2024 NCAA Volleyball Bracket: Penn State Beats Louisville to Win Championship

Penn State are the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Champions.

Penn State delivered a stunning victory over Louisville in the 2024 NCAA Women's Volleyball semifinals, winning 25-23, 32-34, 25-20, 25-17.

The 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship did not disappoint as Louisville and Penn State put on a thrilling performance for fans, taking the game to four sets before the Nittany Lions pulled off the win to claim the title.

Jess Mruzik led Penn State in kills with 29 on Sunday, adding 14 digs and four blocks while contributing 33 points to the victory. Setter Izzy Starck recorded 55 assists and 13 digs perfectly setting up Mruzik's success.

Charitie Luper led Louisville in kills with 21, adding six digs and contributing 21.5 points to the effort. Setter Nayelis Cabello recorded 31 assists and 10 digs.

The Cardinals took an early 7-6 lead as freshman Payton Petersen replaced the injured starter, Anna DeBeer. Tied at 23-23 in the first set, the Nittany Lions secured the close win, 25-23, with Maggie Mendelson delivering a kill and the Cardinals committing a reception-error ace, sealing the set and giving Penn State a 1-0 lead.

Despite a hot start for the Nittany Lions, leading 10-7 and hitting .455, the Cardinals bounced back in the second set with a thrilling 34-32 victory, evening the sets at 1-1. Luper contributed nine kills for the Cardinals as she began to heat up.

During the third set, a kill by Mendelson gave the Nittany Lions a five-point lead, 16-11. The momentum stayed with Penn State as they won 25-20, with Mruzik recording a match-high 20 kills, 10 of which came in the third set. Penn State took a 2-1 lead.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start in the fourth set, giving Penn State an early 6-1 lead with five kills on nine swings. The set stayed in favor of the Nittany Lions as Mruzik recorded 28 kills and Penn State took a commanding 20-14 lead.

Without a response to the Nittany Lions' powerful offense and ground-stopping defense, Penn State defeated the Cardinals 3-1 to win their eighth title.