Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s Penn State Survives Early Season Scare Ahead of NCAA Title Defense

After the Penn State Nittany Lions swept Creighton in their first match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase, fans expected nothing different for the next match. However, Kansas had a very different idea. At Sioux Falls, the defending NCAA champs had their work cut out for them, and the fans almost had their hearts in their mouths.

Last year, Penn State scripted history as Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first-ever NCAA volleyball head coach to win the national title. To make things even sweeter, the Nittany Lions’ volleyball boss also overcame her fight against breast cancer to make the campaign one for the ages. Naturally, fans were sure that the team would carry the momentum from the incredible triumph into the 2025 season as well. But all that hype almost fell flat on its face.

On August 25, Lincoln Arneal took to X to share how Penn State managed to wriggle out a narrow victory in its second AVCA First Serve match. “FINAL: No. 2 Penn State survives 15–12 in the fifth set against No. 14 Kansas,” the post updated the volleyball fans, but couldn’t help but highlight how the Bluejays came close to bagging their first win of the season.

You wouldn’t expect the defending champs to show their cracks so early into the season, but that’s exactly how it was. Errors and miscommunication plagued Penn State’s play, and Kansas gained an early lead. Thankfully, though, the Nittany Lions held on and emerged as the victors with scores of 25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 30-28, and 15-12.

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