Katie Schumacher-Cawley was named the third head coach in the history of Penn State Women's Volleyball on Jan. 10, 2022. A two-time All-American and a member of Penn State’s 1999 National Championship team, Schumacher-Cawley took over the program after spending four seasons as an assistant under legendary head coach Russ Rose. She enters her third season as the team's head coach in 2024.
Penn State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of Schumacher-Cawley's first two seasons as head coach at her alma mater, helping the program extend its streak to 43 consecutive appearances. The Nittany Lions advanced to the Regional Semifinal in each of those seasons, posting a win over a nationally-ranked team in the Second Round both times. They defeated No. 21 UCF at Rec Hall in 2022 and went on the road to take down No. 15 Kansas in five sets in 2023.
In Schumacher-Cawley's first two seasons as head coach at Penn State, the Nittany Lions have had players earn two All-America honors, five all-region accolades and six All-Big Ten awards, including five first-team selections. They were ranked all 32 weeks of the AVCA Coaches Poll, reaching a season-high rank of No. 9 in 2022 and No. 8 in 2023. They posted an overall record of 49-17 for a .742 winning percentage.
The Nittany Lions have been tough to beat on their home floor at Rec Hall in Schumacher-Cawley's two seasons, going 28-5 during that time. Included in those wins was a four-set victory over second-ranked Wisconsin in front of more than 5,000 fans during the regular season in 2023.
Before returning to Penn State as an assistant coach in 2018, Schumacher-Cawley spent eight seasons as the head coach at UIC and one season at Penn. During the 2017 season at Penn, Schumacher-Cawley led the Quakers to a 12-11 record, while going 7-7 in Ivy League play. The seven wins in the Ivy League were the most by a Penn head coach in their first year. She also guided the Quakers to notable conference wins, including defeating Yale for the first time since 2010.
Prior to her tenure at Penn, Schumacher-Cawley spent 14 years coaching at UIC, including eight as the head coach (2009-16). She recorded 113 wins as the Flames’ head coach, which is third on the program’s all-time list, and oversaw UIC's run to the Horizon League Championship match and a runner-up finish in 2012.
While at UIC, she mentored a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year in Stephanee Yancy (2014 & 2015), along with 11 All-Horizon League selections and three Horizon League All-Newcomer Team recipients.
A 2002 graduate of Penn State, Schumacher-Cawley helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 1999 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, the program’s first national title, and three Big Ten Conference crowns during her career. She was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, three-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time AVCA All-Region selection. Schumacher ended her career with 1,310 kills, 772 digs and 299 blocks. Schumacher-Cawley also played for the Lady Lion Basketball team in 2001-02.
A Chicago native, Schumacher-Cawley played volleyball and basketball at Mother McAuley High School and led the Mighty Macs to state and national titles in volleyball. She was inducted into both the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) Hall of Fame and the Catholic League Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2008, a resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives congratulated Schumacher-Cawley for her achievements. On October 15, 2008, she was inducted into the prestigious Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport of volleyball as an athlete and a coach. She was part of a class that also included Pro Football Hall of Famers Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers and Marv Levy; Chicago Cubs great Andre Dawson and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Schumacher-Cawley earned her bachelor's degree in communications from Penn State in May 2002. She is married to Mike Cawley, who was a James Madison University football student-athlete from 1993-95 and a sixth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1996 NFL Draft, and they have three daughters, Stella, Nora and Shea.
KATIE SCHUMACHER-CAWLEY COACHING TIMELINE
2022-current - Penn State (Head Coach)
2018-21 - Penn State (Assistant Coach)
2017 - Penn (Head Coach)
2009-16 - UIC (Head Coach)
2003-08 - UIC (Assistant Coach)
KATIE SCHUMACHER-CAWLEY RECORD
| Year | School | Record | Postseason |
| 2009 | UIC | 16-18 | Horizon League Semifinal |
| 2010 | UIC | 13-18 | Horizon League Quarterfinal |
| 2011 | UIC | 14-15 | Horizon League Quarterfinal |
| 2012 | UIC | 19-13 | Horizon League Final |
| 2013 | UIC | 9-21 | |
| 2014 | UIC | 14-17 | Horizon League Quarterfinal |
| 2015 | UIC | 12-19 | |
| 2016 | UIC | 16-14 | |
| 2017 | Penn | 12-11 | |
| 2022 | Penn State | 26-8 | NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| 2023 | Penn State | 23-9 | NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| Career Record: | 174-163 | NCAA Tournament Record: 4-2 |