Forty-five years. That’s the number of years in a row that Penn State women’s volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament since its inception in 1981. Penn State remains the only school in history to play in every single NCAA Tournament.

After winning the national title last season for the first time since 2014, the Nittany Lions went into this year with high expectations. Not only did they bring in highly touted recruits and transfers like Kennedy Martin, but they also brought back veterans from last year’s team, including Gillian Grimes. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country before the season began, only behind No. 1 Nebraska.

However, Penn State’s regular season did not go to plan. After winning its first two matches, it lost three in a row, setting the precedent for a turbulent season. Ahead of Championship Banner Night, star setter Izzy Starck announced that she would step away from volleyball for the remainder of the season to prioritize her mental health.

Despite adjusting to life without Starck, the Nittany Lions finished the season with an abnormal overall record of 18-12 and 12-8 in Big Ten play. They finished 4-9 against ranked opponents and had the most regular-season losses under Katie Schumacher-Cawley. In the process, Penn State fell 23 spots in the rankings ahead of Selection Sunday compared to its preseason standing.

Due to its struggles, Penn State was given a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the lowest seeding for the program since 2021. In the first round, it will take on a USF team making its first appearance in the tournament since 2002. The Nittany Lions will be playing the first round away from Rec Hall for the third time in 26 years.

USF went 17-12 this year with a 12-4 record in the American Athletic Conference. Penn State and USF have played each other three times in program history, most recently in 2015. The Nittany Lions swept the Bulls in all three meetings. However, Schumacher-Cawley isn’t underestimating the squad.

“They have a great coaching staff, play hard, and had a great season. I know they’ll play hard, and they’ll be prepared,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “There’s no easy team once you make it into the tournament. Everyone who’s in it either won their conference or has the numbers and wins to get there, so we need to play well and be ready to go.”

Since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1998, the blue and white are a perfect 26-0 in the first round and have only dropped three sets in the process. The last time they were eliminated in the first round was in 1989.

Penn State has nine returning players from last season’s title run. Many freshmen are making their first appearance, like Gabrielle Nichols. Senior Maggie Mendelson outlined the impact veteran players like herself have on first-time tournament players.

“Hopefully, a lot. I feel like we’ve been trying to just explain to them what is going to come and what they should expect this weekend,” Mendelson said. “I think just coming in and showing them that it’s not as scary as it might seem is going to be helpful as we go into this next part of the season.”

Another message echoed by Schumacher-Cawley and the veterans from last year’s team is that the tournament is a new season. The team has faced a lot of challenges and adversity this regular season, but Mendelson is still proud of this year’s team.

“Just the way that we bounce back through all the ups and downs. I think that’s what Penn State is all about, especially over the past couple of years,” Mendelson said. “I’m just proud that we’ve come in here every day, put the last day behind us, and looked for what we’re doing right now in the moment.”

As the No. 8 seed in the Austin regional, Penn State faces a tough road not only to repeat as national champions but also to avoid its earliest elimination since 2021. If the Nittany Lions get past USF on Friday, they will face a quick turnaround with the possibility of facing No. 1-seeded Texas the next day. Despite the turbulent regular season and the challenges that await, Schumacher-Cawley believes that her team has what it takes to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

“I have all the confidence in the world,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “I see what they do on a daily basis, and I know they’re putting in the time and effort and doing the right things off the court. I’m really confident in them.”