Russ Rose Then (1996): “We feel that Lauren is one of the top middle players in the country coming out of high school. She has great quickness, good size and a great work ethic. I’m confident that Lauren is going to have a great career at Penn State, and I think she is going to have good success in the Big Ten. This year, we are going to count on her to help us as a middle player, and I’m confident she can do that. She is going to progress throughout her career, and I would not be surprised at all if Lauren ends up being an all-conference player down the road. She needs to develop the strength and endurance to compete at the top level and I’m confident that will happen in time.”
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.”
1996 Season (Freshman) Highlights and Awards: Picked for Volleyball Magazine’s All-Freshman team … was named to the Big Ten All Conference team … selected to Heat Magazine’s Freshman Great Eight squad … named to the NCAA All-East Region team … … named to the all-tournament teams at both the Mizuno/USA Cup and the Penn State Invite …
Season Recap: Cacciamani started in the middlle hitter spot all season … finished 3rd in the Big Ten with 1.63 blocks/set (10th in the nation) and a .378 htitting percentage … the regular-season finale against Minnesota (11/30) was probably her best performance of the year, as she recorded career-highs with 24 kills and 14 blocks to go along with a .583 hitting percentage … she posted a career-high 13 digs versus No. 6 Washington State (9/14).
NCAA Tournament: Notched 19 kills and 7 digs against Georgia Tech (12/8) in the Second Round of the NCAA tourney … posted the team’s only triple-double of the year (16 kills, 10 digs, 11 blocks) in the East Region Final at No.5 Nebraska (12/14).
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
