LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In each of the first 43 years of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, a male head coach has lifted the trophy at the end of the tournament. That streak will end on Sunday when Louisville’s Dani Busboom Kelly and Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley face off with the national title at stake.
“There’s two great stories for you guys to write about, Dani and what she’s done getting this team here, and Katie, all her challenges, what she’s going through,” Nebraska’s John Cook said after the Huskers’ semifinal loss to Penn State. “She put together a great team, and she’s found a way to manage all that. Women are tough, and those two — look at them as players. They both were great players. They both won national championships.
“This isn’t a fluke. These guys are winners, and they’re tough, and they’re great competitors, and their teams play like it. I think Penn State is playing very inspired for her. It should be a great match on Sunday.”
Busboom Kelly, the former Husker player and coach from Courtland, Nebraska, reached her second national championship match in her eighth season with the Cardinals. When Louisville reached the final four in 2022, star outside hitter Anna DeBeer called her coach a ‘badass,” a sentiment she reiterated on Wednesday.
“She is badass; I’ll say it again,” DeBeer said. “Just to have a female coach have a chance, she’s just been great. Where she’s taken the program over the last four years has been incredible. To have that opportunity -— I know it was a big thing just for her being a mother and a coach and really just taking the team far. So I’m really excited.”
Busboom Kelly holds a career .825 winning percentage at Louisville with four conference titles, three final fours and one national runner-up finish. She took over following a 12-18 season and led the Cardinals to their first regional final in her second season. She’s made the tournament every season and has won 30-plus games three times.
“I think she’s done one of the greatest turnarounds of any college volleyball program, coming here to Louisville, getting the Final Four, playing for a National Championship, and now she’s going to get to do it again,” Cook said of his former protégé. “This place broke the attendance record for the Final Four. It will be packed on Sunday. The storied thing is finally a female is going to win a National Championship. That’s one of the silver linings in all this. I hope DeBeer is OK and everybody’s full speed to go. It should be a great match. I hope people appreciate what she’s done here.”
Louisville had to go through ACC champion and overall No. 1 seed Pittsburgh to give Busboom Kelly another crack at a title. The Cardinals lost to the Panthers twice during the regular season and dropped the first set on Thursday. However, Louisville rallied to win two and three before DeBeer went down with a leg injury. Despite losing their hometown star (who had a team-high 14 kills at the time), the Cardinals elevated their game even more to finish off the win.
Freshman Payton Petersen stepped in for DeBeer and totaled two kills, two aces, four digs and one block while holding up in serve receive. Louisville, at 30-5, will now get a chance to play for a championship in its own arena, the KFC Yum! Center.
“I think this team really took a little work … It wasn’t so seamless,” Busboom Kelly said. “Then when you accomplish something great, you know that hard work really paid off. I think this team worked together so well and had to be selfless for the entire year for it to work and for us to be here, and that’s what made it really special. But on top of that, just the talk of Louisville hosting the Final Four and them believing in it and whether at the time they thought it was a big deal or not, they’ve been carrying it with them for four years — it was a special moment that we made it.
“I know how hard it is to make a Final Four. They do, too. It’s no guarantee whether you’re hosting or not. A lot of things have to go right. You have to have a little luck. You have to play great in the right moments. It came together, and we were able to be back here hosting. Just a really big deal, and something very few, if any, coaches and players ever get to experience.”
The other side of the equation features a woman in charge who set the tone for her program with the fight she’s shown away from the court as she battles breast cancer. Schumacher-Cawley shared her diagnosis on Oct. 17, and since then the Nittany Lions are 18-1 while earning a share of the Big Ten title.
The practice court has been her sanctuary as she’s done what is necessary to beat cancer and keep things as normal as possible for her team.
Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley instructs the Nittany Lions during a timeout in the semifinal round of the NCAA Championship. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“I’m fortunate that I’m at a great hospital and getting great care,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I think that being around this team and the staff is when I feel most normal. For me, being at practice and in the gym with them makes it a whole lot easier. People talk about inspiration and things like that. I’ll tell you I’m going to UPenn, and every day I walk into the hospital there, and the children’s hospital is right across the street. So for me, that’s my perspective. There are babies and younger kids that are really sick, and I’m going to be healthy and I will get through this, and it’s just part of my journey and my life right now.
“But that, for me, is inspiration. But being with these guys makes it a whole lot easier and fun, and I’m happy for them and excited to experience these next couple days with them.”
While Schumacher-Cawley has drawn inspiration from the children going through their own battles, her players are taking their own inspiration from her. They made “bigger than us” one of their core values.
“I think sometimes we can get caught up in the moment,” Penn State star outside hitter Jess Mruzik. “We’ve been playing this sport for most of our lives, so it can seem like the most important thing in your life sometimes. But the way that Coach is able to come in and just be the same every single day no matter what’s going on puts so much into perspective for us because this really is just a sport. Obviously we want to win, and that’s what we’re here for. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game, and we don’t have to take this to seriously because sometimes life outside of sports can be more challenging than what you’re dealing with in volleyball.”
Penn State had its back up against the wall against Nebraska, trailing 22-16 in the fourth set and 2-1 in the match. The Nittany Lions found a way to rally in the fourth for a 28-26 win then controlled the action throughout the fifth to defeat the Huskers for the second time and punch their ticket to the final.
Schumacher-Cawley is in her third season after taking over for legendary coach Russ Rose and holds an 83-19 (.814) record. The Nittany Lions fell in the regional semifinals in each of her first two season before breaking through in year three despite their coach’s off-court obstacles.
“We are playing for something bigger than us,” middle blocker Taylor Trammell said. “I also think it’s important to realize that this is the same Katie from last year and the year before this, cancer or not. She still comes into that gym every day with the same fire and intensity. I think that’s something that people need to realize. Katie has pushed this program on her back year after year, and she’s pushed us this year to the Final Four, and I’m just excited to be a part of all those years.”
Schumacher-Cawley’s focus is firmly on Penn State while showing great respect for Busboom Kelly and her program. However, the gravity of Sunday’s match and the history one of the two coaches will make isn’t lost on Busboom Kelly. Sunday will be a big step forward for women’s volleyball, and she’s hoping it is only the beginning.
“We’re getting closer, right? … We’re getting there, that there’s more,” Busboom Kelly said. “I think there’s more female coaches that are staying in the game longer and more female coaches that are getting the opportunity to take over these storied programs. We’re not having to start from the bottom or start at a program, a mid-major and take a mid-major up and then get a chance at a Power Five. I think that will help with just more opportunities.
“Hopefully it starts this week. I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do or Katie can do at Penn State. It’s more just being consistent and really encouraging other women to stay in the sport and to go for it and showing them that they can do it, too.”
