UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Jess Mruzik was named the Big Ten Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the second-straight week Monday after leading the third-ranked Nittany Lions to wins over Maryland and No. 11 Oregon.
Mruzik hit .329 while averaging 4.71 kills and 3.14 digs per set in the two wins. The outside hitter recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 kills, 14 digs, and three aces in the four-set win over the Terrapins. She followed that with 16 kills, eight digs, and three solo blocks in a dominant sweep over the Ducks.
Penn State is one of just two unbeaten teams in Big Ten play through four matches. Mruzik has played a pivotal role in that, hitting .327 while averaging 5.36 kills and 2.93 digs per set. She leads all players in kills/set in conference matches.
Mruzik is the first Penn State player to win back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week awards since Haleigh Washington in 2017.
Penn State has won at least one Big Ten award in all but one week of the season. Mruzik was named the top player twice, while Izzy Starck was selected as the top freshman three times and the best setter once.
The Nittany Lions are on the road for a pair of Big Ten matches this week. They head to East Lansing to take on Michigan State on Friday at 6 p.m., and then travel to Bloomington to take on Indiana on Sunday at 1 p.m.