Penn State women’s volleyball caps Penn State Invitational with victory over West Virginia
The Nittany Lions spent their first weekend under new head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley in style, sweeping their three-game slate in the Penn State Invitational.
“I’m happy,” said Schumacher-Cawley. “It’s hard to win.”
It certainly didn’t look hard for the new coach, as her team cut through adversity and played with style throughout their opening slate.
Two words defined Saturday night for the blue and white: confidence and fun. Penn State largely dominated West Virginia on its way to a 3-1 victory. While the Mountaineers rallied to win a set and keep the fourth set close, the Nittany Lions, both the team and their fans, maintained their confidence and kept having fun.
The crowd was roaring all night in Rec Hall, packing the student section to the top of the bleachers. Their noise amplified after the fantastic opening run by the Nittany Lions led by junior libero Maddy Bilinovic’s impeccable defense
“She’s fantastic, the energy she brings to the game is just great.” said senior outside hitter Zoe Weatherington.
Bilinovic refused to let a ball hit the ground, diving all over the court on nearly every attack sent in by the Mountaineers over the first two sets. The Ohio native’s impact was a direct reason the Nittany Lions held their opponents under 15 points in the opening sets.
Bilinovic’s passion and confidence bounced around the floor as well, with her teammates following her lead in celebrating and enjoying the game.
After the masterclass put on by the Nittany Lions in the first two sets, Rec Hall was basking in the glory.
The student section continued to roar on every hit, while throwing in some classic dances such as “Sweet Caroline” and the “Tetris” theme during breaks.
The pep band was having fun lightly taunting West Virginia during its attempts to start play. Even the Nittany Lion himself joined in, mimicking the Mountaineer warmup movements behind the unknowing athlete. The Nittany Lion eventually began to crowd-surf to the top of the student section, only missing two rows to students unwilling to drop their phone cameras.
However, it was not all easy for Penn State, as its struggle against momentum swings continued through the final game of the weekend
West Virginia took the lead in the third set and Penn State seemingly had no answers. It took until the fourth set for the group to rebound and win the match in a competitive fourth set.
“We started a set with four errors and a missed serve,” said Schumacher-Cawley. “We talked and corrected a few things and we’ll be working on it over the next week.”
The Nittany Lions can hold confidence in not only taking home three wins, but also seeing clear areas to improve further.
Evan Smith is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ers5828@psu.edu.
About the Contributors
Evan Smith
First-Year / Broadcast Journalism
