Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he 2025 season was shaping up to be a great one for the Penn State women's volleyball team. The Nittany Lions had won a national championship the year before and fol- lowed up that triumph by landing one of the nation's most coveted transfers in right-side hitter Kennedy Martin, a two-time All-American at Florida. Al- though they'd suffered some key gradu- ation losses, the team's title defense was coming together nicely — as evidenced by its No. 2 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association pre- season poll. But then the matches began, and it quickly became clear something was amiss. The Nittany Lions got off to a lackluster start, dropping three of their first five. Just prior to the third of those losses — a sweep at the hands of visit- ing Kentucky — All-America setter Izzy Starck stepped away from the team, an- nouncing that she planned to sit out the season to prioritize her mental health. PSU went on to finish 19-13 and was swept out of the NCAA Tournament by Texas in the second round. The early tourney exit made for a longer-than-expected offseason, but the Nittany Lions put it to good use. They welcomed a strong four-player freshman class and once again used the transfer portal to patch their holes, bringing in high-profile players from the SEC and ACC. In the process, they moved on from the season's disappointments and began refocusing on the future. Asked recently what she learned from the team's strug- gles in 2025, redshirt junior outside hitter Caroline Jurevicius noted that do-overs are built into the nature of college sports. "Every season is a new season," she said. "We have the opportunity to come in with a new group of girls and start fresh again." Penn State's revamp begins at the setter posi- tion, where redshirt senior Alexis Stucky has arrived after three seasons at Flor- ida. Stucky was a third-team AVCA All- American as a freshman and a two-time All-SEC performer with the Gators. Last year, her average of 10.31 assists per set ranked 30th in the nation. Martin, a senior who won first-team AVCA All-America honors after rack- ing up 634 kills in her first season at PSU, was close friends with Stucky dur- ing the two years they spent together in Gainesville and is excited to renew their partnership. "Having her as a part of the team has been awesome," Martin said. "She's just a bundle of joy. She's always smiling and is such a great teammate. She really has this talent for being able to bring a group of girls together." Elsewhere, junior middle blocker Ryla Jones arrived from Pitt, while graduate outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein came aboard from Texas, where she spent two seasons after starting out her career at Nebraska. Jones made an early impact for the Panthers, winning ACC All-Freshman honors after starting 31 matches and to- taling 115 kills in her debut season. Last year, she hit .382 with 107 kills and 98 blocks for a Pitt team that reached the national semifinals. Lauenstein played in only 10 matches in her two seasons with the Longhorns, but she shined during her previous ten- ure at Nebraska. The No. 16 overall re- cruit in the 2021 class, she started 32 matches for the Cornhuskers, earning All-Region honors from the AVCA as a sopho- more. Those players have arrived at Penn State just in time to take part in one of the more interesting schedules the Li- ons have ever assembled. On Aug. 27, they'll open their season in a volleyball showcase called Spikes Under the Lights, to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The four-team ex- hibition event will also feature Florida, Nebraska and SMU. HIGH VISIBILITY Showcase events will give PSU women's volleyball a chance to shine in 2026 M A T T H E R B | M A T T . H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS Senior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin was a first-team All- American in her first season at Penn State, ranking second nationally with an average of 6.22 points per set. PHOTO BY BEN BURRELL/PENN STATE ATHLETICS