No. 13 Penn State women's volleyball takes on No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday. This will be the first true test for the Nittany Lions who haven't played against serious competition, excluding their exhibition game with No. 8 SMU (No. 11 at the time).
That game vs. the Mustangs in Spikes Under the Lights wasn't a horror story despite Penn State getting swept. There were some bright spots, particularly on offense as transfer setter Alexis Stucky builds chemistry with her attackers. Outside hitters Whitney Lauenstein and Haley Burgdorf, opposite hitter Kennedy Martin, and middle blockers Ryla Jones and Gabrielle Nichols have stuck out in the first four matches. Lauenstein, especially, has proven herself useful on the court at the net and off the court as a leader.
What didn't stand out positively was defense. That's to be expected as libero Ava Falduto slides into what used to be Gillian Grimes' role. Grimes was an elite defender, totaling 1,636 digs and 125 aces over her four-year career.
Falduto, who logged 548 digs and 67 aces over her first two seasons as a defensive specialist, was the obvious choice to sport the alternate-colored jersey. Her transition to libero has bean pretty seamless, though she had some tough clips to watch on film following the exhibition match. She had seven digs in that game and a season total of 44 so far. That means against UConn, Hofstra, and High Points, Falduto averaged 12.33 digs per match.
At times in that game vs. SMU, it was clear that Falduto was used to Grimes being there in the back row with her. She was a little hesitant despite not making many errors, and Kentucky won't be kind to her. That's exactly what she needs.
Libero Ava Falduto must face Kentucky's Brooklyn DeLeye head on
The Penn State Invitational isn't challenging enough for Falduto. Ranked teams with impressive attackers is what she needs to face. Yes, she's used to facing players like Martin, Lauenstein, and Emmi Sellman in practice, but she needs a taste of attackers around the country if she wants to help the Nittany Lions get back into national title contention. The Big Ten will certainly test her, but she'll meet No. 1 Nebraska down the road. For now, the No. 3 team in the country will do.
Outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye leads the Wildcats with 68 kills so far this season in five matches, averaging 4.25 kills per set with a 0.253 attack percentage. She averages 5.03 points per set as well and has 80.5 points to her name currently, leading the team in both categories. Tacking on some more No. 1 stats for Kentucky, DeLeye leads the team in aces (10), too.
Against No. 5 Wisconsin, DeLeye helped the Wildcats sweep the Badgers with 43 kills and a 0.380 attack percentage while also serving two aces. She had 51 kills and a 0.346 attack percentage vs. UCLA.
DeLeye's arm is lethal no matter where she is on the court. At the service line, she averages over 50 mile per hour serves. Whether she's front row or back row, Falduto needs to be aware and read sets well — and that's just one player. The Wildcats are loaded with talent. That's not to say Penn State isn't, but the consistency across the roster is what separates Kentucky from a lot of other teams in the country.
Even if the Nittany Lions lose on Sunday, no matter in how many sets, that level of competition is what will prepare Falduto for the rest of the season. First-game jitters vs. the Mustangs have shook off by now and with a 3-0 record later to start the year, Falduto is well-adjusted to her new role. Kentucky is an opportunity for her to rise to the challenge and prove she can hold down that back row no matter who's on the other side of the net.
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