into this season?

“I just really learned that you have to be gritty, you have to keep working hard, keep your head down, and figure things out. Hopefully that carries over.”

What are some of your favorite things about Caroline as a player?

“Carol and I are best friends. We’re roommates. It’s been really fun to see her go out on the court. I just love the fire that she has for the game, her ability to hit the ball as hard as she can whenever she wants. She’s a special player, a special human, so I’m just really grateful to get to know her.”

What do you like about her personality off the court?

“Everything. Carol is the funniest person I’ve ever met and she also cares so deeply about everything. She’s really, really cool.”

What’s your impression of Taylor as a middle blocker? What does she bring to the team?

“Taylor is awesome. She’s one of the older girls on the team, so getting to learn from her is really cool. As a person, she’s a really great leader and really driven, so it’s been awesome to learn from her.”

What’s it like living with Jess? What impresses you about her as a player?

“Just her hard work and dedication. She attacks every day, wakes up, and does her best in everything she does, so that’s been really cool to see her succeed. I’ve watched her growing up and watched her play for her four full years. Just seeing how hard she works every day to make that happen is really cool.”

How has the team incorporated you and the other newcomers into the fold?

“I think that they’ve done a really good job. I felt right at home as soon as I walked onto campus. Even as soon as I committed, I got a bunch of texts from them. They do a really good job at making us feel at home, so I’m really grateful for that.”

What do you like most about playing with Izzy? What does she do well as a freshman?

“Izzy and I have played together for a couple years now with USA volleyball. She doesn’t play like a freshman, for sure, and she’s going to do amazing things. She’s playing really high-level volleyball right now. As a person, she’s so bubbly, so awesome, and really great for this team.”

Speaking of those U.S. youth national team experiences, what were those like and how did they impact your development?

“They were really awesome. I’m super grateful for my opportunity to play with USA volleyball. I was honored to be a captain on one of the teams, so just playing with new people, gelling with new teams are really cool things that I can take from that and take into my volleyball team as a collegiate athlete.”

How has your basketball background helped you in the sport of volleyball?

“I don’t think I can even [express] how much it helped me, because it helped me so greatly. Just being able to turn from a long, gangly little girl into an athlete, I think basketball really helped with that. The dual-sport athlete thing really is big for keeping me in shape, keeping me healthy. I miss basketball a lot, but I’m grateful that I can focus on volleyball now.”

What do you like most about playing for Katie?

“Just how much faith she has in all of us. It’s super cool to be out there on the court and just know that she trusts you with everything that she has. I’m really grateful for that.”

What has Mike [Henchy] brought to the staff the last couple weeks since he was hired?

“He’s awesome. I love having him in the gym. He knows so much about volleyball. He’s always willing to help me with extra reps or tell me one thing I can fix. I’m really grateful that he feels so comfortable already and can’t wait to see what he does with us in the fall.”

What impresses you about your defensive specialists?

“Everything. They’re so scrappy. It’s so awesome to play with a great backcourt, because as a middle hitter, you just need a good pass, and they do a really good job at getting one.”

What are some things you miss most about Utah while you’re away at school?

“I miss a lot. I miss my family a lot. I miss all of my friends from high school. The scenery, the mountains. It’s kind of cool that we have a little bit of mountain ranges out here. Mount Nittany is a mountain, but I wouldn’t call it the Utah mountain ranges that I have at home. But it’s been awesome.”

What are some of your goals, personally and as a team, this summer?

“As a team, just get better each and every day, build on the spring season, because I think we have a lot of work to do, but this is a great start. I’m really excited to see what we do in the fall. Personally, I just want to get bigger, stronger, and keep attacking the way that I want to, and really show up in the summer how I want to in the fall.”

What stands out to you about Ava as a player?

“Just her dedication, her hard work. She comes in every day and works her ass off. She really just does everything that she needs to do in [the weight room]. She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, so that’s really cool seeing her work very hard.”

Gill Grimes

What were some of the positives that you noticed in the win tonight?

“I thought we definitely, in the games that we won, had a good lead in the beginning. I think we’re a team that starts on time for a lot of the sets, so that’s one of the positives.”

What have you noticed from Ava coming in as a freshman?

“Ava’s a really good player. She’s keeping me on my toes and being very competitive. I think us back there at the same time is a really good duo. It’s good.”

What do you think of the new two-libero rule? Do you think you guys will end up using that at all?

“Yeah, I think we have to get used to that. We’ll figure that out in practice. That could be a really good asset for our team.”

What does Jess bring to the team that’s particularly impactful?

“Jess is a great leader out there. She’s the type of player who we always look to. In big moments, we’re going to give her the ball to put it down. She’s a great leader out on the court.”

What are some things you think you’ve improved about your game the last few years?

“I think my defense and being able to pass around each different player. Passing in tough situations, staying loose, and just being more confident out on the court.”

What were some of the keys to success tonight, especially in that fifth set?

“I think our block was great throughout this whole day. Definitely the block and getting touches, so it was easy for the defense to play around them, too.”

What has Maggie brought to the team?

“Maggie is a great blocker. She’s aggressive up at the net and always putting the ball down. She’s a great addition to the team.”

What have you seen from Caroline and Alexa on the pins?

“Carol and Alexa, they’re both great players and so much fun to play with. They both bring a lot of energy on the court. Like I said with Maggie, great touches and aggressive swings all the time.”

What are some things that Izzy does well?

“Izzy’s a great setter and a great addition to the team. She moves the ball around. Her blocking is a great addition to the team, too.”

What do you think the team did better in this match than the first time against Pitt?

“I think our passing really picked it up so we could run all options for the ball.”

What are you looking forward to most about this offseason and getting to train with your team?

“I’m really looking to us bonding and grinding together as a team so we can [have] a really impactful fall.”

What are some of the biggest things you’ve learned about college volleyball the last few years?

“I think that volleyball, we’re all good, and college volleyball, we’re all here for a reason. The mental game is huge and what pulls you forward.”

What’s the most important thing about being vocal on the court and having that communication with your teammates?

“I think communication, like coach always says, is a huge asset. Just knowing that you’re talking confidently makes your teammates confident. Just know who’s going for the ball at all times.”

What are your favorite things about Mike so far? What does he bring to the staff?

“Mike is always talking. He has really good knowledge of both sides, blocking and defense. I turn to Mike for whatever help that I need to.”

What was your experience like in Colorado Springs with USA volleyball this spring?

“Colorado was a great time. I got to meet a lot of different players and play some competitive volleyball, which was really fun.”

What advice do you have for younger players about the service line and keeping your cool back there?

“I would say keeping aggressive whatever you do, but also, taking the time to reset and just play confidently.”

What advice do you have for your club program, Adversity VBC, as they finish up their season?

“Just have fun. Enjoy it while it lasts. Adversity is a great club. We have a lot of Adversity people here [in Division I]. Just keep working.”

What do you miss most about the Chicago area while you’re away at school?

“Chicago’s great. I just like how my family is all around. When I get to go back there, I get to see all of my family and be close to my friends.”