UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Izzy Starck was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday after helping the Nittany Lions go 3-0 last week with wins over No. 4 Louisville, then-No. 9 Kentucky, and Ball State. She has now earned the award in each of the first two weeks of her collegiate career.
Starck averaged 11.09 assists, 2.55 digs, and 0.73 blocks per set in Penn State’s three wins. She added eight kills and a pair of aces. She had big performances in the team’s two wins over ranked opponents, guiding the Nittany Lions to .358 hitting in a sweep over Louisville and then racking up 47 assists, 17 digs, five kills, five blocks, and one ace in a reverse sweep win over Kentucky.
Starck is the first Penn State freshman since Ali Frantti in 2014 to earn the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award in each of the first two weeks of their collegiate career.
Penn State moved to No. 3 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, which marks the program’s highest ranking in Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s three seasons as head coach.
The Nittany Lions now turn their attention to the Penn State Invitational, which will play host to Duke, Princeton, and St. John’s on Friday-Sunday. Friday’s match against Duke will air live on FS1.