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Mark Selders

Mruzik Records 1,000th Kill in No. 14 Penn State's Sweep of Colgate

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Jess Mruzik recorded her 1,000th career kill while helping No. 14 Penn State Women's Volleyball cruise to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-19) sweep over Colgate on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions evened their record at 2-2, while the Raiders saw their record dip to 2-4.
 
After a 21-kill performance in Penn State's win over No. 22 Western Kentucky on Friday night, Mruzik returned to Rec Hall needing just two kills against Colgate to reach 1,000 for her career. It didn't take long as she opened the scoring with a kill off an assist from Maddy Bilinovic and then put one down off a set from Mac Podraza on the ensuing rally. She added four more in the match to give her 1,004 for her career.
 
Camryn Hannah had a big day for Penn State, hitting .611 with 12 kills. Allie Holland hit .375 with six kills and added five blocks. The Nittany Lions hit .341 as a team behind 12 assists apiece from Mac Podraza and Ally Van Eekeren. Bilinovic, who led the team with eight digs, chipped in with seven assists.
 
Gillian Hauschild put together a strong showing for Colgate. She hit .500 with 10 kills and three digs. The Raiders are the two-time defending champions in the Patriot League.
 
Set 1
Mruzik's two kills to get to 1,000 set the tone as Penn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never trailed. The Nittany Lions led by as much as 15 at 20-5. They hit .400, including four kills on .429 hitting by Mruzik. Holland had two kills on three swings and was in on three of the team's five blocks. Zoe Weatherington also tallied three blocks.
 
Set 2
Hannah carried the attack in the second set, hitting .857 with six kills while helping Penn State hit .464 as a team. Taylor Trammell, Mruzik, Weatherington, and Holland contributed two kills apiece.
 
Set 3
Hannah kept rolling in the final set, adding six more kills on .500 hitting. Anjelina Stark contributed three kills, three digs, and one ace. Van Eekeren played the entire set at setter and tallied nine assists. Cassie Kuerschen helped the effort from the back row with three digs and recorded her second career kill.
 
Up Next
The Nittany Lions conclude play at the Penn State Invitational with a match against James Madison on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Dukes are the defending champions in the Sun Belt.