“Cancer changed my life, but it didn’t take it. It didn’t take my belief, it didn’t take my spirit, and it didn’t take my team,” Katie Schumacher-Cawley said while accepting the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. It was that sense of determination that didn’t just help Schumacher-Cawley overcome cancer but also make history as the first woman to lay hands on the NCAA Volleyball title. Now, she wants to preserve that momentum.

With the AVCA First Serve Showcase kicking off at Lincoln, NE, and Sioux Falls, SD, next month, the coach is building her roster for the season opener. However, the approach to putting that championship-winning team together hasn’t really changed. When Husker Illustrated writer Lincoln Arneal asked her about what her approach towards pin hitters is going to be in the upcoming season, she replied, “‘Hey, we’re going to put the best lineup on the floor,’ and that’s something I tell my players every semester,” said the Nittany Lions coach.

“If the goal is to win and to win the Big Ten and win a National Championship, the best players are going to be on the floor,” she added while discussing the squad. Katie Schumacher-Cawley mentioned two stars, Caroline Jurevicius and Kennedy Martin: “CJ can play outside, right side. She can hit all along the net,” she said about Jurevicius’ versatility.

“She will make an impact. Kennedy will make an impact. Several players will score points for us,” added the Jimmy V Award winner. Martin has already proven herself, scoring double-digit kills in all 24 matches she played for Florida, despite dealing with an ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Caronile Jurevicius came from Nebraska and made it to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in addition to winning the NCAA title as a redshirt freshman.

So it’s no wonder Katie Schumacher-Cawley is confident in her outside hitters. Yet, it’s not just about the Nittany Lions’ outside hitters. Stars like setter Izzy Strack will continue to be key players for the team. Last year, the Stack played in all 37 games and won the Big Ten and AVCA National Freshman of the Year awards. That being said, the defending champions’ coach also spoke about the pressure on her team.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley on the weight of expectations

“I’m pressing forward with a full heart, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to see what this 2025 team is capable of,” Coach Schumacher-Cawley wrote on IG after winning the Jimmy V Award. While that tells you all you need to know about the confidence she has in her national championship-winning squad, the coach did talk about the pressure on the Nittany Lions.

“I think our goal is to always win, and these guys have really high expectations. But you can do everything right and still fall short,” Katie Schumacher-Cawley said on Monday in Chicago. Penn State’s rival, Nebraska, would relate to that statement. They did everything in the first two sets during last year’s semifinals against Cawley’s side, but couldn’t stop the reverse sweep.

“We do want to win again, and is there pressure? I think it’s fun for these guys… I think there’s always been pressure for us,” Schumacher-Cawley said during her segment at the Big Ten Media Days. However, the Nittany Lions’ head coach believes that her players have handled themselves well once already in 2024. So the motto of hard work remains the same.

Izzy Strack also agreed with her coach. “I think there’s always been pressure for us, so I think coming into this season it’s just the same mindset we always have of how we work hard with each other, how we push each other,” the setter added. With the season kicking off and looming large, we’ll soon see just how well prepared the defending champions are.