No. 4 Penn State women’s volleyball (25-2, 15-1 Big Ten) took down Maryland (13-14, 4-12 Big Ten) 3-1 in College Park on Sunday afternoon.

The two-headed monster of Jess Mruzik and Camryn Hannah led the way for Penn State, as they combined for 32 kills which matched Maryland’s entire kill total on the day. Additionally, Izzy Starck dished out 49 assists and 17 digs.

How It Happened

Taylor Trammell started it for the Nittany Lions with a swing and a kill to make it a 1-0 game. The kills continued to roll in as Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicius recorded two each, fueling Penn State’s 6-3 lead. Maryland went on a quick 3-0 run thanks to a kill from Eva Rohrbach and back-to-back service aces from Samantha Schnitta, tying it up 6-6. Mruzik made her presence known at the net as she levitated off the ground, rejecting a swing from Maryland for a solo block to extend Penn State’s 15-10 lead.

A kill from Hannah prompted the Terrapins to use their first timeout of the set, but it wasn’t much use as Mruzik dropped in her second ace of the day fresh out of the break to give Penn State a commanding 19-11 lead. On the next point, Mendelson and Starck combined for a block at the net, forcing Maryland to burn their final timeout trailing by nine points. Out of their second timeout in just a few minutes, Maryland momentarily stopped the bleeding thanks to a kill from Schnitta, but the Nittany Lions jumped right back into attack mode taking five of the next six points, running away with the first set, 25-13.

Penn State picked up right where it left off, claiming the first three points of the second set via kills from Mruzik and Jurevicius. Maryland regained some traction, taking six of the next nine points to tie it up at 6-6. The game remained tied at 12-12 midway through the set, as both squads traded kills back and forth. After the Terrapins took a brief 18-16 lead, Penn State tied it back up after Camryn recorded back-to-back kills.

Knotted up at 21-21, Katie Scherer tapped over a roller that found a hole in the Nittany Lion defense, giving Maryland the lead and forcing a timeout from Penn State. The pause from Penn State proved worth it, as a service error from the Terrapins tied it up once again. A poor set from Gillian Grimes gift-wrapped a kill at the net for Maryland, putting the Terps up 24-22 and prompting Penn State to use their last timeout. The Penn State defense couldn’t coral the swing from Scherer, dropping the second set 25-22.

After the Terrapins took the first two points of the third set, Mruzik got the Nittany Lions on the board with a swing and a kill. However, Grimes committed a service error and Mendelson couldn’t get her swing over the net, putting Maryland up 4-1.

But in the blink of an eye, Penn State stormed back with a vicious 7-0 run, forcing Maryland to use an early timeout as it trailed 8-4. Consecutive kills from Schnitta put Maryland back in the game at 8-6.

The Nittany Lions regained their footing, taking four of the next five points to make it a 13-8 game. The deficit was worrisome enough for the Terrapins to burn their last timeout of the set while sitting at just eight points.

It was full steam ahead out of the break for the Nittany Lions who lead 19-11. A poor reception from the Terrapins sent a floater right into the teeth of the Nittany Lions defense where Mruzik was waiting for it, plastering a kill into the floor of the court for a big-time point that extended Penn State’s 21-12 lead.

Kills from Starck and Hannah pushed it to set point for the Nittany Lions, where a service ace from Quinn Menger sealed the deal, 25-13.

. @MengerQuinn ends set three with an ACE! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/MZuWwbshNP

— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) November 17, 2024

Penn State jumped out to a 4-2 lead to begin the fourth set, but the service errors continued to plague the Nittany Lion offense, as Maryland led 7-5. Penn State rattled off three consecutive kills at the net, two of which came from Hannah, en route to a 5-0 run. Jurevicius made her presence felt at the net with a big-time defensive rejection to extend the lead to 12-8 for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions broke the game open with an 11-1 run, fueled by kills from the whole roster. They were firing on all cylinders, as they led 18-9.

While Maryland did attempt a comeback effort with a 4-0 run that forced a Penn State timeout, it was to no avail as the Nittany Lions closed out the fourth set 25-15 thanks to consecutive kills from Mruzik.

Takeaways

• Camryn Hannah had a blazing hot start to the match, recording seven kills on just ten swings in the first set. She finished with a team-high 17 kills on just 28 swings. This propelled Penn State to a quick lead, ensuring it wouldn’t let the Sunday scaries bog them down for a slow start.
• Service errors were plentiful for the Nittany Lions. They finished with 12 on the day, five of which came in the third set. They also surrendered six service aces to Terrapin servers.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return home to Rec Hall for a matchup with Purdue at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 21 for their annual “Professor Night”.