Q: Of all the moments from last season, are there any that stick out as a favorite?
JUREVICIUS: For me, one of the coolest experiences was when we played Louisville at home. That was my first memory of really being in Rec Hall and playing some big competition and seeing the entire student body show out. I’d been to games like that when I was young, coming to Penn State and watching. To be a part of that and be on the floor was incredibly special to me.

Q: Penn State-Nebraska has been a big rivalry, and you started in Lincoln before transferring after your freshman year. What has it been like for you?
JUREVICIUS: I think they’re both incredibly storied programs and they both have the reputations of really strong players, strong coaching staffs, strong resources. The space for college athletics is getting a lot more like professional sports; I think it’s going to be cool to see how the game grows at most schools. To continue to keep battling back and forth, we’ll win some, we’ll lose some, both are great programs. It’s just going to be down to the environment and what really happens during the game.

Q: What’s it like having your sister [freshman defensive specialist Ava] on the team this year?
JUREVICIUS: It’s so great. She’s my best friend—I am very close with my family, and having my sister here is somebody you know you can always turn to, you can always look at when you need a laugh. She makes it easy to have a hard day and turn it into a good one. She’ll say something that isn’t necessary meaning to be funny, but I’ll laugh and the day automatically gets better.

Q: Did you give her space when she was deciding on schools? Did she ask you questions about Penn State?
JUREVICIUS: Ava was looking at a couple different schools and she got the opportunity to walk on at Penn State after [Coach] Katie and I had a conversation. I mentioned how recruiting had been going for Ava and she said, “You know she could come play here.” So I called Ava and she immediately jumped on that. I’m pretty sure she committed like a day later.

Q: How has your dad [All-Big Ten and NFL wide receiver Joe Jurevicius ’97 H&HD] influenced your athletic career?
JUREVICIUS: My dad is my biggest inspiration. He’s a very intense person—my mom [Meagan] is, too, they’re both high-achieving individuals. Having two people that have been there and done it before is something I cherish. I don’t think I would be in the position I am today if it weren’t for my dad working me, teaching me how to be mentally tough. He always told me that nobody will ever be harder on you than I am on you. And nothing can scare me. 

Q: How into volleyball is he? Does he know the plays and the strategy—
JUREVICIUS: He knows too much. He knows way too much. He knows sports, and the thing that he taught me is that a lot of them are the same fundamentally when it comes to mechanics and mentality. If he didn’t know something, he could always coach effort. He would always immerse himself in the sport. He’d be up until 2 a.m. watching Instagram reels from professional volleyball coaches, and he’d send it to me. When I got to college, he told me he was handing me off to people who actually knew what they were talking about. He said “My job right now is to coach your effort when needed, but I’m here to be your dad.”

Q: What have you learned from Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley ’02 Com?
JUREVICIUS: I think the compassion that she shows is something that’s truly incredible. I also think the way she approaches everything wanting to give her best. She always says something along the lines of “Don’t be casual with anything you do.” She hates casual people, casual action. Give everything 100% of the time. I think that’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life.

Q: You’ve done some analyst work for Big Ten Network. What’s the greatest challenge about being an analyst?
JUREVICIUS: Trying to go in and give your opinion on what’s going on on the court while also looking at the full picture. I love it, and I have a great time going in and analyzing the plays and sharing the knowledge I’ve gained, but it’s also hard for me to dial it down in terms of verbiage to make other people understand. I’m using the technical terms of specific sets or tempos that the average listener at home won’t understand. It’s learning how to drop that knowledge while keeping it for the amateur sports-watcher has been a challenge.

Q: What do you do to recharge or decompress after a tough match or long week?
JUREVICIUS: I delete social media. I go on a hike or a long walk. I’ll cook. I’ll do something with my hands, whether that be making bread, or needlepoint. I need to be doing something to distract myself from the urge of getting on my phone and reading comments. That’s not healthy for anybody. Trying to get back to the basics is something I do to decompress.

Q: What’s been your favorite class at Penn State so far?
JUREVICIUS: I took this class my first semester with Mike Poorman ’82 Com called Sports Industry. It’s the business side of sports and about the trends of where sports are going, and I thought it was so cool to see everything from not only the entertainment side, but also the financial; how the money is made, how it will continue to be made, and what trends people should be following. I wish I could take it all over again.

Q: What’s your favorite Penn State tradition?
JUREVICIUS: There’s a lot. I was just talking to my roommate today about how much I love this campus and being a student here. The alma mater after games is always really cool, because win or lose, you have to do it. You realize you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. We have so many gameday traditions that it’s hard to list all of them. We do handshakes, we do dance circles in the locker room. There’s too many to choose from. And I know that one day I’m going to miss those little things the most.

Q: What’s your favorite meal to cook?
JUREVICIUS: I’m very good at making things from scratch. My prime example is a brown butter steak with crispy sage, and then I made my own French fries in beef tallow and everything. It was pretty legit.

Q: That sounds awesome. What was the last book you read?
JUREVICIUS: It was called The Maidens. It was a dark academia, Greek mythology, set in Oxford. It was like 333 pages; I finished it in two days. It was a quick read. I’m still having withdrawals from that. It was so good.

Q: Any pet peeves?
JUREVICIUS: Slow walkers. I feel like I always have somewhere to be, or it’s the fact that I’m 6-foot-2 and I have long strides. People with no sense of urgency drive me crazy.