Players called Penn State women's volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley an "inspiration' after she led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA women's volleyball championship.

Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has cancer, but she’s refused to let it stop her all season long.

Jess Mruzik made 29 kills with a .315 hitting percentage, and Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to win an NCAA volleyball championship as Penn State defeated Louisville, 3-1, in Sunday’s final.

Penn State women’s volleyball are champions for the first time in a decade and it came amid adversity and history.

This Sunday, Louisville takes on Penn State in the NCAA women's volleyball finals. But over the past few months, the Nittany Lions have faced a much bigger battle: Their coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in September, Penn State's volleyball coach never missed a practice. Now the program is a win from the NCAA title.

That wasn't the biggest adversity the team felt in September, though. It was also the month that head coach Katie Schumacher revealed that she was battling breast cancer. MORE: Penn State pulls off reverse sweep vs. Nebraska to advance to NCAA final

Penn State won the NCAA women's volleyball championship on Sunday afternoon, beating Louisville in four sets to prevail 25-23, 32-34, 25-20, 25-17 and earn the eighth championship in the history of the program.