UNIVERSITY PARK — There are few words to accurately describe the Penn State Women’s Volleyball Team’s national championship season in 2024.
From a 19-2 regular season and co-Big Ten Championship, to the reverse sweep in the National Semifinal and finally to the 3-1 victory over Louisville in the Finals, it was extraordinary in almost every way.
And factor in head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s season-long battle with cancer, for which she was recently awarded the Jimmy V Award at the ESPYs on national television, and it begins to border on mythical. Schumacher-Cawley was the first female coach ever to coach a women’s volleyball team to a national championship.
It is 2025 now, though, and despite losing players like outside hitter Jess Mruzik and middle blocker Taylor Trammell, the Nittany Lions have restocked and are planning to chase those dreams again.
First, coach Schumacher-Cawley announced that she is cancer-free, and she obviously had a very busy offseason.
The Nittany Lions gained three additions to the team through the transfer portal and welcomed five incoming freshman recruits.
The transfers include 6-foot-6 Kennedy Martin, who spent the last two seasons with Florida. Martin was a first team All-American last year with a national-best 6.28 points per set with 512 kills, 146 digs and 64 blocks. She is set to immediately have a big impact on the team.
Next is outside hitter Emmi Sellman, who transferred from Ohio State. She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team last season with 219 kills, 128 digs and 21 blocks.
Finally, setter Addie Lyon comes to Penn State from Saint Louis where in two seasons she totaled 1,131 assists and 272 digs.
The incoming freshmen are Marin Collins, a 6-3 outside hitter from Lake View, NY; Alexis Ewing, 6-4 outside hitter from Bethesda Maryland; Lexi Gin, DS from Indianapolis, IN; Ava Jerevicius, sister of Caroline, who is a DS from Cleveland, Ohio; and Gabrielle Nichols, a 6-2 middle blocker from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
The new additions will join returning players like Izzy Starck, First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-American and senior libero Gillian Grimes, who was on the NCAA All-Tournament Team and a Second Team All-Big Ten pick.
Starck, Grimes and Martin were named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team.
The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 in a preseason poll behind Nebraska, a major rival and also a national contender.
Penn State will not have an easy ride, however, with a very challenging schedule to navigate.
The Lions will play Nebraska twice and see at least 16 teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Those teams include eight conference champions.
The team opens its season on Aug. 23 against Creighton in Lincoln, Nebraska and then against Kansas on August 25 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The team’s first home match is against Kentucky on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m.
