Starck Named East Coast Region Freshman of the Year – Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Izzy Starck added another big honor to her resume as she was named the AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year. She was joined on the All-East Coast Region Team by teammates Camryn Hannah, Jess Mruzik, and Taylor Trammell.

Starck added the Region Freshman of the Year award to the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor she received last week. She is the first Penn State player to win both awards since Jonni Parker in 2018 and the first Nittany Lions setter to earn both since Micha Hancock in 2011. Starck ranks 12^th in the nation in assists/set (11.01) while leading Penn State to .288 hitting. The freshman has tallied 14 double-doubles in assists and digs this season.

Hannah is a two-time All-Region selection, picking up the award as a freshman in 2020 and now as a graduate student in 2024. The first-team All-Big Ten honoree enters the NCAA Regional with a streak of 15 straight matches with double-digit kills. For the season, she is hitting .294 while averaging 3.58 kills/set to help Penn State to a 31-2 record.

Mruzik is a four-time All-Region honoree in addition to her four first-team All-Big Ten accolades. The graduate student outside hitter is averaging 4.20 kills, 2.38 digs, and 0.52 blocks pet set. She ranks second on the team with 12 double-doubles and has recorded double-digit kills 28 times, including a season-high 29 twice. Mruzik is off to a hot start in the NCAA Tournament with 4.43 kills/set through two matches, highlighted by 21 kills in four sets in a win over North Carolina in the NCAA Second Round.

Trammell ranks fifth in the nation and first in the Big Ten with a .442 hitting percentage while averaging 2.05 kills/set. She also excels defensively with her 1.05 blocks/set. The defense was on display in a recent four-set win over North Carolina in the NCAA Second Round as Trammell totaled six blocks, including back-to-back solo stuffs in the second set. The middle blocker, who has nearly 600 blocks in her career, is an All-Region honoree for the first time in her career.

The four All-Region selections are Penn State’s most in a season since 2019.

Penn State, which is ranked second in the AVCA Poll and is the No. 1 seed in the State College Regional, continues postseason play this weekend at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions host Marquette in an NCAA Regional Semifinal match Friday at 3 p.m. The match will air on ESPN2.