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Purdue Volleyball Shows Support For Penn State Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley

There was a great moment between Purdue's players and Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, prior to Thursday's match.
Dustin Schutte|
Purdue celebrates during the NCAA women’s volleyball match
Purdue celebrates during the NCAA women’s volleyball match | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Purdue Boilermakers

There are things much more important in this world than volleyball. On Thursday night, Purdue's volleyball team wanted to show support to Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley prior to the first serve.

In October, Schumacher-Cawley announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in a social media post. Despite the diagnosis, she's continued to coach the Nittany Lions, guiding them to a 26-2 record and the No. 4 ranking in the AVCA poll.

Prior to Thursday's top-10 showdown against the eighth-ranked Boilermakers, Purdue's players each gave Schumacher-Cawley a pink rose to show their support. It was a touching moment for the sport between two of the Big Ten's top programs.

A number of Purdue's players also showed their support by wearing pink hair ties during the match.

Penn State defeated Purdue 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-16) and still has just one loss in Big Ten play, improving to 16-1 on the season. The Nittany Lions close out the season with matches against Washington, Rutgers and Nebraska.

Purdue dropped to 22-6 on the season and 13-4 in conference play. The Boilermakers also have three matches left, with USC, Oregon and Washington remaining on the schedule.

Related stories on Purdue volleyball

EVA HUDSON UP FOR NATIONAL POTY: Purdue junior outside hitter Eva Hudson was named a semifinalist for the AVCA Player of the Year Award. She is one of 14 players named to the list. CLICK HERE

RAVEN COLVIN NOTCHES 600 BLOCKS: Purdue middle blocker Raven Colvin hit an impressive career milestone on Thursday, notching 600 career blocks. That is the second-most in program history. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.

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