The Penn State women’s volleyball program held its first weekly media availability of the 2025 season Tuesday afternoon following practice in Rec Hall’s South Gym.

Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, senior libero Gillian Grimes, and senior middle blocker Jordan Hopp answered questions from a handful of reporters. The full transcripts can be found below. The Nittany Lions open their season Saturday, August 23 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 versus No. 12 Creighton at the AVCA First Serve at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Penn State volleyball flew out to Lincoln on Thursday in order to settle in a couple days before its opener against the Bluejays, a rematch of last year’s NCAA regional semifinals at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions won 3-2 on a snowy night in University Park before eventually winning their eighth national championship in program history in Louisville, Kentucky.

Penn State, ranked No. 2 in the AVCA preseason coaches’ poll, will also play No. 14 Kansas Monday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both Creighton and Kansas have new head coaches in Brian Rosen and Matt Ulmer, respectively.

Ulmer had been the head coach at Oregon since 2017, while Rosen was on staff at Creighton for three seasons (two as an assistant and one as associate HC) before taking over for Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who retired this offseason.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley

What are you most looking forward to about getting the season started?

“I’m looking forward to seeing us compete against someone else. The girls are ready to see someone else across the net. But just to see this group in a different atmosphere. First travel trip is always exciting. I’m looking forward to it.”

It was a big year last year, and the buzz is that this year could be big as well. How have you worked during the spring and summer months to try and run it back this year?

“The team did a really good job this spring in getting better. The summer, they’re on their own. We don’t train them in the summer, so the summer, they’re with the strength coach, and they do things on their own, so I’m proud of what they’ve done. They’ve come back in good shape, and it’s been a good preseason.”

What kind of feedback have you gotten on Kennedy [Martin] in those moments?

“She’s such a great person, and fun to be around. She fits in really well. From her visit to where she is now, I mean, the team loves her. I think it’s a really welcoming group. They want to win and be successful, so they’ll rally around each other.”

How do you kind of test that fit out when you’re going through the process, because I think it takes a special team to welcome players of certain calibers, right?

“Absolutely. I think, coming off of the year we did, this team got a taste of success, and knows what it’s like and how hard it is to get there, and so to get back, you need good players and great teammates around you. I always talk about being a great teammate. We always talk about that first here, so I don’t really worry about that, because I know the team is going to take in whomever we bring to them.”

Creighton has a new head coach [in Brian Rosen]. What stands out about them?

“He’s been there for a long time. They have a couple new pieces as well. I think they’ll be competitive. They’re always good. I think playing them in Lincoln is going to be tough. I know they’ll compete hard. I think their coaching staff has done a wonderful job.”

What impresses you about Ava Martin?

“She’s a high-level competitor. I know she’ll have her team fired up to play. She’ll find a way to score.”

Jess Mruzik was a big part of last year’s team. How have you worked to fill that void and find new leaders this year?

“I don’t think you really replace someone like Jess. I think leaders have emerged. I think our players learned a lot from all five of those seniors last year and what they brought to the team. It’s a different group, so it’s a different a different feel, but same expectations and same goals.”

When you think back, what’s that endearing image of the summer for you? Is it the ESPYS? Is it something else?

“The summer was a blast. The ESPYS, it was so fun to be with my family, the five seniors, and the coaching staff. I think being able to spend that time with the group, because, after we won, everyone went their own ways, so we didn’t really get to see the seniors together one last time. So out in LA, we got to enjoy each other and have a good time. It was fun.”

Bouncing off of that, how do you harness that celebration and fun energy from the summer as you go into the season?

“For me, I think it’s always focusing on the team that we have. We we don’t talk about last year’s team as much anymore. It’s more of, ‘Every semester is a new group.’ I think it’s, ‘Be the team that they want to be and do the things that they need to do to be successful.'”

What stands out about Alexis Ewing?

“I think she’s improved so much since she’s been in the gym [here]. She works really hard and wants to be great. She is a sponge. She soaks up anything that you want to coach her about. She’s going to be great.”

