Penn State Volleyball Coach Battling Cancer Shares Emotions After Winning Title

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The Penn State women's volleyball team winning a national title isn't necessarily breaking news at this point given that the program is the second-winningest in the sport's history. The Nittany Lions hoisting the national championship trophy for what was the eighth time on Sunday, however, was unlike anything the sport had ever seen thanks to head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.

Schumacher-Cawley, a former volleyball and basketball player at Penn State, took over the program as the associate head coach in 2018 before formally taking the head coaching gig ahead of the 2022 season. 

In her first two seasons, the Nittany Lions lost in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Not only did Penn State overcome that hurdle this time around and punch their ticket to the national title game, it did so amid a life-altering situation for its head coach.

Schumacher-Cawley was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in September, the same month the Nittany Lions began their 2024 campaign. Despite facing her own battle off the court, she continued to coach the team and was awarded the ultimate prize when it was all said and done.

With Penn State knocking off Louisville in four sets in the national title match, Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to win a Division I volleyball championship in NCAA history.

"There have been so many before me and that have paved the way for me," Schumacher-Cawley told ESPN following the match. "I'm so grateful and hopefully there will be more in the future that will want to coach and be a part of it.

After making history, Schumacher-Cawley explained how she remains inspired amid her breast cancer battle.

"I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by so many great people from this team to the staff I have," Schumacher-Cawley told reporters after the match. 

"I’m just really lucky to have great people around me that go above and beyond … I am inspired by the young kids that are sick. I’m doing treatment at UPenn and every time I walk into the hospital, I walk right past the children’s hospital. Sure, if I can be an inspiration to someone then I take that but I feel good and I’m lucky to have the people around me. I think that's why we’re successful."

Penn State's win marked the program's first national championship in a decade after the program was a legitimate dynasty, winning titles in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2014.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.