LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 22: Quinn Menger, during the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship held at the KFC YUM! Center on December 22, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) St. