After the departure of some key pieces such as Mac Podraza and Allie Holland, Penn State women’s volleyball has turned to its returners to guide the freshmen and transfers into the upcoming season.

Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has taken the Nittany Lions to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of her first two seasons, but she is leaning on this year’s veterans to take the team to the next level. Those veterans will be joined by freshman Ava Falduto and Prep Dig’s top class of 2024 prospect Izzy Starck. Iowa State transfer Jordan Hopp, and Nebraska transfers Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicius also joined the team this past offseason.

“I think all of our newcomers will make an impact this season. I think they’re all great teammates, they fit in really well here at Penn State, and I’m excited to see what they can do,” Schumacher-Cawley said.

The returning players Schumacher-Cawley is leaning on to lead the group include Anjelina Starck, the older sister of Izzy, Gillian Grimes, and Jess Mruzik, but she said it’s a collective effort to get the team over the hump, which the senior class has done by “setting the tone.”

“The seniors went to back-to-back Sweet 16s and lost, and I think it’s been a goal of theirs to be better than that and to have a better Big Ten season,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think they took some real ownership over the summer and team workouts.”

While the summer, which included workouts and a trip to Italy, Slovenia, and Greece to face local European teams, was busy on the court for Penn State, many players took it as an opportunity to grow off the court as well.

Grimes, a junior, was not named a captain for the upcoming season but still believes her leadership skills have improved over the course of the offseason. She recognized how important it’ll be to translate that leadership into the team atmosphere, especially for the newcomers.

“I’m trying to set an example that they can always come to me if they’re in tough situations during the game, and a player that is always going to be playing to their fullest potential and just having fun out there,” Grimes said.

Taylor Trammell, a fifth-year senior in her third year with the Nittany Lions, echoed Grimes’ thoughts that leading with the example of positivity on the court goes a long way in building a winning culture within the program.

“I think just being a leader by example all the time, showing up for your teammates, being there for them whenever they need you to, it’s important,” Trammell said. “Every day, we go to the South gym, there’s no AC, it’s hot right now. Being positive, just being that face for them to look up to is really important.”

Schumacher-Cawley recently named three seniors, Mruzik, Anjelina Starck, and Quinn Menger, as team captains for the upcoming season. She described them as “great people” who have “unique leadership skills,” and she’s looking forward to seeing how they direct the rest of the squad.

The No. 8-ranked Nittany Lions’ season gets underway at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 30, at No. 15 Tennessee, the first of four ranked opponents in the non-conference schedule.