The title defense for Penn State women’s volleyball started on the right note after the Nittany Lions won their first two matches of the year, but not in the way they expected.

The defending champions had to fight hard to win their first two matches sweeping a quality Creighton team and saved a match point to beat Kansas in five sets at the AVCA First Serve event. The Nittany Lions’ starting lineup looked drastically different compared to last year in both matches. Newcomers like Kennedy Martin and Emmi Sellman were inserted into the lineup while Caroline Jurevicius moved to the bench.

The lineup changes played a critical role in both wins. In the sweep over Creighton, the duo combined for 21 of the team’s 47 kills, and Martin was named MVP of the match. In the five-set victory over Kansas, they combined for 34 of the team’s 72 kills. Martin led the team with the most kills, and Sellman had the second-most. Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley expressed gratitude towards the pair’s early performances.

“[Martin and Sellman] are doing great things in the gym, and they are great teammates,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “They fit in really well here, and I’m excited to see them grow and continue to get better here at Penn State.”

Schumacher-Cawley knows that there are a lot of things for the team to improve on despite the wins. In their sweep against Creighton, the Nittany Lions almost blew an eight-point lead in the second set and had to save three set points in the third set. In its five-set comeback win against Kansas, Penn State blew two set points in the second set and was forced to save a match point in the fourth set before pulling out the win. The Nittany Lions also committed 29 errors in the match, unlike the sweep against Creighton, where they only committed 12.

Due to adding five recruits on National Signing Day and three transfers, including Martin during the offseason, the team is in the process of building up its chemistry. Despite having a different group from its championship run last season, Schumacher-Cawley has no doubt that the team’s chemistry will continue to sharpen as the season goes on.

“They’re really great teammates, and they take care of each other off the court. We have quite a group of new faces, but the returners always do a great job of welcoming new players,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think every practice, every weekend, this team will get better and better. The expectations are high for each of them, but they compete and hold each other accountable.”

Despite Penn State’s big roster adjustments, one thing didn’t change from last season: winning the fifth set. Penn State showed on Monday that resilience and championship mentality from a season ago remain in its DNA by winning yet another fifth set against Kansas. After the win, the Nittany Lions are now 7-0 in the fifth set with their last loss dating back to November 5, 2023, when they lost to Purdue.

With another five-set win under the team’s belt, libero Ava Falduto spoke on Penn State’s success in the fifth set and the mentality that they took going into it against Kansas after the fourth set win.

“We honestly just came together and knew what it takes to be in a fifth set. No one wants to play us in a fifth set,” Falduto said. “That’s kind of our motto when we’re going in there because we play together, we’re so driven, and know that nothing’s going to get past us in that fifth set, we’re not going to take that.”

Penn State will head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase, where it will take on two more ranked opponents in No. 13 Arizona State and No. 25 TCU. Schumacher-Cawley knows that both teams will compete hard against the reigning national champions, stating that the team must be ready to work its way out of any uncomfortable situation that comes its way. As for Falduto, she talked about what the team needs to do to be successful over the weekend.

“We just need to play our game. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net, as long as we focus on what we need to work and improve on from our first weekend,” Falduto said. “I think we’ll have a really great showing.”