After sharing the Big Ten title and winning the national championship, Penn State will likely rely on a couple of fresh faces in addition to the veterans from the national championship team in 2024.
The national championship team featured five seniors, and for a repeat to happen, transfers and freshmen will need to step up in place of the seniors.
Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, libero Gillian Grimes and setter Izzy Starck took the stage in Chicago for Big Ten Volleyball Media Days ahead of the 2025 campaign to discuss expectations for this season.
“It’s a new team,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “If the goal is to win and to win the Big Ten and win a National Championship, the best players are going to be on the floor.”
Grimes and Starck are two of the major returning players to a team with repeat national championship hopes.
Right-sider hitter Caroline Jurevicius is another impactful returner, but she’ll have some company at the position with the addition of first team All-American Kennedy Martin.
Martin and Jurevicius have the flexibility to play all over the court despite being at the same position, but the duo brings up some curiosity about how they’ll both see action.
“Don’t you want to know?” Schumacher-Cawley said on how they’ll be used. “(Jurevicius) can play outside, right side, she can hit all along the net. She will make an impact.”
When Martin announced that she was entering the transfer portal after two seasons with Florida, she instantly became the most coveted transfer in the portal.
However, the Fort Mill, South Carolina, native had just a few schools on her list, making the recruiting process easier.
“We recruited Kennedy the first time around, so we had had a prior relationship with her,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “Of course she’s an exceptional player, but she’s a great person. I really enjoyed her the first time around.”
Martin was the final addition to the team, but another big-time hitter made her way to Happy Valley.
Outside hitter Emmi Sellman transferred to Penn State after one season at Ohio State, while middle blocker Gabrielle Nichols joined the Nittany Lions as one of the top recruits in the Class of 2025.
Both players have USA Volleyball experience and joined the blue and white in the spring to get a jumpstart on chemistry.
“I think they both bring such competitive energy to the gym, and I think that’s all what we need,” Grimes said.
The biggest connection that needs building is between the setter and the hitters and the additional time could be a big factor in the start to the season.
“It’s hard to get new players and build that connection fast, but the nice thing about having them in the spring, I had this whole spring to build a bond, know what they want and everything,” Starck said. “I think it’s made progress in a really great way, and I think we have a really good fluid system going right now.”
Penn State has a foundation built with its returning players, but it’ll be the newcomers that could be the difference maker in a potential back-to-back national championship run.
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