Penn State won the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship on Sunday, rising above Louisville's hometown advantage and a monster second set by the Cardinals to claim the program's eighth all-time title and first in 10 years.
In the victory, Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first woman head coach in NCAA tournament history to win the championship — all while battling breast cancer.
Penn State tops Louisville in a back-and-forth matchup
Sunday's championship game drew a sell-out crowd of 21,860 to the KFC Yum Center in downtown Louisville, setting a new NCAA volleyball championship record. It was Louisville's second-ever title match, after finishing second to Texas in 2022.
After suffering an ankle injury in Thursday's semifinal upset against Pitt, however, Louisville entered the match without senior outside hitter Anna DeBeer. The absence ultimately proved too great to overcome.
The Nittany Lions won the first set 25-23, before Louisville saved 10 set points to dramatically take the second set 34-32.
But the Nittany Lions roared back, overwhelming the Cardinals to win the third set 25-20 before closing out the deciding set 25-17.
A moving win for Penn State's women's volleyball coach
Penn State coach Schumacher-Cawley, who was diagnosed with cancer last fall, stayed with her team throughout the 2024 season.
"I'm very happy for Katie, and it's a big deal for this sport," Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. "I'm thankful… that we can move on and that more women will be in this position in the future."
As for Schumacher-Cawley, she remained ever humble.
"I'm inspired by the young kids that are sick," she said after the win. "If I can be an inspiration, then I take that. But I feel good. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by so many great people."
NCAA Division I college soccer kicks off on Thursday, and 2023 champs FSU are leading the preseason charge.
After this summer’s mass exodus from the Pac-12, three of the four remaining Power conferences — the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC — all added strong soccer programs to the mix. Each of those three conferences is now set to start the season with seven ranked teams, according to the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 preseason poll.
ACC, Big Ten dominate college soccer rankings
Highlighted by No. 1 FSU and No. 2 Stanford, the newly restructured ACC is shaping up to be the conference to beat. With the country's top recruiting class plus 10 returning players, including sophomore striker Jordynn Dudley, FSU is back atop the preseason rankings for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Led by No. 4 Penn State, the Big Ten also boasts top contenders — especially after adding UCLA (No. 11) and USC (No. 23) to the fold.
With the addition of Texas at No. 17, the SEC has a solid foundation. However, with no schools ranked higher than No. 14 Georgia, they’ll need some standout non-conference wins to move up the weekly poll.
While the Big 12 has just two squads on the list, both cracked the Top 10, with 2023 College Cup semifinalist BYU coming in at No. 3 and Texas Tech tied for No. 8.
Anson Dorrance departs UNC
NCAA soccer's biggest roster shift comes via the UNC coaching staff, with head coach Anson Dorrance announcing his departure from the program just four days before the season's start. After 45 seasons and 21 national titles — the most by a head coach in any DI sport — the Tar Heels manager passed the reins to associate head coach Damon Nahas, who will serve in an interim capacity as the school conducts a hiring search.
Dorrance is just the latest in a series of UNC turnovers, which saw nine 2023 players transfer and 11 turn pro — including top NWSL draft picks Ally Sentnor and Savy King.
How to watch college soccer this season
Four ranked matchups headline Thursday’s DI season opener, with No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Penn State and No. 13 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Notre Dame leading the pack. Both games kick off at 7 PM ET with live coverage on BTN and ACCNX, respectively.
Ashley Owusu is ready to play basketball again.
After starting her college career at Maryland, where she became one of the best guards in the country, she transferred to Virginia Tech ahead of the 2022-23 season. While her tenure with the Hokies started strong, a broken pinkie derailed it. After the injury, her minutes decreased, and she did not play at all in the postseason.
The tension came to a head during the Hokies’ Final Four run. During the national semifinal, Owusu left the bench, which resulted in infighting with her teammates. Following the season, she entered the transfer portal once again, and now she finds herself starting again at Penn State.
“Obviously getting hurt was unfortunate,” Owusu told The Daily Collegian, “but kind of looking forward to playing here, being able to be around new people.”
While Owusu was recruited by the Nittany Lions her first time in the portal, it didn’t work out. This time, assistant coach Terri Williams – whose brother Boo Williams coached Owusu in her youth career – managed to secure the commitment. Owusu credited the familiar face as a “very important” factor in her decision.
And Owusu’s Penn State teammates already are excited about what the three-time All-Big Ten selection brings to the squad. Makenna Marisa, who has “always been a fan of her game” and wanted to play with Owusu, said as much.
“She makes her teammates around her better, and she’s an unselfish player,” Marisa said. “She’s a hooper.”
And while Owusu is ready to fit into whatever role is needed, Penn State is ready to help her thrive.
“Ashley’s going to have freedom to play, and she didn’t get that at Virginia Tech,” Williams said. “She’s going to have freedom to flourish and be the player and the playmaker that she is, here, at Penn State.”