PSU 2023 Season Preview Part 3: Setters
This post is the third in a four-part series that looks at the Penn State Women’s Volleyball roster for 2023. This article focuses on the setter position, with a rundown on returnees, “new Penn Staters” who arrived through the Transfer Portal, incoming freshmen and players lost to graduation.
The next (and last) part in the series, Part 4 – Liberos/Defensive Specialists, will be posted next Tuesday, May 30th. So keep an eye on DigNittanyVolleyball.com, and follow us on Twitter — @DigNittany — or on the DigNittanyVolleyballForum.
Here are links to the previous two parts in this series: Part 1: Pin Hitters, and Part 2: Middle Blockers.
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.
Leisa Elisaia’s Departure Leaves a Big Hole in Penn State’s Lineup
The top two setters from the 2022 team — Leisa Elisaia and Katie Hurta — are gone — Leisa to graduation (and a season playing pro in Puerto Rico), and Hurta via the Transfer Portal, to Clemson.
Even though Elisaia had been named as an All-Big West 1st-Team selection for Cal State Bakersfield in 2021 (as was Kash Williams, for Long Beach State), she wasn’t well-known to Penn State fans when she arrived via the Transfer Portal in the Summer of 2022. Leisa won the starting position during pre-season practice and never looked back, leading Penn State to a 26-8 record, a 3rd-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament vs. Wisconsin, and a spot as a 2nd Team All-Big Ten honoree.
Hurta suffered injuries early on, and never seemed to get on track. We wish her well at Clemson.
Mac and Ally and Kate Lally (and Quinn, too) Look to Make Their Marks in 2023
Katie Schumacher-Cawley and her staff brought in two top transfer setters for the 2023 season — Mac Podraza and Ally Van Eekeren, plus true freshman Kate Lally.
Podraza, the reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year, received three AVCA All-American selections and three first-team All-Big Ten awards during her four years at Ohio State. She was among the most coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason — and arguably the top setter — and a huge pickup for Penn State.
The off-season has given her a chance to recuperate from a grueling 2022 campaign. In 2022, she played in every match, every set, every point! By all accounts, the break was good for her, and in March, she accepted an invitation (along with teammate-to-be Jess Mruzik) to train with U.S. National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly and his staff, and reportedly did very well.
Being the reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year brings big expectations. We think Mac Podraza will more than meet those expectations when she arrives on campus in June. She’s known as a natural leader and a strong setter — sideline to sideline. She is very, very experienced and has played in some really big matches. Is there room for improvement? As with any player, of course there is. For Penn State’s system, she probably needs to improve as a blocker and defender. But Mac Podraza wants to be the best, and help Penn State be the best. We think she’ll make the adjustments to get better and to accomplish her personal and team goals.
Ally Van Eekeren was the Big South Setter of the Year in 2022, so she had a pretty good season by anyone’s standards. When she entered the transfer portal, she received offers from several schools in addition to Penn State. And she visited Penn State at the same time as Mac Podraza — so she knew that Mac was going to be a teammate and a highly touted player vying for the starting setter job.
She committed to the Nittany Lions despite all that because, quite simply, she really wanted to come to Penn State. She’s a competitor, so even though she understands that Mac will (at least in the fans’ eyes) be favored to win the job, she also knows the staff won’t simply anoint any player as the starter based on their press clippings. She’ll be given a chance, and will be ready to help the team win, whatever her role may be.
Similar to Mac, Ally has intangible leadership qualities — among the reasons she was viewed as a good fit by Coach Katie and the staff. She’s been to the NCAA tournament. She’s long and jumps well. She moves the ball around well. Although we don’t think a 6-2 is in Penn State’s 2023 future, if the situation called for it, Ally is a player who could fit into that system. And Penn State will have the attackers to make a 6-2 work. But again, don’t bet the farm on a 6-2 for the Nittany Lions in 2023.
Areas for improvement? Like every player, Ally can improve her all-around game, and she probably needs to develop a tougher serve.
Quinn Menger is a player who split her time in 2022 between setter and defensive/serving specialist, and was the sole setter on the team during Spring practice. She played in the scrimmage against Athletes Unlimited, and did very well (although she was replaced in the third set by . . . wait for it . . . Alisha Glass. If you’re going to be replaced, not too shabby when your replacement is an all-time great setter, Olympian, and current pro.) And, by the way, Penn State won a set and lost a set to Athletes Unlimited with Quinn running the offense, and won a set and lost a set with Alisha running the offense. Just sayin’.
Despite her Spring success, we think Quinn is most likely to see time as a serving specialist/DS. One thing we know for certain, she is a great teammate and won’t stop competing and trying to help the team.
Kate Lally will be a true freshman in 2023. She’s a lefty, can play defense, can do a lot of things well and has an aggressive serve. Similar to Quinn Menger, she will provide depth at setter and in the back row. And did we mention she’s a lefty?
About the table below: departed players are listed in red, and only college stats are included (so Kate Lally is listed as having none, but believe us, she did play in 2022.)
2023 Setters (2022 Stats)
| Player | 2023 Class | Ht | SP | MP | A/S | Pts/S | K/S | % | Blk/S | SA/S | Dig/S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Podraza, Mac (2022 Big Ten Setter of the Year) | 4/Sr.+ | 6-02 | 117 | 32 | 11.10 | 1.01 | 0.63 | .306 | 0.62 | 0.03 | 2.28 |
| Van Eekeren, Ally (2022 Big South Setter of the Year) | 4/Sr.+ | 6-00 | 116 | 33 | 8.41 | 1.57 | 1.10 | .303 | 0.44 | 0.23 | 2.11 |
| Lally, Kate | 1/Fr. | 5-10 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 | 000 |
| Elisaia, Seleisa 2nd Team All-Big Ten Graduated | 0 | 5-10 | 129 | 34 | 10.35 | 1.34 | 0.74 | .263 | 0.69 | 0.24 | 2.19 |
Hurta, Katie Transferred to Clemson | 2/So. | 6-01 | 5 | 2 | 1.00 | 0.20 | 0.20 | .000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.40 |