Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has cancer, but she’s refused to let it stop her all season long.
In September, Katie was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. However, despite the diagnosis, she’s continued to coach. Katie used practices and games as fuel while she sat through chemotherapy behind the scenes, describing her approach as a combination of “strength, determination, and an unwavering sense of hope.”
Her resilient spirit has helped her as the Nittany Lions finished the regular season with a 29-2 record en route to a Final Four run. Still, it begs the question: Why wouldn’t Katie step away to take time for herself? She didn’t want to. “My mindset has always been wanting to win and having the best team I can,” she recently told ESPN. “I feel normal…I just want to keep going. I feel so loved, and I’m so lucky to have the staff I have.”
"I feel so loved."—Penn State Volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley on coaching after her cancer diagnosis.
On Thursday, freshman Caroline Jurevicius plays in the Final Four. Meet the Penn State volleyball transfer.
When the women’s volleyball Final Four begins Thursday, Penn State volleyball player Caroline Jurevicius be on the court.
The Nittany Lions have a date with Nebraska, a familiar foe to Jurevicius. She spent the first year of her college career with the Huskers and used that time as a redshirt season before transferring at the end of the year.
Now, she’s a key piece of a squad coached by Katie Schumacher-Cawley, trying to add another championship school’s seven national titles.
If you’re wondering who Jurevicius is and what you need to know about the young player, we’ve got you covered. Here are more facts about the outside hitter, including her ties to the NFL.
1. Caroline Jurevicius was making waves before she arrived at Penn State
Aug 30, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; The Nebraska Cornhuskers watch a presentation before the match against the Omaha Mavericks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Caroline had a stout volleyball career before she arrived at Penn State as a redshirt transfer.
At Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School, she led her team to the Ohio DII state championship as a sophomore. Eventually, she returned and won it as a senior in 2022, recording a blistering 27 kills in the championship match.
In 2023, her elite skills landed her at Nebraska, where she was part of history when the Cornhuskers played in Memorial Stadium before a sold-out crowd of 92,003. It was the largest crowd ever for a women’s sporting event in the United States.
2. Caroline Jurevicius’ dad is Joe Jurevicius, an NFL veteran who won a Super Bowl
CLEVELAND – NOVEMBER 04: Joe Jurevicius #84 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball as he is grabbed by Jordan Babineaux #27 the Seattle Seahawks on November 4, 2007 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Seahawks 33-30 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Fittingly, Jurevicius’ ties to Penn State are a bit deeper than most might realize. Her dad is Penn State alumni and 11-year NFL veteran, Joe Jurevicius. He had several years as a productive receiver with the Nittany Lions before being drafted in 1998 by the New York Giants.
Joe Jurevicius spent four seasons with New York before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent, where he went on to win a Super Bowl in 2003. After a stint in Tampa, the former wideout played for two other organizations, including the Cleveland Browns, before retiring.
Since then, Joe Jurevicius has spent time with his family and is an avid supporter of his daughter. Cameras recently caught him nervously watching a match.
3. Caroline Jurevicius and Penn State have a date in the women’s volleyball Final Four
Penn State volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley holds up the Big Ten title trophy after the Nittany Lions defeated Nebraska 3-1 to claim at least a share of the title at Rec Hall on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in State College, Pa.
Volleyball fans can watch Jurevicius in action on Thursday, December 19, when Penn State plays Nebraska in the national semifinal at 9:00 p.m. ET during the women’s Final Four.
Her team has overcome several obstacles to get there, including head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s September breast cancer diagnosis. Under her leadership this season, the Nittany Lions produced a 29-2 season and a No. 2 record.
Will the Louisville star be available for the final?
This post has been updated with new information.
We’re down to the finals in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament, with Louisville facing Penn State, but we’ll see if star and Louisville native Anna DeBeer will play on Sunday.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get her on the court,” Busboom Kelly said, via the Courier Journal. “But we do have a great team behind her if she can’t go.”
Here’s who’s calling the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball final on ABC.
We’re down to just two teams left in the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament: it’s Louisville — who beat Pittsburgh in the semis — against Penn State, who defeated Nebraska to get to the title game.
The action will all take place on ABC on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, and if you’re watching, you might be wondering: who are those voices you’re hearing on the broadcast?
Fear not! We have answers!
That would be Courtney Lyle on play-by-play, Holly McPeak and Kate George are there as analysts, and you’ll hear from ex-volleyball star Madison Fitzpatrick as the sideline reporter.