Going back to Kennedy and that process, I think you’re at the point now where you really don’t need to sell people on this place, as compared to last year. Is that a different experience when you’re in that position?

“I always say, ‘We want players who want to be here and be a part of Penn State.’ She visited us and one other school. I think we just get along really well. I’m totally honest with her and what she can do here and how we can help her achieve her goals here and after college. I think she’s a perfect fit for us.”

What was your pitch to her, so to speak?

“She talked a lot about getting better. She’s seen players like Jess [Mruzik], Taylor [Trammell], players who have come through here who have gotten so much better. I think it’s because of their teammates. I think it’s because of the training. And just this culture and attitude that we have.”

What do you want to learn about this team? You open on the road against some good competition. It’s a bit of a unique circumstance [with the AVCA First Serve]. 

“I think we’re going to learn really fast what we have and what we need to be better at. But, you know, I think there’s no other way to get ready for the Big Ten conference than to play great teams like Creighton and Kansas. So I think it will help us short-term and long-term.”

What are some of the common characteristics of a Matt Ulmer-coached team? Obviously, you guys faced him last year [when he was at Oregon], but now he’s at Kansas.

“I think he’s a great coach. I think his teams play hard. I think he’s a great trainer, and I know they’ll be ready to compete. I think they did a nice job recruiting. It will be fun to see him.”

What stands out about Cristin Cline at setter?

“She knows what she’s doing. She’s played at a high level. I know she’ll be ready to lead her team. It will be a great match.”

After that spring match against Pitt, how did your mindset on the team change, if it did at all?

“Yeah, it shows what you need to work on. I think it was really helpful for the players to see where we were at and what they needed to do into the summer. Skill, get stronger. I think you can always learn from competing and using that film as a tool to help yourself.”

Some other good news from the summer, Maggie [Mendelson] is going to be joining the women’s basketball team. What have you seen from her — her drive and hustle — that’s allowed her to be a two-sport athlete?

“I’m so happy for her. She’s always loved playing basketball, so this is a great opportunity for her to do that. I’m happy that she can do it here at Penn State. I’m going to do my best to help her be successful in both.”

How does she balance that workload?

“She did a little shooting with them this summer, because they can train in the summer. They have some good coaches. She won’t do anything with them now until our season is over. She won’t do any skill work with them until December. That was kind of the deal we put together, because it’s a lot. Our travel schedule is crazy. Our match schedule is nuts. She’ll start with them in December. Hopefully, the end of December.”

This is super broad, but when you look at the growth of this sport, how satisfied are you with the way the sport has grown in the last, even, five years?

“It is such an amazing time to be a part of women’s volleyball. I think Big Ten Network has done such a great job showcasing our players, Penn State, and the conference. And then, with that, comes all of the other networks, and they’re picking up matches. It’s just so exciting to see. Our players are super grateful for that. I think, obviously, it’s a time of them being able to get NIL deals and things like that. And so the exposure on TV is only helping them get involved in whatever it is they want to do.”

Is there a part of you that has to be like, “Okay, the season’s started.” I know [Penn State] football, it’s like, “Hey, on your day off Monday, you guys can do NIL stuff.”

“We haven’t really had those discussions. I think they’re pretty focused. I do think they use their off-days wisely, whether it’s getting rest or if it’s doing some other [NIL] deals, then that’s what they’re doing. But, you know, they’re pretty focused on that and school, and I think they’re fortunate with some of the deals that they have. Knock on wood, we haven’t had any issues with that.”

Is there a memento that you have from last year from the championship [that you particularly treasure]?

“That’s a great question. Well, I have the one picture framed in [my] office of the national championship, and I have one with the seniors that’s all signed. I’m a big picture person, so I think, for me, it’s pictures. Cam [Hannah] gave me a picture of me and her. Or maybe it’s the [WWE] belt that everyone wants to see when they come into the office. It’s pretty wild. That’s what everyone wants to look at. Our seniors, all of them but Anj [Starck] will be back [for the banner unveiling on Sept. 5]. She’ll be in Spain playing, so that will be exciting.”

How do things change now that you’re in game week versus regular training camp?

