Penn State Nittany Lions2022 Record: 26-8
Conference Record: 13-7 (5th)
NCAA Tournament Placement: Regional Semifinals (L, 2-3 at Wisconsin)
Final AVCA Ranking: 11
Head Coach: Katie Schumacher-Cawley (2nd year at Penn State)
Record at Penn State: 26-8
Returning Starters | Departures * - 2022 Starter () - Transfer Destination | New Additions () - Transfer Origin |
Maddy Bilinovic - SR - 5'7 DS/L
Gillian Grimes - SO - 5'6 DS/L
Allie Holland - SR - 6'3 MB
Cassie Kuerschen - JR - 5'9 DS/L
Alexa Markley - SO - 6'2 OH/RS
Anjelina Starck - JR - 6'2 OH/DS
Taylor Trammell - SR - 6'2 MB
Zoe Weatherington - SR+ - 6'2 RS | Katie Clark* - 6'3 MB/RS
Seleisa Elisaia* - 5'10 S
Katie Hurta - R-FR - 6'1 S/RS ()
Anastasiya Kudryashova - 6'4 OH/RS
Mandi Morioka - SO - 5'7 DS/L ()
Rikki Williams - R-SO - 6'1 MB ()
Kashauna Williams* - 6'0 OH | Catherine Burke - FR - 6'3 MB
Camryn Hannah - SR - 6'2 RS ()
Kate Lally - FR - 5'9 S
Jess Mruzik - SR - 6'1 OH ()
Joce Nathan - FR - 5'6 DS/L
Lina Perugini - SR+ - 5'7 DS/L ()
Mac Podraza - SR+ - 6'2 S ()
Ally Van Eekeren - SR+ - 6'0 S ()
Karis Willow - FR - 6'4 OH |
2022 Results:Here it was. The first season in nearly half a century without Russ Rose at the helm.
Katie Schumacher-Cawley, a Penn State alum, was called up from the team's assistant coaching staff to lead the Nittany Lions into a new era. The former all-American had spent the previous four years as an assistant under her former head coach before taking the reins herself in early 2022.
The Nittany Lions rolled into KSC's first season with a trio of non-threatening home matches against UConn, Loyola Maryland, and West Virginia. Penn State's positive momentum continued into the team's first road trip in Week 2. It started with a four-set win over Iowa State, which was proceeded by a sweep of Troy on the same day. The visitors then toppled LSU in Baton Rouge to cement a 6-0 start to the 2022 season.
Week 3 is when the hype surrounding Penn State soared to a new level. The Nittany Lions were due in Minneapolis for the annual matchups with Stanford and Oregon as part of the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. Expectations for Penn State were not particularly high heading into the weekend, but the Nittany Lions pulled two stunners with back-to-back five-set wins over the Cardinal and the Ducks. This was obviously a considerable step up in win quality from the past two weeks, and Penn State had defied the odds to remain undefeated.
That unblemished record was preserved in the final pre-conference outings against Howard, UAlbany, and Coastal Carolina. Still, there was a lot left to prove with the Big Ten slate on the way.
A win over Indiana in the conference opener put the Nittany Lions at 12-0 overall. Penn State looked formidable heading into its Saturday match with Michigan and had risen to ninth in the AVCA poll. Unfortunately, this is where the Happy Valley squad faced its first roadblock of the season. Penn State put up a dud at home as Michigan dominated to a sweep win.
Another straight-set loss awaited the Nittany Lions in Madison, bringing the team back down to earth a bit after the hot start in pre-conference. A win over Michigan State brought Penn State's conference record back to 0.500.
The Nittany Lions had a real chance to score the big road win that had eluded them in Wisconsin. After being thoroughly outmatched in the first two sets at Ohio State, Penn State forged a wild comeback to force a fifth in Columbus. However, the five-set fortune from the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge did not carry over into this one. Penn State had lost three of its last five before a home sweep over Illinois brought the mark back to even once again.
