Penn State Volleyball Coach Wins Championship While Battling Cancer
By Movieguide® Contributor
On Sunday, Dec. 22, the Penn State Women’s Volleyball Team won its eighth title in program history, earning head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley the title of the first woman in NCAA history to win a National Championship.
Schumacher-Cawley did it while battling stage 2 breast cancer, making the win even more special to her and the team.
“There have been so many before me and that have paved the way for me,” she told ESPN after the game. “I’m so grateful and hopefully there will be more in the future that will want to coach and be a part of it.”
The National Championship-winning head coach told NCAA Volleyball after the match, “I think they’re just a committed team that works hard together and I’m just proud of the way they play.”
READ MORE: MICHIGAN QB BEAT CANCER. NOW HE SUPPORTS KIDS FIGHTING SAME DISEASE.
At the start of the 2024 season, Coach Katie engrained one message into her players: “Bigger than us.”
Jess Mruzik, an outside hitter for the Nittany Lions, “talked about one of their core values since the beginning of the season being ‘Bigger Than Us,'” Matthew Farias wrote on social media, a videographer and photographer for men’s and women’s volleyball.
“Even before coach @coachkatiepsu was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer she said they felt it was very ‘fitting’ for this team and what they wanted to accomplish,” Farias continued. “Since then, and after being told by Katie herself of the diagnosis it’s taken on a more powerful meaning. Now they strive to not only do their best to represent the legacy of @pennstatevball but they want to ‘do it for her (Coach Katie)’ as she has displayed such strength through this time and continues to show up for them and be an inspiration.”
READ MORE: ESPN HOST GRATEFUL FOR PRAYERS AMID CANCER BATTLE
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