“Well, we’re just doing one session now, and trying to spend a little bit more time on recovery and kind of resting their legs a little bit more. So we were off yesterday (Monday), but they spent the day over at Greenberg using all the new, cool things over there. We’ll go one tomorrow and one Thursday before we get on a plane and leave. I think it’s just being smarter with our time and making sure that they’re recovering.”

What were some of the positives you noticed during training camp?

“I think this team, defensively, does some really nice things. I think Gill [Grimes], Ava [Falduto], and ‘Juice’ [Nathan], they don’t let too many balls hit the floor, and are really aggressive. Overall, I think the team made great changes. They work really well together, and they hold each other accountable.”

How have you seen Gabrielle [Nichols] pushing the other middles?

“She had a great summer. She played with the USA [U19] team. I think she came back to the gym a little bit more confident in her skills, and she gets better every day she’s in here. I know she’s going to push the middles a lot the entire year.”

Across the country, different teams have played in different venues. Has there ever been discussion with the volleyball team playing over in Beaver Stadium [or elsewhere on campus]?

“Yeah, I would love to do that. They talked about that, but they talked about the Jordan Center as well. But, you know, for us, Rec Hall is so special, and a lot of teams don’t like playing in Rec Hall, so that’s why I like staying here. But, I think, in the future, we’ll see some different venues popping up, and bigger arenas for us.”

Speaking about that, you guys are going to be playing in a hockey arena at PPG Paints in Pittsburgh. It gets pretty loud in there. What do you think that will be like? I’m guessing there will be a lot of Penn State fans.

“I’m excited for that as well, just being in Pittsburgh. I know there will be a lot of alums. I’ve never been to a hockey game there, so this will be a first for me, but it’s pretty neat that it’s going to be there.”

What has [new director of operations] Sarah Tischler brought to the program?

“Sarah’s amazing. I love having her. She fits in so well here and knows what she’s doing. I’m happy her and her husband, Will, are a part of Penn State.”

How have you seen Izzy [Starck] and Addie [Lyon] working together [at the setter position]?

“It’s awesome seeing them both train together. I think Addie’s come in and done a tremendous job. She competes hard, and she’s going to help us. Like I say, every single one of these players are going to contribute to the success this season. So her time will come.”

Where have you seen Izzy grow in her confidence from year one to year two?

“I think Izzy is excited she’s a sophomore. I think she’s grown in understanding how the system works, how the travel works, and how everything [goes] with school and volleyball. She’s matured a lot. I know she’s really excited to get the season rolling. She’s strong. I think she’ll put her hitters in the best position to score.

Jordan Hopp & Gillian Grimes

I’ll start with an easy one. I like the shoes. Where did you get those?

Grimes: “Our equipment room. That’s kind of a new style for me, but that’s all they had. The new ones didn’t come in yet. I like wearing Kobes, though. I think they do fit my personality a little bit, maybe. I wish [the base color was] white instead of gray, though.”

.@PennStateVBALL libero Gillian Grimes was wearing the @Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Venice Beach” 2024 colorway at the team’s intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday. pic.twitter.com/EjH49vD42I

— DigNittanyVolleyball (@DigNittany) August 12, 2025

A lot happened last year. You had a lot of success. How have you kind of harnessed that and brought that into another year for hopefully another championship?

Grimes: “Yeah, I think we’ve settled in a little bit, and [have] kind of thought about the past, but it’s a brand new team. So I think we’re just trying to create new memories and create different wins, because we just want to have a lot of success this year, too.”

Hopp: “Yeah, to second that, I just think that we know what it takes to win from a mental standpoint, but like she said, it’s a new team, new players, so we’re also just trying to take that into consideration for this new team.”

Bouncing off of that, you lost five seniors, including Jess [Mruzik]. How have you worked to fill those voids and find new leaders within the team?

Grimes: “Yeah, I think we had a really good transfer portal, too, so we kind of won in that aspect. But yeah, I think Jordan and I have kind of stepped in. And Maggie [Mendelson], too. A bunch of the older girls kind of stepped into that leadership role just to help the team.”

