Eighteen straight conference wins—how iconic is that? The Nebraska Huskers, under the visionary guidance of coach John Cook, are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to make history. The last time the team stepped onto the floor, they ended a decade-long drought by clinching the season series against the Wisconsin Badgers. But there’s reason to believe that their next clash, against Penn State on November 29, could set even greater milestones.

The Huskers are just one step away from claiming the Big 10 title. All they need to do is win their next game—if they do, they’ll secure the crown regardless of Saturday’s outcome in College Park. Ahead of the duel, Huskers coach John Cook shared words of encouragement for Nittany Lions coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who has been courageously battling breast cancer.

John Cook’s shoutout to Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley

In a Nebraska Volleyball press conference, coach John Cook’s reply to a question by a reporter, “What do you think of what Katie’s been able to do with leading Penn State to where they are, and also dealing with her cancer treatment?” indicated the respect he harbors for the coach’s fight against the illness.

Coach John Cook said, “Yeah, I mean, I have a lot of respect for what she’s doing. And again, I can’t imagine balancing all that, coaching. I mean, it’s tough, but she’s tough. She was a tough player.” He not only hailed her resilience and touted her as a fitting role model for her team, “She’s shown a lot of toughness and determination. And she’s probably very, very inspirational for her team to see that.”

On October 17th, Katie Schumacher-Cawley took to her Instagram for an emotional announcement. She made her diagnosis public and admitted that it had been a lot to process. However, she had rallied past the surge of emotions and declared that she wished to continue as a coach at Penn State, thanking her staff and team for being able to do so. Truly, they believe if there is someone who has been able to fill the big shoes of former head coach, Russ Rose, it’s her.

And by the looks of it, it’s true. The Nittany Lions have been performing splendidly this season, marching into the match with John Cook’s pupils with a 17-1 score. In fact, speaking of Katie’s mentorship particularly, it has been directional, one that led her to a monumental milestone recently.

Penn State Coach Katie ticks off another box on the bucket list

November 21 marked a significant win for Penn State because they did not just trash Purdue’s winning plans in a Big 10 conference game, but also had their coach cruise to a notable rank. Yes, the Lions’ 25-14, 25-21, 25-20 win over was Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s official 200th win with Penn State, as a coach, which was nothing short of incredible. To commemorate that, the Boilermakers went the extra mile with such a special gesture. They rushed to Katie with their hands full of pink roses, symbolic of her valiant fight against breast cancer. And that left Katie stunned!

Katie’s face had already lit up with the brightest smile, the beauty of which was further amplified when the entire team posed with their coach for a click. The X-handle of Big Ten Network found joy in captioning the moment as “Bigger than volleyball.” It was like one big family coming together to acknowledge their loved one, which is exactly what value the coaches hold for these young guns. Remember how Nebraska gave a unique tribute to coach John Cook on the opening match this season, his 25th with the side? Those miniature Coach Cook bobbleheads were adorable!

Well, roses or mini keepsakes, the crux of it all is that these teams clutch on every opportunity to make their leaders feel loved and respected. PS: do you have any predictions for the coming game? Who will it be? Katie Penn State Lions or John Cook’s Cornhuskers? Let us know below!