Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N orth Carolina started out strong against Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Women's Vol- leyball Tournament on Dec. 7 at Rec Hall. The Tar Heels sprinted to an early 8-4 lead in the first set, but Jess Mruzik quickly put an end to whatever upset hopes the visi- tors may have been entertaining. Mruzik, a graduate outside hitter, had 7 kills to help Penn State rally for a 25-21 victory, and she continued to hammer North Carolina in the second set, finish- ing with another 7 kills, including the last two in a 25-18 win. For the match, Mruzik had 21 kills, 9 digs and 4 blocks, while graduate outside hitter Camryn Hannah added 13 kills on .435 hitting, and freshman setter Izzy Starck had 41 assists. The result was a 3-1 win that propelled PSU into the regional semifinals. The Nittany Lions were set to welcome Marquette to Rec Hall on Dec. 13, with the winner facing either Texas or Creighton two nights later in a battle for a Final Four berth. A 2023 transfer from Michigan, Mru- zik has been a crucial part of the Nit- tany Lions' attack the past two seasons, and this year she was named first-team All-Big Ten for the fourth consecutive season. But even with the team excelling during the regular season — PSU shared the conference title with Nebraska — the Livonia, Mich., native didn't feel as though she was at her best late in the year. She was held to 9 kills and had 6 errors in a 3-0 loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 9, and while PSU responded by winning six consecutive matches to close out the regular season, Mruzik wasn't satisfied with her play. Following her standout performance against the Tar Heels, she lauded her teammates for keeping the team rolling. "This group has done a really good job of supporting me," she told The Daily Collegian. "I haven't been playing my best, but they were allowing me to stay patient and work myself back up to that. I wouldn't be able to do it without this team." Penn State, which opened the NCAA Tournament with a sweep of Delaware State, was 31-2 heading into its matchup against Marquette. Prior to the start of the tourney, Starck was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while Katie Schumacher-Cawley was named Coach of the Year. ■ OLYMPIC SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The Lady Lions dropped their Big Ten opener against Indiana, 75-60, Dec. 7 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Senior guard Jayla Oden led Penn State with 19 points in a game with seven lead changes and three ties. Redshirt sophomore center Gracie Merkle added 16 points. When Penn State resumed its nonconference season Dec. 11 at Providence, Merkle had 24 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Lady Lions to a 68-51 vic- tory. Through 11 games, the Bellarmine University transfer was leading the Lady Lions in scoring (20.2 points per game) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). Penn State was 9-2 overall heading into a visit to Kansas on Dec. 15. MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: Penn State fell to 6-9 overall and 0-8 in conference play when it was swept by Ohio State, 4-0 and 4-2, Dec. 5-6 in Columbus. Since the start of November, the Nittany Lions' only wins have come in a noncon- ference sweep of Colgate, 3-2 and 7-1, Nov. 26-27 at Pegula Ice Arena. Through the team's first 15 games, sophomore forward Aiden Fink was leading Penn State with 22 points on 8 goals and 14 assists. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: Twelfth-ranked Penn State swept Mercyhurst, 4-2 and 3-2, Dec. 6-7 in Erie, Pa., running its record to 15-4 overall and 8-0 in the Atlantic Hockey America conference. Junior forward Tessa Janecke scored twice for the Nittany Lions in the series finale. Her second goal with 7:53 left in the third period broke a 2-2 tie and gave Penn State its ninth win in 11 games. Heading into the holiday break, Janecke was leading the team with 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists. MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD: Redshirt freshman Brian DiCola broke a school record on the opening weekend of the indoor season, finishing the 5-kilo- meter race in 13:40.25 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston on Dec. 7. DiCola shaved more than six seconds off the previous record, which had been set by Timothy McGowan in 2017. That same day, freshman sprinter Ajani Dwyer finished the 60-meter race in 6.55 at the Bison Opener in Lewisburg, Pa. It was the second-fastest time in school history, 0.01 behind the pace that Cheickna Traore set last year. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Senior Florence Caron finished 19th overall to help Penn State place 15th in the team standings at the NCAA Champi- onship on Nov. 23 at Madison, Wis. It was the best showing by the Nittany Lion women since they placed 14th in 2012. Penn State hadn't had a cross country All-American since Elizabeth Chiko- tas and Jillian Hunsberger finished 15th and 36th, respectively, in 2016. Caron ended that drought, and she continued to shine when the indoor track and field season began two weeks later. At the Sharon Colyear-Dan- ville Season Opener in Boston, she turned in the second-fastest 5K time in program history, finishing in 15:36.11. — Matt Herb W I N T E R S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Penn State Advances In NCAA Women's Volleyball Tourney M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Jess Mruzik had 21 kills in PSU's 3-1 victory over North Carolina in a second-round NCAA match at Rec Hall. PHOTO BY CALEB CRAIG/PENN STATE ATHLETICS