UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two Penn State women's volleyball players were voted to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, and the Nittany Lions were picked fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll, as released by the conference office on Friday. Setter Mac Podraza was one of two unanimous selections, and she was joined on the Preseason Team by outside hitter Jess Mruzik.
Podraza, the reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year, enters her final season of eligibility with 4,001 career assists. She is a three-time All-American, earning second-team recognition in 2022, third team in 2021, and honorable mention in 2020. She has been one of the best setters in the best conference in the nation, picking up first-team All-Big Ten accolades in each of the past three seasons.
Mruzik, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is coming off back-to-back seasons in which she made the All-Big Ten first team. She enters the season with 946 kills, 609 digs, and 132 blocks. Mruzik was an AVCA honorable mention All-American in 2021 and received AVCA All-North Region recognition twice.
Penn State was voted fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll, coming in behind Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Behind the Nittany Lions to round out the top eight in the 14-team conference were Purdue, Ohio State, Illinois, and Indiana.
The Nittany Lions went 26-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 42nd-consecutive season in Katie Schumacher-Cawley's first season as head coach of the program in 2022. Seven players on the current roster have earned at least one all-conference honor during their collegiate career.
