On November 21, the Rec Hall at the Pennsylvania State University had several occasions lined up. First, the iconic arena hosted a special game. In the evening, under the lights, the Penn State women’s volleyball team locked horns with Purdue. It had been the revenge game for the Boilermakers after facing a thumping defeat in the first meeting with PSU. But the guest didn’t have the history on its side. Rather, under Katie Anne Schumacher-Cawley’s coaching, the Nittany Lions had already been leading with a 3-2 record against Purdue. So, to defeat the host in its backyard, Purdue had to go the extra mile. But it had to look past another barrier to land the victory. 

The barrier was all about the Penn State volleyball coach’s personal milestone. Before the Thursday night game, Katie had been sitting on her 199th victory as the coach in the Nittany Lions’ fold. So stakes were high in the Rec Hall. But believe in the No. 4 squad in the nation. Eventually, they completed a 2-0 record over the Boilermakers this season. How?

On Thursday, the Penn State volleyball thrashed Purdue again, with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-20 scoreline. The victory completed Katie Anne Schumacher-Cawley’s 200th victory as the coach at Penn State. Naturally, the accomplishment invited many voices to congratulate her. But in the meantime, something unbelievable happened in the arena. 

The players of the Boilermakers rushed to Katie with pink bouquets and pink roses in their hands. They wanted to acknowledge her fight against breast cancer. Meanwhile, the coach looked elated, witnessing the gesture from the rival camp. Her disease failed to suppress her, as on Thursday her smile remained intact. She covered her head with a bandana. But her emotions didn’t need any veil. It remained full of livelihood and radiance. Her coaching fold also joined the moment to make it more special. 

After the game, the giant-sized LED screen lit up, showing Katie’s face. Can you guess what the entire team was doing at that moment? They posed with their coach in the arena. The X-handle of Big Ten Network found joy in captioning the moment as “Bigger than volleyball.” Naturally, the day came when the Penn State volleyball coach had no opponents. All she had were supporters. However, she spent a few moments reflecting on the situation. Ultimately, she found it motivational for her. 

The Penn State volleyball coach finds supporters backing her in her backyard 

Katie Anne Schumacher-Cawley and Penn State volleyball- these two have been an entity for a decade in the national volleyball culture. How? In 2018, she joined HC Russ Rose as the assistant coach. But before that, she helped the squad win the national championship in 1999 as a player. Additionally, she also featured on the Penn State women’s basketball team in the 2001-02 season. So throughout the time, she has been contributing to the betterment of the Nittany Lions’ culture. But for the last three seasons, she has been driving in a vital seat. 

In the last four years, Schumacher-Cawley has been playing the role of HC in the camp. She has set her eyes on extending the glorified run of the squad. Notably, under her reign, Penn State volleyball has featured in two NCAA tournaments, and this season, the No. 4 team is pacing on a 25-1 record. The coach knows the importance of her presence on the team. Based on that, she didn’t decide to step away from her position after revealing her disease publicly in October. Rather, she said, “As we move ahead, I ask that you please respect the privacy of this personal journey for my family. We want the focus of the next several weeks and months to be on the team, their season, and the incredible things they do as inspiring women in the classroom and on the court. WE ARE.”

Through her statement, the Chicago native paid her gratitude to the Penn State volleyball authority for believing in her. And what about her mentees? On Thursday, after the game, Maggie Mendelson dropped some memorable words. She said, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a coach that cared as much, on the court and off the court.” She continued to add, “She’s always checking in, making sure I’m okay, and making sure my family’s doing good.” Aren’t those enough to set the day in a higher place? Let us know.