How to Watch Penn State in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Semifinals

The Nittany Lions meet Nebraska in their first final-four appearance since 2017.

Penn State's Maggie Mendelson (44) celebrates a kill in the second set of a Big Ten volleyball match against Nebraska at Rec Hall. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State women's volleyball was a dynasty under former coach Russ Rose, winning seven NCAA titles from 1999-2014, including four straight from 2007-10. Now, the Nittany Lions are back in the national semifinals for the first time since 2017 and for the first time under coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who has delivered one of the nation's most impactful coaching stories.

Penn State will meet Nebraska on Thursday in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament semifinals, seeking to return to the championship match for the first time since 2014. Here's what you need to know about Penn State vs. Nebraska.

NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Semifinals

• Who: No. 2 Penn State (33-2) vs. No. 3 Nebraska (33-2)

• When: Approximately 9 p.m. ET Friday (30 minutes after Pitt-Louisville semifinal)

• Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky

• TV: ESPN

• Streaming: ESPN+

How to watch, follow Penn State in the NCAA women's volleyball semifinals

ESPN will broadcast the NCAA women's volleyball semifinal doubleheader Thursday from Louisville's KFC Yum! Center. The first match pits Pitt vs. Louisville beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Penn State-Nebraska match will begin 30 minutes after the first match's conclusion, or about 9 p.m. The matches also will be streamed on ESPN+ and through Disney+.

Live stats can be found at NCAA.com.

How Penn State reached the NCAA semifinals

The Nittany Lions advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the first time under Schumacher-Cawley, their third-year head coach. Penn State went 29-2 during the regular season and 19-1 in Big Ten play to win its first conference title since 2017. Penn State earned a regional top seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the semifinals with wins over Delaware State, North Carolina, Marquette and Creighton.

Penn State is playing in the national semifinals for the 14th time and is the only college volleyball team to make all 44 NCAA tournaments.

Who are Penn State's top players?

Four Nittany Lions earned All-America honors, with setter Izzy Starck being named the AVCA national freshman of the year. Starck ranks second in the nation among freshmen in assists/set (10.89) and leads Penn State in hitting percentage (.285). Outside hitter Jess Mruzik became a three-time All-American, and first-timer on the first team, by recording double-digit kills in 30 of the team’s 35 matches.

Outside hitter Camryn Hannah and middle blocker Taylor Trammell received honorable mention.

About Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley

Schumacher-Cawley became just the third women's volleyball coach Penn State history in 2022. She was a two-time All-American for the Nittany Lions and played on the 1999 national-championship team. Schumacher-Cawley spent four years as an assistant on Rose's staff before taking over as head coach. She has guided the Nittany Lions to three straight NCAA tournament appearances.

This fall, Schumacher-Cawley announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The Big Ten coach of the year has undergone treatment while guiding the Nittany Lions to the NCAA semifinals.

"I'm fortunate that I'm at a great hospital and getting great care," Schumacher-Cawley said Thursday in Louisville. "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. Yeah, 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's 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."

"We are playing for something bigger than us," 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."

Penn State vs. Nebraska history

Penn State defested Nebraska 3-1 at Rec Hall on Nov. 29 in the last meeting between the teams. Redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius had 18 kills and two blocks and hit .414 in her best performance of the season. Mruzik had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, and Starck had a double-double with 46 assists and 11 digs.

Nebraska holds an 8-3 advantage against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament and leads the all-time series 28-12.

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