PSU volleyball coach wins national championship amid cancer battle

Penn State Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley made history Sunday night, three months after being diagnosed with stage II breast cancer.

Schumacher-Cawley, 44, became the first head coach to win a national championship since the NCAA tournament began in 1981 when her Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the University of Louisville Cardinals on Sunday, Dec. 22.

“There were so many things that paved the way for me,” Schumacher-Cawley he told ESPN after the win, Penn State’s eighth national championship in history. “I’m so grateful and I hope in the future there will be more people who want to train and be a part of it.”

After leaving court, Schumacher-Cawley gushed over the support her Penn State family showed her amid her battle with cancer.

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“I’m so blessed to be surrounded by so many great people from this team to the staff that I have,” Schumacher-Cawley told reporters. “I’m very lucky to have great people around me who go above and beyond.

Schumacher-Cawley also gave a nod to the younger cancer patients she routinely crosses paths with on her own journey.

“I’m inspired by young children who are sick,” she added. “I get 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. I’ll take it. But I feel good and lucky to have people around me. I think that’s why we’re successful.”

Schumacher-Cawley, a former Penn State volleyball player who will take over as head coach in January 2022, announced she was diagnosed with cancer in October.

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“This news has been a lot to process and as you can imagine it has brought up a range of emotions,” she said via Instagram. “But I approach it with strength, determination and an unwavering sense of hope. We will draw inspiration from the many people in our lives who have fought cancer and won.”

She added: “I know this journey will have its challenges, but I also know that with the care and strength of those around me, I am ready to face it. I also want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the women and men who have gone through this before me. The strength, courage and determination you have shown has not only been inspiring, but has also helped advance the incredible advances we see in medicine today. Your journeys have paved the way for better treatment and outcomes, and I am deeply grateful for that.”

Schumacher-Cawley missed just a few practices as she assessed her diagnosis and her duties on the court — a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by her players.

“Even if he’s not feeling well, you’d never be able to tell,” outside hitter Jess Mruzik said. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story published Thursday, Dec. 19. “She’s always herself and always just fun to be around.”