KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Camryn Hannah and Jess Mruzik had 19 kills apiece while leading No. 7 Penn State Women’s Volleyball to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20) road win over No. 15 Tennessee on Friday night at Food City Center. It was the season opener for both teams.
Freshman setter Izzy Starck was solid in her collegiate debut as she became Penn State’s first freshman to open the season as the starting setter since Micha Hancock in 2011. She recorded a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs while guiding the Nittany Lions to .343 hitting as a team.
Defensively, Penn State racked up nine blocks, including four from Maggie Mendelson. The junior middle blocker, who was making her debut as a Nittany Lion, added six kills. Redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius, who was also making her Penn State debut, added seven kills and three blocks. Gillian Grimes picked up the start at libero and led the team with 13 digs.
Tennessee, who advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal last season, was led by All-American setter Caroline Kerr with a double-double of 38 assists and 11 digs. Paityn Chapman and Hayden Kubik had 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Set 1
Tennessee used a 3-0 run to go up 24-20 on its way to a 25-22 win in the opening set. Chapman had four kills for the Volunteers, while Penn State countered with four from Mruzik.
Set 2
Hannah tallied five kills and Mruzik added four to lift Penn State to an easy 25-16 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions received production from the middle with Taylor Trammel’s three kills and Mendelson’s two on her two swings. The team hit .306 behind 10 assists from Starck. The Nittany Lions used a 3-0 run to go up 14-8 and then a 4-0 run to go up 18-9. Tennessee only got as close as six the rest of the way.
Set 3
Hannah and Mruzik were dominant in Penn State’s 25-15 win in set three. Hannah hit .556 with six kills, while Mruzik hit .625 with five kills. Starck was busy with nine assists and eight digs as the team hit .455. Grimes tallied five digs to help hold the Volunteers to .089 hitting. She also had an ace during a 4-0 run that helped Penn State jump out to a 6-2 lead. The Nittany Lions used another 4-0 run to go up 14-6. Jurevicius capped the run with a block and a kill. The score never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Set 4
Starck guided Penn State to .419 hitting with her 14 assists as the Nittany Lions clinched the match with a 25-20 win. Mruzik hit .556 with six kills, while Hannah hit .667 with five kills, including one for match point. Quinn Menger put Penn State in a position for match point with her first ace of the season.
Career Highs
Ava Falduto – assists (4), digs (5)
Caroline Jurevicius – kills (7), digs (2), blocks (3)
Maggie Mendelson – solo blocks (2)
Izzy Starck – kills (2), assists (42), digs (12)
Up Next
Penn State heads to Philadelphia to take on Temple on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Owls are 2-0 with wins over Rider and Radford on Friday.