No. 3 Penn State women’s volleyball (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten) cruised by Minnesota (12-5, 5-3 Big Ten) 3-0 in Rec Hall during its “Dig Pink” game on Sunday afternoon.

Jess Mruzik paved the way for Penn State, totaling 18 kills on a .325 hitting percentage and Izzy Starck dished out 46 assists in just three sets.

How It Happened

Minnesota took a 2-0 lead to start the set, but the Nittany Lions quickly scratched back with a 4-0 run fueled by multiple kills by Jess Mruzik. The Golden Gophers answered back, taking three of the next four points to make it a 6-5 game. Penn State retook an 8-7 lead after a great dig from Mruzik set up a kill for Taylor Trammell at the net.

. @voll_jess heating up early!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/EsKaYP0LFF

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 20, 2024

After a kill from Maggie Mendelson to take a 14-11 lead, Mruzik committed a service error and flipped possession back to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota then landed a block on Camryn Hannah to make it a 14-13 game in favor of Penn State.

After a media timeout, Minnesota tied it up, rejecting Camryn’s kill attempt at the net. However, two plays later, Camryn got her lick back, plastering a ball deep into the Minnesota backline to give Penn State a 17-15 lead. The flashy offensive play was followed by a strong defensive effort from Mendelson and Alexa Markley, who combined for a block at the net that prompted Minnesota to burn a timeout as they trailed 16-19.

Fresh out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions displayed a brilliant sequence that started with a ridiculously tough dig from Markley and ended with a solo block at the net from Mruzik that made the Rec Hall crowd erupt. Minnesota had seen enough, calling its last timeout of the set just three plays after calling their first.

The run now sat at 7-0 for Penn State and the momentum was palpable. A kill from Markley brought it to set point where Mruzik finished the job for Penn State with her sixth kill of the set, ending it at 25-16.

After a quick switching of sides, the second set was off and going. Minnesota drew first blood one again due to an attack error from Markley, but Mruzik tied it up with yet another kill at the net. The second set had a much more back-and-forth nature to it as kills were traded with the game sitting at 7-7.

The Golden Gophers began to gain some distance with a 4-1 run, but a perfectly placed floater from Mruzik brought it back to within one for Penn State. An ace from Quinn Menger tied it up at 13-13. Penn State was now in the driver’s seat as a kill from Hannah put them up 15-14. Minnesota responded with a small 3-0 run, but back-to-back kills from Trammel and Hannah kept the Nittany Lions up 20-18.

ACE @MengerQuinn! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/Mmhh6AC8ch

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) October 20, 2024

Minnesota called a timeout to regroup, but that was no use, as a service error was committed immediately out of the break, giving the ball back to Penn State. The Golden Gophers dug their own grave as they committed back-to-back attack errors, handing over the set 25-20.

For the third straight set, Minnesota took the first point after a kill from Kate Thibault. Mruzik continued her strong outing, recording back-to-back kills to even it up at 2-2. Mendelson and Hannah joined in on the offensive action, each notching a kill for Penn State to move the score to 6-3. The kills continued to pile on for the Nittany Lions, who had clearly found an offensive rhythm. With momentum beginning to bubble for Penn State, Minnesota opted for a very early timeout with the scoring sitting at 8-4.

The Penn State offense didn’t blink, as kills from Mruzik and Trammel continued to roll in. Menger dropped in her second ace of the day, propelling her squad to an 11-4 lead.

Minnesota gained a little bit of traction, going on a 3-0 run, which was enough for Penn State to call a timeout. Immediately out of the timeout, Mendelson smashed a free ball for a kill that came floating over due to an errant Minnesota bump.

Penn State was now on a 6-0 run and was in firm control, as it reached the double-digit score mark with a 21-13 lead. A brilliant dig from Grimes went to Izzy Starck who caught the Minnesota defense sleeping with a touch pass over the net on the second bump rather than the third. Starck ended the set 25-14 with a rare kill from her setter position.

Takeaways

• Of course, Mruzik was her usual self at the net, pumping out kills left and right. But today in particular, she was all over the floor and the effort was noticeable as she finished with a team-leading 16 digs. It’s easy for a star hitter like Mruzik to sit back and let her teammates do the dirty work, but she made an impact with her activity on the floor today.
• Mendelson had herself a very complete game on the inside, finishing with seven kills, two digs, and team team-leading four blocks. She was constantly applying pressure with her swings as well.
• Even though Minnesota ended with more blocks, Penn State out-scored the Golden Gophers 52-30 in kills. The Nittany Lions offense was relentless, even if some of their swings were sent back.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions hit the road to take on UCLA in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 24. The game can be streamed on the Big Ten Network.