UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour announced Monday the hiring of Katie Schumacher-Cawley as the third head coach in the 46-year history of the Penn State women’s volleyball program. Schumacher-Cawley takes over the storied program after spending the past four seasons as an assistant under legendary head coach Russ Rose.
“After an extensive national search, we are thrilled to have Katie Schumacher-Cawley named as the third head coach in Penn State Women’s Volleyball history,” said Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour. “Katie has a deep connection with the Penn State program as both an All-American and national champion student-athlete and assistant coach.
“Katie’s time as a head coach was filled with success on the court, in the classroom and in the community,” continued Barbour. “As an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions the last four seasons, she has demonstrated her commitment to preparing our students for success in all aspects of their lives. During our search process, we were looking for candidates with demonstrated success as a head coach, a commitment to excellence in competition and academics, and character and values that match Penn State’s. We found all of that. The future of Penn State women’s volleyball is very bright with Katie at the helm. I’m very excited about what lies ahead for our program and the current and future student who will benefit from Coach Cawley’s leadership and expertise.”
Schumacher-Cawley’s ties to the Penn State women’s volleyball program run deep dating back to her time as a two-time All-American student-athlete and four years as an assistant coach. She returned to Happy Valley as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator in 2018.
“Being chosen as the next head coach at my alma mater, Penn State, is a dream come true,” said Schumacher-Cawley. “The love I have for this storied University, passionate community and all things blue and Wwhite is unmatched.
“I owe a sincere thank you to my former coach and mentor, Russ Rose,” continued Schumacher-Cawley. “Without his guidance and care for me and my family, I would not be in the position I am in today. Coach is the best to ever do it, and to be sure there will never be another like him. I also want to recognize Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour, our Senior Woman Administrator Dr. Lauren Rhodes, and our President, Dr. Eric Barron for believing in me and our shared vision for the future and the sustained success of Penn State women’s volleyball.”
As an assistant coach of the Nittany Lions, Schumacher-Cawley helped the team keep its historical streak of NCAA Tournament appearances alive and maintain its perennial spot in the national rankings. The Lions made the postseason in each of the past four seasons as they became the only program in the nation to make all 41 NCAA Division I tournaments since the inaugural event in 1981. The team was ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll in all 61 weeks of Schumacher-Cawley’s time as an assistant coach, running the program’s streak in the poll to 503 consecutive weeks.
Penn State went 8-4 in the NCAA Tournament with Schumacher-Cawley on the coaching staff. The Lions made the NCAA Regional in three of the four seasons, including the NCAA Regional Final twice. They totaled an overall record of 74-31 and a Big Ten mark of 53-20 over that four-year span. With Schumacher-Cawley on staff, the Nittany Lions had seven student-athletes earn 15 AVCA All-America accolades over four seasons.
Schumacher-Cawley has nine years of experience as a head coach on her resume, totaling 125 wins over eight seasons at UIC and one season at Penn. She spent 14 seasons with the Flames, serving six years as an assistant before taking over head coaching duties in 2009. She led the 2012 team to the Horizon League title match for the first time in six years and guided the 2012 squad to the best start in program history with 10 consecutive wins to open the season. Overall, she oversaw a Flames team which earned two Horizon League Player of the Year honors and 11 All-Horizon League accolades. Her 113 wins are the third-most in program history.
In her only season as head coach at Penn, Schumacher-Cawley put together a record of 12-11, which was the Quakers’ best record in four years. The team’s seven wins in Ivy League play were the most by a first-year coach in program history.
A two-sport student-athlete for Penn State from 1998-2002, Schumacher-Cawley excelled on the volleyball court. She was a two-time AVCA All-American, a three-time AVCA All-Region selection and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree. She helped the 1999 team win the first of the program’s seven NCAA national titles, while also bringing home three Big Ten crowns. Schumacher-Cawley finished her career with 1,310 kills, 772 digs and 299 blocks. She also played basketball for the Lady Lions in 2001-02.
A Chicago native, Schumacher-Cawley played volleyball and basketball at Mother McAuley High School and led the Mighty Macs to state and national titles in volleyball. She was inducted into both the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame and the Catholic League Hall of Fame in 2003.
On Oct. 15, 2008, she was inducted into the prestigious Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport of volleyball as an athlete and a coach. She was part of a class that also included Pro Football Hall of Famers Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers and Marv Levy; Chicago Cubs great Andre Dawson and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In 2008, a resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives congratulated Schumacher-Cawley for her achievements.
Schumacher-Cawley earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Penn State in May 2002. She is married to Mike Cawley, who was a James Madison University football student-athlete from 1993-95 and a sixth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1996 NFL Draft, and they have three daughters, Stella, Nora and Shea.