Penn State's most unsightly road trip of the year came in mid-October with matches against Nebraska and Iowa on the docket. The Nittany Lions crumbled in Lincoln after posting a historically low hitting percentage. That bitter taste might have carried over into the next night in Iowa City, where Penn State went toe-to-toe with a Hawkeye team that was tied for last in the conference with one win. The Nittany Lions survived with a two-point win in the fifth. Not a banner weekend.
Wins over Maryland and Rutgers were more tame, although the Terrapins put up a fight. More hardship was on the way, however, as Penn State had its second two-match losing skid in Big Ten play with losses to Illinois and Ohio State. The home loss to the Buckeyes was a 17-15 fifth-set heartbreaker.
Good times were restored in Penn State's final stretch of the season. This period was highlighted by back-to-back wins at Purdue and at home against Minnesota. The Nittany Lions would eventually pull off a season sweep of the Boilermakers. The only setback was another agonizing five-set defeat to Wisconsin in Happy Valley as the Badgers inched closer to a Big Ten title.
Happy Valley hosted an NCAA Tournament sub-regional after missing out on home-court advantage in 2021. Wins over UMBC and UCF set up another trip to Madison for Penn State's third match against the Badgers. The regional semifinal produced a generally nauseating match in which the Nittany Lions were blocked 23 times but managed to force a fifth set behind ten service aces. But, as was the case in November's Happy Valley meeting, Penn State fell in the fifth. Despite the loss, the Nittany Lions exceeded most reasonable expectations in Schumacher-Cawley's first year as head coach.
2022 Lineup:The end of the Russ Rose era was accompanied by a ton of roster turnover from the 2021 team. Surprisingly, the Penn State coaching staff managed to assemble a lineup that was fairly consistent throughout the 2022 campaign.
Transfers were undoubtedly crucial to Penn State's success. Most notably, the Nittany Lions got their starting setter and two leading scorers from the portal. Graduate transfer Seleisa Elisaia was called up from Cal State Bakersfield to set the Penn State offense following Gabby Blossom's departure to San Diego. The former all-Big West selection was serviceable during her one year in Happy Valley and didn't have much behind her on the depth chart.
Elisaia's go-to options throughout 2022 were Long Beach State transfer Kashauna Williams at L1 and Utah transfer Zoe Weatherington. Williams was a two-time first-team all-Big West selection during her time with The Beach and was known for her hitting some of the hardest-driven balls in the NCAA. Penn State rode the wave of ups and downs with Williams as she led the team in kills and swings by a wide margin. There were moments of brilliance accompanied by serious head-scratchers. You could form a similar narrative around Weatherington, who hits with incredible pace but had a few low points en route to a 0.218 season hitting percentage.
The last big name from the transfer portal was junior middle blocker Taylor Trammell, who joined Penn State from intra-conference rival Purdue. Trammell was plugged into the M2 position and was much more adept as a blocker than an offensive weapon.
Unfortunately, Trammell went down with a foot injury during Penn State's mid-October match against Maryland and missed the rest of the season. This gave the M2 spot to senior Katie Clark, who had transferred in from TCU before the 2021 season. Clark gave the offense a completely different dynamic, as she was much more comfortable as a slide hitter than Trammell. Penn State frequently used crossing patterns between Clark and Weatherington to take advantage of this.
Yes, Penn State had a few returning starters from the 2021 squad. It wasn't all transfers. Junior middle blocker Allie Holland was back as the team's M1 and finished third in total kills behind Williams and Weatherington. Holland remained the team's best slide hitter and was still a serving asset, too.
Maddy Bilinovic was the next in line at the libero spot after playing as a primary DS for the prior two seasons. Speaking of defensive specialists, Penn State's primary 2022 lineup deployed subs for all three of its pin hitters. The platoon was in full force.
Here's how it went. At L1, Williams was subbed out for true freshman Gillian Grimes. This newcomer had a quality debut season. Weatherington was subbed out for sophomore Cassie Kuerschen at the opposite position.
The substitution situation at L2 had an extra layer of complexity. There was a time when no sub was needed, as returning sophomore Anjelina Starck was the all-around starter at the beginning of the season. By October, however, Starck's role in the frontcourt had been supplanted by freshman pin hitter Alexa Markley. Markley didn't play in the back row, however, and Starck became her DS. Platoon complete.
