LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jess Mruzik made 29 kills with a .315 hitting percentage, and Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to win a NCAA volleyball championship as Penn State defeated Louisville 3-1 in Sunday’s final.
The Nittany Lions (35-2) earned their record eighth national championship and first since 2014 under the third-year coach, who has led the team while undergoing treatment for breast cancer that was diagnosed in September. Schumacher-Cawley has nonetheless conducted practices between treatments, a determined and emotional journey that provided a rallying point for players and garnered widespread support.
Penn State completed its mission with aggressive play that kept Louisville (30-6) on the defensive to win 25-23, 32-34, 25-20 and 25-17. The Nittany Lions’ third-set rebound was especially critical after the Cardinals won an epic second set 34-32 by rallying from several deficits and fighting off 10 Nittany Lion set points.
Schumacher-Cawley stood close by from the sideline as players converted kills, made crucial digs and blocks at the net, particularly in the final two sets. When the outcome was sealed, players formed a pile on the court as the coaches congratulated each other under a storm of confetti.
Cheering on was an NCAA indoor record crowd of 21,860, mostly dressed in Cardinals red.
Camryn Hannah added 19 kills and Caroline Jurevicius 10 for the Nittany Lions.
Charitie Luper had 21 kills and Sofia Maldonado Diaz 20 for Louisville, which played without All-American hitter Anna DeBeer. The Louisville native sustained a right ankle injury in Thursday’s semifinal against Pittsburgh and did not participate in pregame warmups.
Sunday’s championship was already historic with Schumacher-Cawley facing Louisville coaching counterpart Dani Busboom Kelly, ensuring a female coach would win a national title after 42 previous crowns won by male coaches. Busboom Kelly was making her second finals appearance in three seasons with the Cardinals.
Both coaches had already won titles as players. Schumacher-Cawley helped Penn State win its first title in 1999, while Busboom Kelly helped Nebraska win the 2006 championship.
