Penn State volleyball is back in the NCAA Regional Final for the first time since 2019, thanks to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20) victory over fifth-seeded Marquette on Friday evening.
Up next for Katie Schumacher-Cawley and the Nittany Lions is a Sunday night matchup with two-loss Creighton, with the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2017 on the line.
A Blue Blood history
With seven National Championships to its name, Penn State volleyball is considered one of the sport’s blue bloods. The only team that has hoisted the trophy more than the Nittany Lions is the nine-time champion Stanford Cardinal.
But Penn State still holds one of the most dominant runs in NCAA volleyball history when Russ Rose led the Nittany Lions to four consecutive titles between 2007 and 2010. No other team has ever won three straight titles, let alone four. Penn State also won back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014.
But near the end of the Rose dynasty, Penn State volleyball lost its dominance both in the Big Ten and on the national landscape. Since last winning the title in 2014, Stanford claimed championships in 2016, 2018, and 2019. As a result, the Cardinal surpassed the Nittany Lions in the number of all-time National Championships. In addition, Texas has now reached the Final Four three times since 2017, winning two titles in that span.
Schumacher-Cawley has Penn State volleyball back at the top

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.
In 2024, Katie Schumacher-Cawley has brought Penn State volleyball back into the national spotlight. The third-year Nittany Lions head coach has kept the program’s NCAA Tournament streak alive, even reaching the Sweet 16 during the first two seasons of her tenure.
But after claiming a share of the Big Ten title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the expectation for Penn State to reach the Final Four and compete for a National Championship has returned.
The Nittany Lions are 72-3 all-time when hosting NCAA Tournament games, and haven’t lost in Rec Hall since 2005. That will be tested on Sunday night when sixth-ranked and second-seeded Creighton expects to punch its ticket to the Final Four in its own right. The Bluejays are having their best season in program history after finishing the year with just two losses and are now appearing in the program’s first Regional Final ever.
Penn State volleyball is asking fans attending to White Out Rec Hall for the biggest match in Happy Valley in seven years. Those looking to attend in person can still purchase tickets on multiple resale sites such as Axs, Vivid Seats, StubHub, and SeatGeek.
The match will start at 8:30 pm ET and broadcast on ESPN.
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