UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Jess Mruzik put the finishing touches on a dominant weekend with 26 kills on .339 hitting in a 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16) win over James Madison on Sunday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions upped their record to 3-2 with three wins at the Penn State Invitational, while the Dukes fell to 4-2.
For the weekend, Mruzik hit .345 with 53 kills, 14 digs (1.40/set), eight blocks and three aces in wins over Colgate, No. 22 Western Kentucky, and James Madison. She eclipsed 1,000 career kills in the opening set against Colgate on Saturday.
Allie Holland hit .500 with eight kills, five digs and two blocks in the win over James Madison. Zoe Weatherington also had eight kills, while Taylor Trammell tallied six in addition to five blocks. Mac Podraza racked up 39 assists.
Maddy Bilinovic continued her solid play in the back row with a team-high 13 digs. Cassie Kuerschen was next behind her with nine digs, while Podraza and Gillian Grimes had six apiece.
Miette Veldman led James Madison with 15 kills. The Dukes, the defending champions in the Sun Belt Conference, were coming off a 3-0 win over No. 22 Western Kentucky the previous night.
Set 1
James Madison started fast with a 14-11 lead before Penn State later used a 4-0 run to take an 18-16 advantage. An ace by Grimes tied it at 16-all. Holland followed with a pair of kills to give the Nittany Lions a two-point lead. Following a James Madison point, Penn State pulled away for good with a 6-0 run. The run was started with a kill by Mruzik. The…
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