guides · Updated 2026-10-14

Penn State Volleyball Program Profile

Penn State is the program that made “four in a row” a real sentence in women’s college volleyball. The Nittany Lions own eight NCAA Division I titles, second only to Stanford, including four straight from 2007 through 2010 and two perfect 38–0 seasons. Then, in 2024, a former Penn State All-American came back and won it again from the head coach’s chair.

This is an editorial program profile, not a live ranking, seed projection, or recruiting board. Polls, schedules, and TV windows move every week, so check the official pages before you plan a trip.

Live hubs: Penn State women’s volleyball · 2026 schedule · Roster · NCAA DI women’s volleyball · AVCA · Big Ten volleyball

Related: Florida program profile · Kentucky program profile · Minnesota program profile · Texas A&M program profile · Nebraska program profile · Wisconsin program profile · Stanford program profile · Texas program profile · Pittsburgh program profile · Louisville program profile · Best programs overview · Final Four history primer · Daily Desk

Snapshot (verify live)

Penn State’s own headlines called the team No. 16 during the Nebraska and Iowa week and No. 18 for the Northwestern and Washington weekend (Oct. 8–11). Treat that as snapshot language and re-check the AVCA poll each Monday.

Championship résumé

From the official NCAA.com championship history table:

NCAA.com’s most-championships rundown calls the 2007–10 stretch “arguably the most dominant four years in the sport’s history”: four titles in a row, two of them unbeaten, and the first two won in title matches against Stanford.

The table also shows the near-misses that came first. Penn State lost title matches in 1993 and 1998 to Long Beach State and in 1997 to Stanford before breaking through in 1999.

For the current national picture, the most recent champion on that table is Texas A&M (2025, 3–0 over Kentucky). Banners don’t carry over, so use the live bracket in December.

Two coaches, eight banners

Russ Rose coached all seven of Penn State’s titles from 1999 through 2014, per the NCAA.com table. Schumacher-Cawley spent four seasons (2018–21) as his assistant before taking over, and her official bio still calls him the “legendary head coach.” For his full record, use Penn State’s record book on the volleyball archives page; we don’t quote career totals we couldn’t confirm there tonight.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley is the other half of the story. Per her official bio:

• She played on Penn State’s first title team in 1999 and was a two-time AVCA All-American, finishing with 1,310 kills, 772 digs, and 299 blocks.
• She was named head coach on Jan. 10, 2022, after head-coaching stints at UIC (2009–16) and Penn (2017).
• In 2024 she became the first female head coach to lead a team to an NCAA Division I women’s volleyball title. That team went 35–2, won Penn State’s first Big Ten title since 2017, and went 20–0 at Rec Hall.
• The 2024 semifinal was a reverse sweep of No. 3 Nebraska, in a match Penn State trailed 22–16 in the fourth set before winning it 28–26.
• Her season-by-season Penn State marks: 26–8 (2022, regional semifinal), 23–9 (2023, regional semifinal), 35–2 (2024, champion), 19–13 (2025, second round). That’s 103–32 overall and 11–3 in the NCAA tournament.
• The bio says Penn State was ranked in all 63 AVCA polls across her first four seasons.

For the full staff list and current roster, use the Penn State roster page. We don’t publish depth charts, contract terms, or transfer “grades.”

Rec Hall

Rec Hall is the home floor and the banner wall you see in the photo above. The 2024 team’s perfect home record included four NCAA tournament wins and a five-set regional win over Creighton to reach the national semifinal, per the coach’s bio. The 2026 schedule lists theme nights through the fall, including Dig Pink vs. Oregon (Oct. 23), Military Appreciation Night vs. Ohio State (Oct. 29), and the White Out and Senior Night vs. Purdue (Oct. 31). Tickets and parking details live on the official schedule and fan info pages.

The 2026 season so far

Results from the official 2026 schedule, through Sunday, Oct. 11:

Opponent ranks are as printed on the schedule page at match time.

What’s next (subject to change): at UCLA (Fri. Oct. 16, 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT, B1G+) and at USC (Sat. Oct. 17, 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, BTN), then Oregon at home (Oct. 23), at Indiana (Oct. 25, FS1), Ohio State (Oct. 29, BTN) and Purdue (Oct. 31) at home, a November road run at Minnesota, Wisconsin (Nov. 8, FS1), Maryland, and Illinois, and Rutgers at Rec Hall on Nov. 17. The schedule then lists the Big Ten Tournament, Nov. 20–25, at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Ind.

By the numbers

These come from our Daily Desk pull of NCAA.com statistics, through games of Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026.

In plain terms, Penn State scores efficiently and leans hard on Martin, who takes roughly 29% of the team’s kills. The defense has been good, not suffocating: a .181 opponent hitting percentage is respectable, but it’s a long way from Nebraska’s .105 at the top of the country. Freshman middle Kendall Northern is one to watch. Penn State’s recap of the Northwestern sweep says she hit .923 with 12 kills and no errors on 13 swings.

New to these numbers? Start with hitting percentage, opponent hitting % and differential, and kill share.

Why Penn State matters to fans

1. The standard of the 2000s and 2010s. Seven titles between 1999 and 2014, plus the only four-peat on the NCAA.com history table, set the bar every Big Ten contender still measures against.
2. A rare coaching story. A player from the first title team became the first woman to coach a DI champion. That’s a real thread through the program, not a marketing line.
3. A Big Ten gauntlet every year. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, and the West Coast additions all come through the league schedule. See our conferences guide.
4. Big non-conference stages. The 2026 schedule alone included Wrigley Field and the Palestra.

How recruits and parents should use this page

1. Fit over banners. Eight titles don’t create a roster spot at your position this cycle. Start with the recruiting timeline and Eligibility Center steps.
2. Use the official questionnaire. Penn State’s volleyball site links a recruiting questionnaire and camps from its main hub. Use those, not third-party DMs promising to “get you seen.”
3. Know the roster math. DI rosters at opt-in schools are capped at 18. Our walk-on guide and scholarship types guide explain what that means.
4. Watch full matches. Most Penn State matches stream on BTN, B1G+, FS1, or FOX per the schedule. Our how to watch guide covers the platforms.
5. Portal reality. Roster turnover is normal at the top. See the transfer portal guide.

Quick FAQ

How many national championships does Penn State volleyball have? Eight, second only to Stanford’s nine on the NCAA.com championship history: 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2024.

Who coaches Penn State in 2026? Katie Schumacher-Cawley, in her fifth season. She played on the 1999 title team and coached the 2024 title team.

Has Penn State ever gone undefeated? Yes. The NCAA.com table lists the 2008 and 2009 champions at 38–0.

Where does Penn State play home matches? Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. Check the schedule for each match’s venue, since some big non-conference dates are at neutral sites.

Where should I check rankings? The AVCA coaches poll and NCAA.com. We don’t invent weekly ranks here.

Sources

• NCAA.com — DI women’s volleyball championship history
• NCAA.com — teams with the most national championships
• GoPSUsports — women’s volleyball home
• GoPSUsports — 2026 schedule
• GoPSUsports — roster
• GoPSUsports — Katie Schumacher-Cawley bio
• GoPSUsports — Penn State sweeps No. 20 Washington (Oct. 11, 2026)
• GoPSUsports — Northern nearly perfect vs. Northwestern (Oct. 10, 2026)
• GoPSUsports — volleyball archives and record book
• NCAA.com — DI women’s volleyball
• AVCA

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