Whitney Lauenstein announced her transfer from the Texas Longhorns to Penn State women’s volleyball, posting the news on her Instagram account Wednesday.
A product of Waverly High School in Waverly, Nebraska, she was ranked the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class by PrepVolleyball.com, and spent her first two seasons with the Nebraska Cornhuskers before transferring to Texas.
“So excited to announce my commitment to Penn State volleyball,” Lauenstein wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to my family for helping me with every step of this journey! I am beyond grateful for the coaching staff and cannot wait to get started.”
The 6-foot-2 pin hitter has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining in 2026, as she was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA for the 2024 season. Former Pitt middle blocker Ryla Jones also committed to Penn State Wednesday.
Penn State lost to Lauenstein and the Longhorns in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament on December 6 at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin. Less than three weeks later, Lauenstein is a Nittany Lion, and will be on campus in January to begin player-led training sessions, and, later, full-fledged spring practices, with her new teammates.
Lauenstein is the third player to join the Penn State program via the transfer portal this offseason, following Jones and setter Alexis Stucky, who will also arrive in January after a four-year career with the Florida Gators.
Lauenstein is said to have touched 10’10” last spring and is likely to primarily play outside hitter for the Nittany Lions. She has significant experience at right-side hitter, but two-time first-team AVCA All-American Kennedy Martin has that position locked down.
Lauenstein has proven she can be a terminal hitter in the Big Ten, and brings strong blocking and serving skills with her to University Park (she totaled 28 aces in 2022 with 39 service errors). While at Nebraska, she was nicknamed “Big Hit Whit.”
She had her most productive season as a sophomore at Nebraska in 2022, when she was named to the AVCA All-Region Team after leading the Huskers with 383.5 points. She currently has 395 kills, 151 total blocks, 135 digs, 28 aces, and 10 assists so far during her college career. Lauenstein stepped away from volleyball for the 2023 season following the passing of her father, Ryan.
Lauenstein joins an outside hitter group that features Emmi Sellman, Caroline Jurevicius, Alexis Ewing, and highly ranked incoming freshmen Finley Krystkowiak and Haley Burgdorf, both of whom are enrolling in January.
As a mother (she and her husband, Luke Partridge, have a daughter, Layla), she will provide a mature perspective in the locker room. Her leadership will be a valuable asset for Penn State’s 2026 team, and her addition during the winter transfer window helps shore up the Nittany Lions’ depth following the departures of outside hitters Karis Willow and Marin Collins.
| Career Offensive Stats | Team | Sp | Mp | K | K/s | E | Ta | Pct. | A | A/s | Sa | Sa/s | Se |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Nebraska | 67 | 27 | 62 | 0.925 | 38 | 185 | 0.130 | 2 | 0.03 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Nebraska | 107 | 32 | 297 | 2.776 | 114 | 768 | 0.238 | 8 | 0.075 | 28 | 0.262 | 39 |
| 2024-25 | Texas | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1.000 | 3 | 12 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | Texas | 20 | 8 | 33 | 1.650 | 10 | 77 | 0.299 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| Totals: | 177 | 61 | 362 | 2.045 | 155 | 965 | 0.215 | 10 | 0.056 | 28 | 0.158 | 41 |