Penn State volleyball: Impact transfer, letterman’s daughter earns praise from James Franklin

Penn State volleyball has returned to national title contention in 2024 and are ranked No. 3 in the nation after a 14-1 (4-0) start. The Nittany Lions have knocked off five top 15 teams with their lone loss coming on the road at No. 1 Pittsburgh. Katie Schumacher-Cawley has put together a diverse roster that features top rated high school recruits and and influx of transfer portal talent. One of those Nittany Lion newcomers, Nebraska transfer Caroline Jurevicius, received a special shout out from James Franklin recently.

The Penn State football coach praised the redshirt freshman following the Nittany Lions 27-11 win over UCLA last Saturday. Franklin highlighted several of the football lettermen who returned to Happy Valley for the matchup, including Joe Jurevicius, who is the father of Caroline Jurevicius.

“Having Poz [Paul Posluszny] back was great,” James Franklin said. “Getting a chance to be with him and his wife and his kids was really cool. Obviously, he was a great linebacker here at Penn State, LBU and then [Joe] Jurevicius as well. Hasn’t been back in a long time and was with us this week.

“Obviously, his daughter is killing it with our volleyball team. So, great having these letterman back and spending time with them.”

Caroline Jurevicius has made an instant impact for Penn State volleyball, playing in all 15 matches and 47 of 51 sets to start the 2024 season.

Jurevicius is averaging 2.13 points per set and has 85 kills, which both rank fifth on the team. She, along with true freshmen Izzy Starck and Ava Fadulto, have been key in taking Penn State from a top 20 team to a top five team.

Joe Jurevicius played wide receiver for Penn State football for Joe Paterno in the 1990s before going on to an 11-year NFL career that included winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Looking ahead for Penn State volleyball

The Big Ten is always one the top conferences in women’s college volleyball each season. That is no different in 2024, with the conference having five teams ranked in the top 11, and eight teams inside the top 25.

Penn State volleyball still has ranked games vs No. 14 Minnesota, at No. 16 USC, at No. 9 Wisconsin, vs No. 10 Purdue, vs No. 24 Washington, and vs No. 2 Nebraska.

As of now, the Nittany Lions are in position to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with their No. 4 ranking in the RPI.

To stay in that position or move up, they will need to take care of business against their 10 unranked opponents. Penn State will also likely need to win four of six against its ranked opponents. If this team is a true contender for a top seed, only Wisconsin and Nebraska should be a significant threat for a loss.

But volleyball, like any college sport can be unpredictable, and the Nittany Lions will need to depend on what has gotten them this far throughout the season.

Penn State volleyball returns to action Friday in East Lansing against Michigan State.

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