Whose idea was it to wear sunglasses for team arrivals at the Final Four? That was so tough.

Hopp: “I think it was Jess’ or the seniors’ idea. They had this image and vibe that they wanted to go for.”

Grimes: “They randomly just had a bunch of sunglasses. I know I didn’t travel with sunglasses.”

Hopp: “A lot of parents went to Target and just bought us sunglasses, so we all just picked from a pile.”

What are you most looking forward to about getting out to AVCA First Serve?

Grimes: “I’m just really excited to play with the team, and play a different team, too. We’ve been scrimmaging each other a lot, so just to see how we compete against other people, too.”

Hopp: “I’m excited to see how our team handles pressure, and also, it’s, like, in my backyard. So I’m excited to go home and see my family and see everyone who’s coming to watch.”

Do you know how many people are going to be there for you?

Hopp: “Probably 50-plus. The whole town where I’m from is coming, basically.”

*Note: Hopp is from Alliance, Nebraska, about a six-hour drive from Lincoln.

What’s impressed you about Ava Martin from Creighton?

Grimes: “She’s a great player. We played her in the Elite Eight. I think she definitely has a big leadership role on that team, too, but she can do it all, really. So we’re excited to see how we compete against her and her team.”

Kansas has a new head coach, but someone you’re familiar with from Oregon. What stands out about [Matt Ulmer’s] teams and just Kansas in general?

Hopp: “I think his ability just to lead from a very high level is what he brings to the table. So I think not expecting for a rebuilding year for them and just expecting them to come out ready to go, I think they have some good players on their roster, so I think they’ll be a fun team to play, for sure.”

You’ve been teammates with Maggie [Mendelson] for a while now. Soon, you’ll get to see her on the basketball court as well. How has the team supported her in that new endeavor?

Grimes: “We’re so excited for Mags. We couldn’t be happier for her. We’ll go out and support her and see her shine on the basketball court, like the volleyball court.”

Hopp: “Yeah, it’s just exciting to see her live out her dream. I know she started playing basketball and then she took a few years off, but for her to show younger girls what she can do, like, you can play multiple sports, is an awesome thing.”

How grateful are you for this sixth year of eligibility and one more ride with this team?

Hopp: “I am really grateful. [I’m] just walking into it with the mentality of, ‘I can still learn, and there’s still so much for me to learn.’ I can learn from the younger girls, I can learn from my teammates, and I can help push my teammates to step into more of a leadership role. So I am really excited and super grateful that this is my last opportunity.”

What’s impressed you about Gabrielle [Nichols] so far?

Hopp: “She is a dawg. Her work ethic is amazing, and I love that she’s open to feedback from everyone in our [middle blocker] position. I think, over the [spring] semester, her coming in early has really tightened our position up. We push each other every day, but we’re also really close. We help each other and we give each other feedback. We want to see each other succeed.”

Obviously, a national championship is always the end goal, but what else do you hope to achieve this year?

Grimes: “It’s always a goal to go undefeated at home. And then, also, win a Big Ten championship, too, so I think we have pretty high goals. We’re excited to see what we can do.”

Hopp: “I think winning on the road, too, is really important for us. When we need to walk in and get a game done on the road and get back to business, I think that’s a big goal for us. Just being able to be consistent in that aspect.”

How have you helped Kennedy [Martin] with her passing in the backcourt?

Grimes: “Yeah, I mean, she’s definitely been passing. We try and push her in a lot, but yeah, she’s definitely gotten better. Her arms are just so long, so it kind of works. And I’m like, ‘How did she do that?’ But she figures it out. Everything that she does, really.”

What stood out about your other [defensive specialists] during training camp?

Grimes: “They’re all awesome. I think, whenever they’re on the court, they bring me a sense of calmness. And just the grit that they [use to] push me every day, it’s just something that I never want to take for granted, and I really appreciate it from them, too.”

What did you take away or learn from the spring match against Pitt at Rec Hall?

Hopp: “I think we took away that we have the opportunity, and we have the people, we just need to put it together. We just need to understand that what we have is special, and how are we going to put all the people on the court together to figure out how to win?”

