Penn State setter Izzy Starck has announced that she will be stepping away from volleyball for her sophomore season due to the decline of her mental health. Izzy led Penn state to their eighth national championship last season, was a second team all American, first team all big ten, and was named AVCA National Freshman of the Year. 

   On Friday night while Penn State was playing against No.4 Kentucky it was announced that Starck was out with an illness. During that game, Starck made an Instagram post announcing that she will be stepping away from volleyball for the 2025 season. She did however say that it wasn’t the end for her and she would be back. In the post she said “This is not goodbye forever, it’s simply a pause to focus on healing and growth.” Penn State ended up getting swept by the Wildcats in that match. Afterwards her head coach Katie Schumacher Cawley said “We fully support Izzy in taking this important and difficult step, and kindly ask that her privacy be respected during this time.” 

After the loss, Penn State has dropped several spots in the rankings. they have a lot to figure out with a new starting setter who has big shoes to fill. the reigning champs will be looking to upset a good Pitt team at home for their next match on September 17th. Penn State has pretty good odds given that they have more than a week to practice with their new starting setter and that this match will be at Penn State which is one of the most intimidating places to play in the country.