Jess Mruzik sat down in front of her nameplate and a microphone ahead of the NCAA Tournament semifinals. She was wearing a bright pink bracelet.

The press conference came just over two months after Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer but had no plans to stop coaching.

That’s exactly what she’s done.

In her third year at the helm of the Nittany Lions, Schumacher-Cawley has been there every step of the way to Louisville, Kentucky, where Penn State is one of just four remaining teams in the country.

Having led her team to a 33-2 overall record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Schumacher-Cawley is two wins away from a national title.

While one of the many goals Penn State set prior to the season was to be crowned national champions, winning isn’t the only thing the program is focused on, rather valuing the bigger picture.

“I think, sometimes, we get caught up in the moment. We’ve been playing the 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,” Mruzik said.

Despite Schumacher-Cawley’s diagnosis, she’s remained the fiery leader that the team knew prior to her health issues arising.

After playing two seasons at Purdue, fifth-year senior Taylor Trammell transferred to Penn State just over a month after Schumacher-Cawley was hired as the Nittany Lions’ head coach ahead of the 2022 season.

According to Trammell, who leads the Big Ten with a .447 hitting percentage, and her teammates, the coaching they’ve received from Schumacher-Cawley hasn’t changed.

“I think it’s also important to realize that this is the same Katie from last year and the year before. Cancer or not, she still comes in that gym every day with the same fire and intensity,” Trammell said. “Katie has pushed this program on her back year after year, and she’s pushed us here to the Final Four. I’m just excited to be a part of all those years.”

Trammell’s three years at Penn State have strengthened her relationship with Schumacher-Cawley both on and off the hardwood, and the same goes for many of her teammates.

Outside hitter Camryn Hannah, who’s in her second season at Penn State after spending three years at Clemson, has also seen the bond she and Schumacher-Cawley share grow past just player and coach.

“If I could call Katie ‘mom’ during practice, I 100% would,” Hannah said.

Mruzik was quick to back Hannah up, saying Schumacher-Cawley comes into the gym each day with a selfless attitude, which has been instilled in her players in Happy Valley.

“I think she definitely just cares about you so much. That is her ‘normal,'” Mruzik said.

After head coaching stints of eight years at UIC and one year at Penn, Schumacher-Cawley returned to her alma mater as the associate head coach from 2018 to 2021 before taking over as head coach for Russ Rose, who spent 43 years in the role.

This season has been a difficult one for Schumacher-Cawley due to her health conditions, but she said every time she steps in the gym, she immediately feels better.

“I think that being around this team and this staff is when I feel most normal,” she said. “For me, being at practice and in the gym with them makes it a whole lot easier. I’m just happy for them and excited to experience these next couple days with them.”

The coming days Schumacher-Cawley mentioned will include at least one match, as Penn State has advanced further in the NCAA Tournament than it has since 2017.

In her first two seasons leading Penn State, Schumacher-Cawley was eliminated in the regional semifinals, but after four wins to open the NCAA Tournament, she’s made it to her first national semifinal round as a head coach.

With the off-court issues that have come up this season for Schumacher-Cawley, who won the 1999 national championship with Penn State, her team has adopted a “bigger than us” mentality.

Mruzik, an AVCA First-Team All-American and Penn State’s leader in kills, said winning a national championship is what the team made the trip to Louisville for, but it can’t get too consumed by on-court aspirations.

“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. We don’t have to take this too seriously, because sometimes life outside of sports can be more challenging than what you’re dealing with in volleyball,” Mruzik said.

The Schumacher-Cawley-led Nittany Lions will face Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center. First serve is set for 30 minutes after the 6:30 p.m. Pitt-Louisville match concludes. The match will be televised on ESPN.