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2023 Projected Lineup:Penn State's 2023 roster dynamics are incredibly compelling. You have a large contingent of returners accompanied by an equally large group of splashy additions.
The primary concern for Penn State revolves around replacing its starting setter and leading scorer. Elisaia and Williams have completed their one-off seasons. However, the Nittany Lions have made offseason moves that offset these concerns and point more toward these positions being upgraded in 2023.
Reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year Mac Podraza has hopped to Happy Valley after four years at conference rival Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are about to have another one-and-done setter. And, just for good measure, Penn State added Big South Setter of the Year Ally Van Eekeren from High Point--another setter with one year of eligibility. This still feels like it's solidly Podraza's job unless Penn State wants to run a 6-2. And they shouldn't.
Another intra-conference transfer figures to be Penn State's new leading scorer. Senior outside hitter Jess Mruzik joins the Nittany Lions from Michigan after being a Day 1 starter for the Wolverines. Mruzik will almost certainly carry a similar six-rotation role that she had at Michigan, giving the Nittany Lions a backcourt scoring threat that was non-existent in 2022.
There's one more frontcourt transfer of note with right-side hitter Camryn Hannah joining the crew from Clemson. We could go in a lot of different directions with this. Some suggest moving Hannah to the left across from Mruzik. Maybe Hannah will simply be in an open competition with Weatherington, who has returned for a fifth year. But, if you mention a 6-2, I will not be happy.
Penn State doesn't seem to be in a rush to bench any of its defensive specialists, and it adds another good one from the portal. So, run a 5-1 and use your littles. Bilinovic is back in the libero jersey, and Grimes should maintain a significant role as a sophomore. The addition here is Coastal Carolina grad transfer Lina Perugini, who offers a wealth of backcourt experience. We'll see what that means for someone like Kuerschen, who is still in the mix. And, again, you'd expect one fewer open spot in the back row if Mruzik goes all the way around.
The middle blocker spot is standard fare from the first half of 2022. Holland returns at M1, and Trammell appears ready to reassume her role as the M2. However, we'd hope to see an improvement in offensive production at Trammell's spot.
And, of course, that offensive production will remain a storyline at the other outside hitter spot across from Mruzik. Markley? Starck? Who knows. It's a new year, even if Markley had a clear advantage for most of the 2022 season. Regardless of personnel, this position needs to develop into a legitimate threat.
2023 Schedule:Penn State's non-conference schedule came together nicely. It's a good one.
The season kicks off in Tampa against Florida and Georgia Tech. This slate stands in contrast with some of the weak opening weeks that Penn State has assembled in the past. We'll see what the Gators are made of. Georgia Tech should pose less of a threat, even after the coaches kept GT in their preseason polls.
Week 2 is Penn State's home debut against Western Kentucky, Colgate, and James Madison. Even though the Nittany Lions will be solid favorites in all these matches, this is a trio of winning programs with regular conference championship aspirations. You have to admire the RPI gamesmanship involved in scheduling these teams.
The following week, Penn State has a quick hop to Temple in Philly before immediately turning around to face 2022 runner-up Louisville on the road. Another major barometer match.
A lighter schedule featuring UMBC and Seton Hall leads into conference play.
Conference play:
2023 Outlook:Well, shoot. If last year's team can come within a set of the regional finals, surely the 2023 squad can do better.
Year-over-year projections are never that simple, of course, but you can see how Penn State's ceiling goes up a notch this year. A lot depends on how the transfers mesh together. Penn State already dealt with that kind of dynamic last year, so there's no reason to believe this group can't come together with a little more new-ness.
At the very least, Penn State's floor is higher. No more five-set slugfests with Iowa.
For the past three seasons, the Nittany Lions have sort of been muddied between the bottom of the Big Ten's top tier and the top of the middle tier. That's a superfluous way of saying that Penn State has been good, but not the best. This year, the Nittany Lions have a real chance to be an unquestioned member of the top four-ish teams. That would be enough for another sub-regional host, and we'll see what kind of postseason results spawn from it.