PSU 2023 Season Preview Part 1: The Pin Hitters

This is the 1st in a four-part series that looks at the Penn State Women’s Volleyball roster for 2023.  This article focuses on the outside hitters and the rightside hitters, with a rundown on players lost to graduation, returnees, transfers-in and incoming freshmen.

The next three parts of the series will be Part 2 – Middle Blockers, Part 3 – Setters, and Part 4 – Liberos/Defensive Specialists.  They’ll be posted every couple of days, so keep an eye on DigNittanyVolleyball.com, and follow us on Twitter — @DigNittany — or on the DigNittanyVolleyballForum.

Oh, and in case it isn’t clear, where there is text that is highlighted in blue and bolded (other than the headings) that text is a link — for example, player names are linked to their bios.

Lots of Competition at Outside Hitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penn State lost two outside hitters from 2022: Kash Williams and Anastasiya Kudryashova.  Kash was a big part of Penn State’s success in 2022 — as in 1st Team All-Big 10 big — electrifying Rec Hall fans with her thunderous kills and gravity-defying attacks.

Nasta filled in admirably whenever asked and was always a great teammate.  They both will be missed.

Not to worry.  1st Team All-Big 10 OH Jess Mruzik joined Penn State via the Transfer Portal as a “new Penn Stater.”  She is almost certain to play six-rotations.  Mruzik is a dynamic  player who knows the game, has an aggressive serve, and passes well.  She’s crafty — she sees the game well, has great body control, and is aware of what defense the opposing team is playing at any given time.  She excelled at Michigan, but is poised to do even better at Penn State, where she won’t have so much resting on her shoulders.

How good is she?  Well, for Michigan in 2022 she averaged 4.19 points/set, 3.68 kills/set, hit .240, and averaged 2.34 digs/set. (See the table at the end of this article for 2022 stats for all the pin hitters — the players who graduated are listed in red).  Some observers thought that Mruzik was the best of the five OHs at the USA Volleyball training event that took place March 12-18 at the Anaheim National Team Training Center.

 

 

 

Returnees Alexa Markley (All-Big Ten Freshman team) and Anjelina Starck both played very well during Spring practice, and both will be in the mix at OH for the 2023 season.  Markley is very talented — she has the ability to take over a match with her hitting and blocking.  But she is still learning how to play six-rotations.  During the spring, she concentrated on improving her first contact, and reportedly has come a long way.

 

Anjelina Starck played very well in the Spring scrimmage against West Virginia, with her blocking being particularly impressive.  She may have been the best OH in the match.  She also put together an outstanding match against Athletes Unlimited, where she registered 12 kills with zero errors.  She is a player who is steady on the court, with the ability to see the floor very well.  Look for her to  compete with Alexa Markley all season for playing time at OH.

Incoming freshman Karis Willow impressed during the past year in high school and club play with a physical presence at the net and powerful kills.  She could play at OH, but  seems more likely to start the season at middle blocker.

The Starting Job at Rightside is Up for Grabs

At Rightside/Opp, returning starter Zoe Weatherington will compete for the starting position with 2nd Team All-ACC  Camryn Hannah, another “new Penn Stater” who arrived via the Transfer Portal.  (Alexa Markley is another player who could see time at RS/Opp, but seems more likely to see playing time at OH.)

When assessing Zoe Weatherington, it’s important to remember that the 2023 Spring practice was the first of her college career.  As an incoming freshman at Utah, she arrived after Spring practice was over.  The covid pandemic shut down her sophomore season, so again, no Spring practice.  She transferred to Penn State for her junior season after Spring pratice was over.

This year, Spring practice gave Zoe the chance to work on rounding out her game — improving her hitting, blocking and defense.  She is very mature, and took full advantage, working hard in the weight room.  She reportedly played very well at West Virginia.  She will be working during preseason practice to become more consistent in all phases of her game.

Camryn Hannah hit on both pins during her time at Clemson, so it’s possible she might see time at OH, though RS/Opp seems more likely.  Hannah hasn’t passed a ton, but she can really sky.  We’ve heard reports that she has touched 10’9″.  That’s very good.  She also has good range and has a variety of shots in her toolkit.  Hannah is said to be eager to get in the gym, and is looking forward to joining her new teammates in the middle of June.

Macy Van Den Elzen is an experienced player who will be competing for playing time at RS/Opp.  She is known as a great teammate — one of those players who is able to contribute at multiple positions, embraces her role, and does whatever she can to help the team.  She has really improved at both Middle Blocker and RS/Opp during the Spring, and will be looking to continue to improve during the 2023 season.

2023 Pin Hitters (2022 Stats)

Player	2023 Class	Ht	SP	MP	Pts/S	K/S	%	Blk/S	SA/S	Dig/S
Weatherington, Zoe	4/Sr.+	6-02	126	34	2.81	2.42	.218	0.71	0.02	0.34
Markley, Alexa (2022 Big Ten All Freshman)	2/So.	6-02	87	26	2.21	1.90	.142	0.41	0.05	0.28
Starck, Anjelina	3/Jr.	6-02	128	34	1.31	1.13	.128	0.14	0.09	1.44
Van Den Elzen, Macy	4/Sr.	6-03	2	2	0.50	0.50	.000	0.00	0.00	0.00
Mruzik, Jess (2022 1st Team All-Big Ten)	4/Sr.	6-01	107	30	4.19	3.68	.240	0.58	0.19	2.34
Hannah, Camryn (2022 2nd Team All-ACC)	4/Sr.	6-02	115	31	3.79	3.43	.253	0.47	0.08	0.73
Willow, Karis	1/Fr.	6-04	000	000	000	000	000	000	000	000
Williams, Kashauna (2022 1st Team All-Big Ten) Graduated	000	6-00	123	33	3.75	3.38	.206	0.55	0.02	0.46
Kudryashova, Anastasiya Graduated	000	6-04	23	13	1.00	0.91	.091	0.09	0.00	0.22