Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
4 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M J ess Mruzik didn't waste any words when she was asked at Big Ten Vol- leyball Media Days in early August to name Penn State's goal for the 2024 season. "Win the natty," the graduate outside hitter said. There are already seven national championship banners hanging from the rafters of Rec Hall, so Mruzik's com- ment reflected more than just the sort of wild-eyed optimism that comes easily to players when the matches are weeks away. The Nittany Lions have done this before. Repeatedly. Still, the most recent of those titles was 10 years ago, when the program was under the leadership of legendary coach Russ Rose. Since their most recent NCAA crown, the Nittany Lions have made only one Final Four appearance, in 2017. That's also the year they won their last Big Ten title. Upholding the Lions' proud history has been a priority for Rose's successor, Katie Schumacher-Cawley. A former Penn State All-American and a mem- ber of the 1999 national championship team, Schumacher-Cawley is in her third season in charge of the program and understands the significance of all those banners. "The expectations are always high at Penn State," she said. "For me, it's still important to honor the alumni and all of the work that Coach Rose did to put Penn State where it is today, and to con- tinue to recruit great players who are great student-athletes and great people and are really great for the game." Schumacher-Cawley's first two cam- paigns ended in the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. Be- fore bowing out with a 3-1 loss to third- ranked Wisconsin last year, Penn State seemed to build momentum, ending the regular season with a six-match win streak and beating 15th-ranked Kansas on its home court in the second round of the national tourney. That momentum has continued into the 2024 season. Penn State opened its campaign with five consecutive wins, including three victories over ranked opponents. The most impressive of those wins was a sweep of fourth-ranked Louisville at Rec Hall on Sept. 3. Mruzik had 13 kills, while redshirt freshman outside hitter Caroline Jurevicius, a Nebraska transfer and daughter of former Penn State wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, added 11, and graduate outside hitter Camryn Hannah had 8. The Nittany Lions also defeated No. 15 Tennessee, 3-1, on the road on open- ing night and rallied to beat No. 9 Ken- tucky, 3-2, after dropping the first two sets in front of a partisan Wildcat crowd in Lexington. Penn State followed the latter win with a sweep of Ball State to capture first place at the Kentucky In- vitational. OLYMPIC SPORTS KILLER INSTINCT The Penn State women's volleyball team has been putting the hammer down during its nonconference season M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Through Penn State's first five matches, graduate outside hitter Jess Mruzik ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 69 kills. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS