UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 2 Penn State Women’s Volleyball hit .456 as it cruised to a 3-0 (25-4, 25-20, 25-18) sweep over Delaware State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 30-2, while the Hornets closed their season at 17-14.
Penn State advances to the Round of 32, where it will host North Carolina on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Tar Heels, who are the No. 8 seed in the regional, advanced with a 3-1 win over Yale on Friday. That match featured two head coaches – Mike Schall (North Carolina) and Erin Appleman (Yale) – that were assistant coaches on the Nittany Lions’ 1999 National Championship team. Current Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley was a player on that title-winning team.
Camryn Hannah hit .550 while totaling a match-high 11 kills for Penn State. Jess Mruzik joined her in double-digits with 10 kills on .474 hitting. It was the 14th-straight match with double-digit kills for Hannah and the sixth by Mruzik. Caroline Jurevicius finished with eight kills on .500 hitting. Izzy Starck, the Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten, did her part with 32 assists.
Penn State gave Delaware State fits with a strong night serving. The Nittany Lions piled up 12 aces, led by Mruzik with four. Ava Falduto and Anjelina Starck tallied three apiece, while Izzy Starck and Quinn Menger each contributed one ace. Falduto had two aces during an 8-0 serving run in the first set. Anjelina Starck reeled off three straight aces during a 4-0 run in the final set.
The Nittany Lions held the Hornets to .080 hitting. Gillian Grimes led all players with 14 digs, while Falduto was right behind her with 12.
Delaware State, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the MEAC champion for the second time in three seasons, was led by Valeria Otero and Gerren Tomlin with six kills apiece. Tomlin and Paige Ahakuelo each had three aces.
Set 1
Penn State dominated in all aspects in a 25-4 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions were successful from the service line, with Mruzik totaling three aces, Falduto adding two and Menger with one. Menger’s ace secured set point. Hannah and Mruzik chipped in with four kills apiece.
Set 2
Mruzik and Hannah each tallied four kills to lead Penn State to a 25-20 win in the second set. Izzy Starck totaled 15 assists. The Nittany Lions broke away from an early 6-6 tie thanks to back-to-back kills from Hannah. This time the set was clinched with a kill by Taylor Trammell.
Set 3
It was a team effort in the 25-18 victory that sealed the sweep for the Nittany Lions. Jurevicius had five kills on .667 hitting, while Hannah added three. Mruzik and Alexa Markley chipped in with two apiece. Anjelina Starck played a pivotal role with three consecutive aces to give Penn State a 22-15 lead. Match point was eventually scored by a Jurevicius kill, sending the Nittany Lions to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next
Penn State hosts North Carolina in a second-round matchup Saturday at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.