Russ Rose Then (1998): “I think Lauren is coming into the season as one of the top returning middle hitters in the country, but she’ll have an entirely new role. I think that her season will be based on how she handles the new role. If she can handle being the main go-to player, where not only our team expects it, but the other teams load up on her, then that’s really going to have the biggest effect on how her season goes. She’s a very athletic individual who, I thought, when we beat the National Team was the best player on the floor. I know her upside is very, very high, and hopefully she’ll be able to continue to address her fitness and conditioning and get herself in a position where she can make the type of contribution over the last two years that will prepare her to have the opportunity to play at the next level.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Lauren was a great contributor, to the program and to the team, the minute she arrived. She was a former diver, and I just think that gave her spatial orientation and kinesthetic awareness that benefited her greatly in volleyball. She would go literally weeks at a time in practice without a hitting error because her vision was so good, her decision making was so good, and she was so quick and athletic. Lauren was on the court all the time because our best attack back in that era was Lauren hitting out of the back row and then our second best was probably Lauren hitting out of the front row. She was a terrific player and well deserving of the many accolades that she received in high school and college, including co-MVP of the 1998 National Championship, along with Long Beach State’sMisty May, the Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 National Championship and the 1999 co-AVCA National Player of the Year with Kerri Walsh.”
1998 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: Co-Most Outstanding Player, NCAA Championship … NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team … NCAA Tournament All-Region Team … Academic All-American … Academic All-Big Ten … AVCA All-American … All-Big Ten First Team … Honda Volleyball Award Nominee.
Season Recap: Played in all 36 matches and all 114 sets … led the team with 3.88 kills/set (Lindsay Anderson was 2nd with 2.85 kills/set) … ranked 2nd on the team with a .413 hitting percentage (setter Bonnie Bremner led the team with a .416 hitting percentage) … her 1.69 blocks/set ranked 2nd on the team … ranked 5th on the team with 1.45 digs/set … totaled 12 service aces for the season.
NCAA Tournament: Had 20 kills with a .606 hitting percentage in Penn State’s 3-0 Second Round win over #20-ranked Baylor … had 20 kills in Penn State’s 3-1 win over Nebraska in the National Semifinals … had 33 kills in the 5-set loss to Long Beach State in the National Championship match.
Cacciamani on Her Penn State Career: “If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. My experience at Penn State is something I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life, not because of athletic victories or accomplishments, but because of the impact that the experience had on my entire life. I didn’t just become a better volleyball player, I became a better person as a result of my relationships with my teammates, the coaching staff, the university administration, and the entire Penn State community.”
Before Penn State: A three-year starter at middle hitter for Paramus High School, Cacciamani collected first-team all-league and all-county honors three straight years (1993-1995); as team captain her senior year (1995), she led the Spartans to their second-consecutive Group 3 league and state titles; also led Paramus to a county championshiop in 1995; garnered third-team All-America honors her senior year; she also lettered in track and field as a high jumper; a valuable contributor for the Digs Volleyball Club team, Cacciamani was named a two-year captain; also tabbed a Volleyball Magazine “Fab 50” pick her senior season and selected as a member of the US Youth National Team in 1995; Gatorade selected her as a 1996 regional Circle of Champions honoree; also competed as part of the U.S. team in the 1995 All-American match against California.
“Cacciamani returns to Penn State to be honored,” The Daily Collegian, Nov. 20, 2000
“Cacciamani, Bremner unlikely pair,” The Daily Collegian, Nov. 23, 1999
“Turning Heads,” The Daily Collegian, September 4, 1999
“Setting it all up,” The Daily Collegian, July 29, 1999
“Exceeding expectations,” The Daily Collegian, Sept. 24, 1998