Here’s who’s calling the women’s volleyball Final Four broadcasts on ESPN.
The women’s volleyball Final Four is here with lots of top-tier action for fans.
On Thursday, December 19, four No. 1 seeds will battle for a chance to win a championship trophy. Tournament play opens with two conference rematches. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Pittsburgh plays Louisville, and at 9:00 p.m. ET, Penn State plays Nebraska. The national championship will be played on Sunday, December 22, between whichever squads emerge victorious from Thursday’s matchups.
If you’re here, you may be wondering: Who are the voices you’re hearing during Thursday and Sunday’s broadcast? Here’s the answer.
There’s a four-person crew calling the games. Courtney Lyle is the play-by-play commentator, and Holly McPeak and Kate George are matchup analysts. Additionally, sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball star Madison Fitzpatrick will support the group.
Florida volleyball’s 2024 season came to end Thursday night with a regional semifinal loss to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Florida volleyball’s 2024 NCAA Tournament run came to an end in the regional semifinals against Stanford, 3-1, on Thursday night.
The Gators took the opening set but couldn’t hold off the Cardinal after that. Sophomore Kennedy Martin led all players with 24.5 points, 21 kills and 5.0 blocks. Martin also notched her 1,000th career kill and set various program records with the season over.
In an individual season, Martin had the second-most kills per game (5.56), second-most points per game (6.28) and 10th-most kills in a season (512). she also set the program record for kills in a game this year with 33 against Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Only a sophomore, Martin’s breakout season has the Gators primed for another deep run in 2025.
How it happened: Stanford def. Florida, 3-1
Florida led early in the first set, but Stanford rallied to take a late lead. A pair of service errors knotted things up at 23 and 24 points. A kill by Kennedy Martin and a block assist by Isabel Martin — set up by a beautiful pancake save — delivered a 1-0 lead.
Stanford jumped out to a 10-5 lead early in the second set and never looked back, evening things up 1-1 with a 25-17 win. Set 3 started off in Florida’s favor, but a four-point rally made it a back-and-forth affair. Stanford gained the advantage late and won 26-24 to move within a set of the regional final.
The Gators were the first to 20 in Set 4, but the Cardinal went a 3-0 run to put the match within reach. Martin delivered a pair of kills to keep it close, and Florida even reached set point twice, but Stanford prevailed and advanced to the regional final.
Senior sendoff
Five Gators — Trinity Adams, Erin Engel, Annie Cate Fitzpatrick, Isabel Martin, Elli McKissock and Gabrielle Essix missed most of the season with a knee injury and could return if granted a medical redshirt; however, volleyball does not have a participation threshold, so her five sets played against Florida State make her ineligible for a regular redshirt.
McKissock leaves Florida with the most digs (2,147) and sets played (534) in program history. She is also second in matches played (146), third in digs per set (4.02) and eighth in service aces (144)
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Georgia Tech eliminates Tennessee from NCAA Tournament.
Georgia Tech (21-9) defeated Tennessee (15-12), 25-18, 13-25, 32-30, 26-28, 15-12, in the first-round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Wisconsin Field House in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nina Cajic led the Lady Vols with 27 kills, 11 digs, six blocks, two aces and two assists. She also recorded a .338 hitting percentage. Paityn Chapman totaled 13 kills, four blocks and one dig.
Klaudia Pawlik finished with a match-high eight blocks and added five kills.
Redshirt sophomore Caroline Kerr was the Lady Vols’ leading passer, recording a career-high 57 assists. She also recorded 13 digs, four kills and two blocks.
The No. 9 Texas Volleyball team couldn’t shake its five-set struggles, dropping its third consecutive five-set match against Oklahoma.
The No. 9 Texas Volleyball team couldn’t shake its five-set struggles, dropping its third consecutive five-set match, this time against Oklahoma on Sunday at Gregory Gymnasium.
The Longhorns (12-6, 7-3 Big 12) showed moments of dominance, with a season-high nine service aces, but ultimately fell short as they were held to a .187 hitting percentage. Oklahoma, meanwhile, managed a more efficient .293 hitting percentage, edging out Texas in a closely contested battle.
Madisen Skinner was once again the standout for the Longhorns, recording 17 kills and adding 11 digs for her second-straight double-double. Reagan Rutherford contributed a strong performance as well, adding 15 kills with a .344 hitting percentage.