How would you assess your comfort level during this training camp compared to last year?

Hopp: “I think I’m more settled in this year, for sure. Last year was a surprise when I walked in. I knew I was going to train hard when I came here. I knew Penn State did train hard, but it was definitely a shock from our first day. This year, I definitely knew what to expect, but [the coaching staff] still figures out how to surprise you most of the time, so you never know what you’re going to walk into every day. But I think that’s a way that we go into games, with that mentality. You never know what you’re going to walk into. You have to trust your training, and trust that the coaches have put you in the best place to be successful.”

What has [new director of operations] Sarah Tischler brought to the program?

Grimes: “Yeah, I mean, she kind of brings a sense of home, too. She’s from Chicago as well, so I think all my Chicago people around me kind of make it feel a little bit like home. But yeah, she’s always there for us, always [on top of] the food or any questions [we have]. So I think she just brings a really loving and helpful piece to our team that we need.”

What are some things you know about the [Penn State] program now that you didn’t as a freshman?

Grimes: “Definitely, when I came in, just how hard they trained and how everyone wants to compete. And, like I said, a lot of times, [Coach Katie] does a really good job at recruiting people who really want to win. When I was younger, I thought I had this really competitive mindset. I didn’t realize a lot of people had that, too. When you put everyone together, it’s just really something special.”

What stands out about Katie as a coach, but also the relationships that she builds with you, and the time she takes?

Hopp: “She’s just an inspiration. I know we talked about this so much last year, what she went through, and just being able to come into the gym every day and have a smile on her face, whether she’s feeling great or doesn’t want to stand up that day, I think we take that mindset of hers, and we just put it into our play. Off the court, she has a great relationship with all of the staff, all the players, and she has our backs 100 percent of the time. We know we can go to her for anything. So I think that’s a great translation [of] on and off the court for her.”

You and Emmi [Sellman] seem to be really close friends. What do you like about her and her game?

Hopp: “Emmi came in in the spring, and she and I were roommates for a whole semester, just us two. So we did get really, really close. But I think Emmi is a mechanical player. She hits shots that are undefendable, and it’s really frustrating at practice when you’re not on her side, because there’s nothing you can do when she hits the first centimeter of your finger. But it’s great to have that on your side. And I think she also can step into more of a vocal leadership, too. Being a six-rotation outside hitter, she can step up in those moments.”

How has your relationship and connection with Izzy [Starck] grown?

Hopp: “Our connection has grown, definitely. Yeah, no, Izzy and my connection actually has grown a lot. We worked on it a lot in the spring. It was an every day, twice a day, type of thing that we needed to build. But I think she just needed to have more trust in me, and I needed to understand how she plays and what her mindset is. But now, I feel like she could pretty much set me from anywhere on the court, and that’s nice.”

As a leader, what’s your message to the team heading into this first weekend of play?

Grimes: “I just want us to go out there and have fun, compete. Every day, when we show up at practice, we’re so competitive. So I just want that to correlate on the court when we play Creighton and Kansas. I’m just excited for us to ball out.”

How have you seen yourself become a more vocal leader as you’ve been here?

Grimes: “I think it’s just, really, a confidence thing for me. I just wanted to prove everything that I can on the court, and now that I have more confidence, I feel like I can just say what I want to say, and people can back it up a little bit.”

Hopp: “She lights a fire when she gets excited, let me tell you.”

What impresses you about Jordan’s game?

Grimes: “Jo’s great. The slide balls are unreal. I just have to get a good pass to her to do that. But also, her blocking. It’s so easy to play defense behind her, because she’s always either getting a touch or diving in the block.”

I may as well ask you, too. What do you like about Gill’s game?

Hopp: “Oh, I love the trust that I have [in her]. When she’s behind me, I know I can fully take a rip at a ball, and I know she’s going to cover me. Also, like she just said, I know if a ball gets past me, she’s going to be in the right spot to dig it. So I think it’s just a trust thing. I know where she is on the court at all times, and it’s nice to have littles behind her who are like that.”