Gillian Grimes Season 2023

CAREER
Earned one Academic All-Big Ten award.

2023 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Earned a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten Team....Named to the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team.

Season: Played all 120 sets in the team's 32 matches, including 30 as the team's libero...Led the team with 429 digs (3.58/set) and in aces with 28...Had double-digit digs in 26 matches, including a season-high 23 in a five-set win over Ohio State at Rec Hall (10/7)...Had at least one ace in 15 matches, including a season-high four in a four-set win at No. 13 Minnesota (9/30).

vs. Florida (8/25): Donned the libero jersey for the first time in her collegiate career and finished with 14 digs. Western Kentucky (9/1): Tallied 14 digs and two aces. at Northwestern (9/24): Contributed 12 digs and two aces in a three-set win. at Minnesota (9/30): Served for a career-high four aces in addition to 16 digs in a four set win. Ohio State (10/7): Posted a season-high 23 digs in a five-set win. at Iowa (10/13): Contributed 19 digs and one ace in a sweep. Iowa (10/20): Again recorded 19 digs and one ace in a sweep of the Hawkeyes.  Michigan (11/10): Finished with 15 digs and two aces in a sweep. Wisconsin (11/11): Chipped in with 14 digs and two aces in a four-set win over the second-ranked Badgers at Rec Hall. Michigan State (11/17): Served for three aces and added 11 digs. vs. Yale (11/30): Totaled 15 digs and one ace in the NCAA First Round win. at Kansas (12/1): Finished with 14 digs in a win over the 15th-ranked Jayhawks in the NCAA Second Round win. 

2022 • FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Played all 129 sets and started in 29 of the team’s 34 matches as a defensive specialist…Finished with 237 digs (1.84/set) and 29 aces…Recorded double-digit digs 10 times, including a season-high 13 in a four-set win over Maryland (11/2)…Had at least one ace in 19 matches, including a season-high three in matches against Troy (9/2), Maryland (10/21), and Wisconsin (12/8).

UConn (8/26): Made collegiate debut and contributed six digs and one ace. vs. Troy (9/2): Finished with nine digs and three aces. vs. Stanford (9/9): Totaled 11 digs and added one ace. vs. Oregon (9/10): Tallied 11 digs and one ace. at Iowa (10/15): Registered 12 digs. at Maryland (10/21): Chipped in with 10 digs and three aces. Rutgers (10/23): Had 10 digs. Maryland (11/2): Recorded a season-high 13 digs in addition to one ace. at Purdue (11/12): Contributed 10 digs and one ace. Minnesota (11/18): Chipped in with 10 digs and two aces. at Wisconsin (12/8): Finished with nine digs in the NCAA Regional Semifinal.
 
PRIOR TO PENN STATE
Ranked as the No. 36 recruit in 2022 by PrepVolleyball.com and No. 29 by Prep Dig...Named to the 2021 AVCA Best and Brightest First Team...Started at libero all four years for Nazareth Academy, leading the team to the state title as a senior and a third-place finish as a sophomore...Had a career-high 35 digs in the state championship match, which was the first state title in any sport in school history...Earned one all-state award and two all-conference honors...Finished with more than 1,500 digs during her high school career...Played five years of club volleyball with 1st Alliance and two years with Adversity...Played high school and club volleyball with current Penn State teammate Katie Hurta.

PERSONAL
Parents are Bob and Susan Grimes...Has one older sister, Maeve, who was an All-American volleyball player at Ferris State, and one older brother, Bobby, who played baseball at UIC...Majoring in forensic science.