Post by Kingsley on Aug 10, 2021 13:35:42 GMT -5
Penn State Nittany LionsSpring 2021 Overall Record: 10-6
Conference Record: 9-5 (6th)
NCAA Tournament Placement: Regional Semifinals (L, 1-3 vs. Texas)
Final AVCA Ranking: 12
Head Coach: Russ Rose (43rd season at Penn State)
Record at Penn State: 1309-218
Returning Starters:
Maddy Bilinovic - SO, 5'7 DS
Gabby Blossom - SR, 5'9 S
Annie Cate Fitzpatrick - SO, 5'11 OH
Jenna Hampton - SR, 5'7
Kaitlyn Hord - SR, 6'4 MB
Anastasiya Kudryashova - R-JR, 6'4 OH
Jonni Parker - SR, 6'0 RS
Departures (* denotes starter):
Lauren Clark - JR, 6'0 OH (Transfer to Florida Gulf Coast)
Hannah Flowers - 6'3 RS
Serena Gray* - SR, 6'2 MB (Transfer to Pittsburgh)
Sam McCool - R-FR, 5'9 DS (Transfer to ?)
Macall Peed - JR, 5-7 DS/L (Transfer to UC Santa Barbara)
Incoming Players:
Katie Clark - SR, 6'3 MB (Transfer from TCU)
Cassie Kuerschen - FR, 5'8 DS/L
Quinn Menger - FR, 5'11 S
Rachel Muisenga - FR, 6'1 S
Lexi Skripek - FR, 5'5 DS/L
Anjelina Starck - FR, 6'2 OH/S/RS
Erika Williams - FR, 6'0 MB
Adanna Rollins - GRAD, 6'0 OH (Grad transfer from Minnesota)
Erika Pritchard - GRAD, 6'3 OH (Grad transfer from Maryland)
Spring 2021 Recap:
It certainly wasn't an auspicious start to the Spring 2021 season for Penn State. Michigan went COVID AWOL, meaning the Nittany Lions would have to wait an extra week for the season to start. When Penn State finally took the court at home against Illinois, they did it without their starting setter and libero. Even still, two wins over the Illini got the year off on the right foot eventually.
The competition got stiffer, though, and the Nittany Lions dropped a pair of matches at Minnesota despite the return of Gabby Blossom and Jenna Hampton. Penn State appeared poised to get back on track against the Buckeyes, but Ohio State pulled off a reverse sweep to relegate their rivals to a 2-3 record.
After a rebound series against Indiana and a canceled Maryland series, Penn State again faced a tough stretch. They were swept at home by Ohio State and mustered a split against Purdue. The Nittany Lions wrapped up the regular with four sweeps against Rutgers and Michigan State before COVID-19 wiped out their matches against Wisconsin and Nebraska.
That doesn't necessarily sound like a season that's up to Penn State standards, but the Nittany Lions were still given the 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It wasn't controversial at all. Then Penn State got a second-round matchup against NC A&T after Rice bowed out due to COVID. It was very popular.
Penn State finished the season 10-6 after falling in the regional semifinals to Texas, the eventual national runner-up.
The Lineup:
I think we all know what lineup we're getting here, but there's going to be some debate on how good they'll be.
The Nittany Lions made waves in the offseason with the addition of two intra-conference outside hitter transfers in one night. Senior Adanna Rollins and super senior Erika Pritchard will surely have the inside track into the starting lineup, displacing returning starters AC Fitzpatrick and Anastasiya Kudryashova. The big key is whether Rollins and Pritchard can improve their serve receive in a new environment. Both have had some struggles over the years, but I can't help feeling that Coach Rose will make something work.
If there's a spot in the lineup with the most "open" competition, it's at the middle blocker spot left vacant after the transfer of Serena Gray (Pitt). The Nittany Lions will likely go with either sophomore Allie Holland, who played in a handful of sets last season with Gray out, or senior Katie Clark, a very recent transfer pickup from TCU. The only other question regarding the middles is whether they'd consider moving Kaitlyn Hord to M1. I don't think that's really necessary.
You all know the rest of this senior-laden lineup. Blossom is back at setter, Jonni Parker will keep playing six rotations, and Jenna Hampton's got the libero jersey. If one of the left sides needs a DS at some point, Maddy Bilinovic got plenty of experience as a true freshman in the spring. Fitzpatrick could also step into that kind of role.
The Schedule:
I love Penn State's schedule. We need to step back and appreciate how great it will be to wake up on opening day and watch Penn State play Georgia Tech at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Successive matches against St. John's and host UCF will be a good test, too.
The Nittany Lions then return home to face Iowa State, Oregon State, and an LSU team that we're all praying will finally be good. Of course, Oregon and Stanford are back on the schedule, too.
Here's the conference breakdown for the Nittany Lions:
| Home + Away | Home | Away |
       |    |    |
The Verdict:
It's no secret that Penn State's production from the left side has not been up to the team's normal standards over the past couple of years. Perhaps the biggest determining factor to the Nittany Lions' success this fall is whether Pritchard and Rollins can restore order. Again, it probably depends on whether Penn State can stitch together some decent passing with this lineup, or whether Blossom can save everyone's bacon.
There could be a decent amount of pressure on Penn State to make this the year that they produce something. We know this is a one-and-done for Pritchard. Who knows how many of Penn State's bajillion seniors feel like sticking around for another season?
For obvious reasons (or perhaps one singular reason), this isn't a favorable year for the Nittany Lions to compete for a conference title. If the team comes together nicely, though, a return to the regional finals is a realistic bar to set. Anything more would be a slam dunk.
