Penn State Women's Volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley announced on Monday the addition of Abby Detering as an assistant coach. Detering, a former All-American setter for the Nittany Lions, returns to Happy Valley after spending the past four seasons on the coaching staff at Rutgers.
“I am happy to welcome Abby back to Penn State,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “She is a fantastic addition to our staff, bringing not only a wealth of experience but also a contagious energy that will positively impact our team. Her background and enthusiasm make her exceptionally well-suited for this role, and I am confident she will contribute right away.”
“Penn State has always held a special place in my heart,” Detering said. “The legacy of this program and the people who built it have a had a lasting impact on me. I couldn’t be more excited to return as an assistant coach. I’m so thankful to Katie for this opportunity and can’t wait to get to work. We Are!”
Detering brings seven years of collegiate coaching experience to Penn State. Her first three seasons at Rutgers were as an assistant before she was promoted to associate head coach for the 2025 season. The Scarlet Knights’ win total last season was their highest in 13 years.
Working primarily with the setters, Detering helped guide last season’s Rutgers team to one of its most prolific offensive performances during the current rally scoring era (since 2008). The Scarlet Knights posted the program’s highest hitting percentage during the 25-point rally scoring era, while totaling the second-most total kills (1,400), second-most kills/set (12.50), second-most assists/set (11.63), and third-most total assists (1,303).
Rutgers’ breakout offensive season came just months after Detering was named one of the top young assistant coaches in the nation. She earned the 30 Under 30 Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association in April of 2025.
Detering began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Kent State, where she spent three seasons (2019-21). During that time, she mentored setter Alex Haffner to back-to-back All-MAC honors. The Golden Flashes led the conference in hitting percentage and ranked second in kills/set in Detering’s first season on the sideline.
Detering earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and sciences from Penn State in 2017. The Nittany Lions’ starting setter for two seasons, Detering earned honorable mention All-America and AVCA All-Region honors following her senior year.
Detering joins a Penn State program that is two seasons removed from winning its eighth National Championship. The Nittany Lions qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season to ensure they remained the only team in the nation to play in every single NCAA Championship since the inaugural event in 1981.