A three-time Olympic gold medalist-turned-coach for South Carolina, Dawn Stately is among the pioneers of the present-day women’s sports revolution. So it’s not surprising that she all in to witness another historic women’s sporting moment. Although it’s an event unrelated to basketball, Staley couldn’t help but celebrate the upcoming NCAA volleyball championship final.

As the woman at the root of making “every one watches women’s sports,” a household phrase, she can’t wait to watch an all-female-led NCAA final. “Afternoon everyone! Let’s give these women representing @NCAAVolleyball in an all-female coached national championship… Historical moment we are part, of a bow!” wrote the Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer.

The iconic WNBA coach is so excited because a female coach will lift the NCAA volleyball trophy for the first time in history. Although who’ll emerge victorious in the clash between Louisville Cardinals and Penn State is anybody’s guess, one thing is for sure: No matter who wins, college volleyball will get its first female NCAA Championship-winning coach.

“Dani Busboom-Kelly @louisvillevb Katie Schumacher-Cawley @pennstatevball you make us all proud!” Dawn Staley added to her post on X. However, the South Carolina coach wasn’t the only one to praise Dani Busboom Kelly and Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s achievement. Despite losing to Penn State, Nebraska Huskers coach John Cook also praised his fellow coaches.

“I think the historic thing is that finally a female is going to win a national championship, and you know that’s one of the ‘silver linings’ in all this,” said the three-time AVCA Coach of the Year. John Cook also praised how his former pupil and assistant coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, has elevated the Louisville program. However, Kelly’s counterpart has also overcome challenges en route to the finals.

The NCAA volleyball coaches’ incredible journeys

Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s journey has been one of personal and team triumph. The Penn State coach has taken the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA Championship final after a decade. What makes the achievement even more astonishing is that Schumacher-Cawley did it while fighting cancer. “In September, I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer,” the coach told ESPN.

“I went through a series of biopsies and tests, with different doctors,” the 44-year-old added. However, despite the immense challenge, the coach’s love for volleyball remained intact. “I feel normal here at Rec Hall and I just want to keep going. I feel so loved, and I’m so lucky to have the staff I have,” the NCAA volleyball coach said in the interview.

Since then, the coach has led her team to a shared (with Nebraska Huskers) BIG10 title and now the national championship finals. Meanwhile, after serving a five-year stint under head coach John Cook, former Nebraska setter Dani Busboom Kelly took the reins at Louisville in 2017. The Cardinals coach has taken the team to new heights since she joined.

Kelly led the Cardinals to their first final four in 2021 and since then has led to the semifinals three times. The upcoming Championship match is only the second time the Cards have reached the finals. Even Coach Cook highlighted how Kelly elevated the Cardinals’ volleyball program. “She came here, and it wasn’t a power program, and she’s done an amazing job,” said Cook. So no matter who wins on December 22, it’ll be a victory for women’s volleyball.