The match opened with Texas jumping to an 8-4 lead in the first set, but Oklahoma surged back with an 8-2 run to take control, winning the set 25-21. The second set saw Texas rally with a 10-3 run to take a sizable lead before holding off the Sooners in extra points for a 27-25 victory, led by Rutherford’s six kills in the set.
Texas maintained momentum into the third set, claiming a 25-19 win with back-to-back aces from Keonilei Akana to seal the set. However, Oklahoma responded in the fourth, overcoming a 15-13 Texas lead with a 7-1 run to eventually take the set 25-17 and force a deciding fifth.
In the final set, Oklahoma took control early, building an insurmountable lead and closing out the match with a 15-9 win.
Badger legend becomes winningest coach in Wisconsin volleyball history
Wisconsin legend Kelly Sheffield became the winningest coach in Badgers volleyball history on Thursday.
With the 3-0 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana, Sheffield secured win No. 306 with the program. He surpassed Pete Waite, who served as UW’s coach from 1999-2012.
Superstar outside hitter Sarah Franklin finished with 15 kills and four blocks in the victory, while senior Anna Smrek collected 10 kills and seven blocks and senior Caroline Crawford notched her 600th career block. The Badgers wound up sweeping the Hoosiers 25-23, 25-18, 25-13.
In 11 years under Sheffield’s tutelage, Wisconsin’s volleyball program has experienced unrivaled success on the court. The Muncie, Indiana, native has captained the Badgers to the 2021 NCAA Championship, five NCAA Final Fours and 11 consecutive NCAA Sweet 16-or-better tournament finishes.
Wisconsin has claimed five Big Ten titles, 42 All-America honors and produced superstars including Sarah Franklin and Dana Rettke, two former AVCA National Players of the Year.
The Badgers’ model for success certainly extends into this year. After starting the season 0-3, Wisconsin has rattled off eight wins in a row and a 14-1 mark since Sept. 2. Wisconsin currently holds the No. 8 spot in the AVCA Rankings and will look to improve its national status with a win against No. 10 Purdue on Saturday night.
The Gators remain in the AVCA/TARAFLEX top-20 after splitting their matches last week.
Florida volleyball slipped three spots in the latest AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings after splitting a pair of matches in Week 5 of fall competition, dropping from No. 15 to No. 18.
The Gators beat the Oklahoma Sooners in five sets (25-21,19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13) on the road Thursday to tally their 34th-consecutive Southeastern Conference opener win. However, on Sunday the Orange and Blue was defeated by the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats inside the O’Connell Center (19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 28-30) to even the week’s tally.
Of their remaining 15 regular-season matches, Florida will face four opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes in the current poll, including a home matchup against seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns this Sunday.
That match is set to start at 1 p.m. in Gainesville and will be broadcast on ESPN.
AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll
Rank
School (1st Place Votes)
Points
Previous Rank
Previous Rank
1
Pittsburgh [61]
1,525
12-0
1
2
Nebraska
1,458
12-1
2
3
Penn State
1,382
12-1
4
4
Louisville
1,347
10-2
5
5
Stanford
1,262
9-2
3
6
Creighton
1,217
11-2
6
7
Texas
1,130
7-3
8
8
Kansas
1,061
11-1
9
9
Wisconsin
1,012
7-4
7
10
Purdue
982
10-3
10
11
Oregon
946
10-1
11
12
Minnesota
773
8-4
16
13
Kentucky
711
7-6
12
14
Baylor
602
10-3
19
15
Arizona State
557
12-2
14
16
Florida State
530
10-2
18
17
SMU
523
10-3
23
18
Florida
516
10-3
15
19
Georgia Tech
486
8-3
13
20
BYU
441
9-3
17
21
USC
340
9-3
20
22
TCU
262
9-3
22
23
Dayton
199
12-1
24
24
Auburn
175
12-1
NR
25
Washington
154
12-0
NR
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Tennessee 98; Miami (FL) 39; Arkansas 33; Marquette 29; Utah 20; UCLA 2
Dropped Out: Tennessee 20, Miami (FL) 25
* 5 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 11 combined points
UF 2024 Week-By-Week Rankings
Week
AVCA Ranking
Aug. 19
No. 11
Sept. 2
No. 10
Sept. 9
No. 13
Sept. 16
No. 16
Sept. 23
No. 15
Sept. 30
No. 18
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