Penn State Women's Volleyball Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley Is an 'Inspiration,' Players Say

After Penn State won its eighth NCAA women's volleyball championship Sunday, Jess Mruzik, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, explained what she learned from Penn State women's volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley this season.

"I mean, she teaches us so much every single day, but I think the biggest thing I'm taking away from this season is like you can do anything," Mruzik said. "You can do anything you set your mind to. If you believe it, it will happen."

Penn State punctuated one of the great seasons, and great stories, of collegiate sports in 2024 when it defeated Louisville 3-1 for the NCAA women's volleyball championship. The Nittany Lions won their eighth NCAA title and first under Schumacher-Cawley, who was born and raised in the program. She succeeded the legendary Russ Rose in 2022, taking the Nittany Lions to the title in just her third season.

Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to win an NCAA women's volleyball championship and did so while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. Schumacher-Cawley revealed her diagnosis this fall but did not miss a practice or match during season.

"I think with her doing everything she's doing, that helped us as a group also believe that we're capable of this," said Mruzik, who had 29 kills in the championship match. "Because everyone says they believe they can do this, but there aren't many people that truly, deeply know they can do this. She's just been an inspiration to us, and she's helped us believe that we can accomplish what we just accomplished."

"I'm happy for the players, for penn state, the alums, and for everyone that's gone before us." - Coach Katie#NCAAWVB x @PennStateVBALL pic.twitter.com/qlUw7v3Nh6
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 22, 2024

Schumacher-Cawley in 2022 became only the third Penn State women's volleyball coach, succeeding the legendary Rose, who retired after 43 seasons, an NCAA record 1,330 victories and seven NCAA titles. Prior to becoming head coach, Schumacher-Cawley had been an assistant for four seasons in a program that forged her volleyball career.

Schumacher-Cawley, 44, was a two-time All-American at Penn State and part of the 1999 NCAA national-championship team. She also played basketball at Penn State. Schumacher-Cawley was the head coach at the University of Illinois Chicago for eight seasons and at Penn for one season.

"I'm just really excited to represent Penn State," Schumacher-Cawley said before the championship match. "I think we've heard that quite a bit, the first time a woman, this and that. I'm excited for this team. I'm excited to represent the university, to represent Coach Rose and the former players of Penn State."

In Louisville, Penn State's players described Schumacher-Cawley as selfless and "amazing" and an "inspiration." They also described a coach who puts her players first.

"'ll talk because Katie doesn't like talking about herself," Mruzik said after Penn State defeated Nebraska in five sets in the semifinals. "At the beginning of the season, we picked out one of our core values was going to be bigger than us. It just really felt fitting for everything we wanted to accomplish this year. It's bigger than this team. It's about representing the legacy and representing all of the alums and people who have come in this program. We're obviously wanting to do this for her because she's been so amazing throughout this season. So I think just that gritty five-set win like helped put another brick into that piece that we're trying to build this season."

"We are playing for something bigger than us," Penn State's Taylor Trammell said. "I also think it's important to realize that this is the same Katie from last year and the year before this, cancer or not. She still comes into that gym every day with the same fire and intensity. I think that's something that people need to realize. Katie has pushed this program on her back year after year, and she's pushed us this year to the Final Four, and I'm just excited to be a part of all those years."

Penn State's player on coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley

Camyrn Hannah: If I could call Katie 'Mom' during practice, I would, 100 percent.

Jess Mruzik: Yeah, she definitely cares about you so much. The first thing she asks you when she sees you is how's your day going, how did your test go today, is your homework done? She really does care about you. I think that is, like, her normal.

Taylor Trammell: She also is always in our lives, and I think that she cares about everybody's families and things like that, like whose family member is doing this. My brother just had a baby; she checked in on him. She's texting my mom. I'm like, oh, my gosh. She's part of the family. That's her normal, just being a part of our lives the same way she's a part of ours every single day.

Quinn Menger: I think she's a phenomenal individual, and if I can take a fraction of that for the rest
of my life with me, I'm a better person because of that. So I'm really grateful to know her and to play for her, and I'm grateful she gave me a chance when I was 15 years old. She saw the great in me before I did, and I hope to do that with others.

Anjelina Starck: She's an incredible person, an incredible coach. I've learned so much from my four years here, and I'm so grateful I was able to have her as my coach.

What an example to all of us to fight through life for the things we care about most. @PennStateVBALL @NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/qEgNv4JHnb
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) December 22, 2024

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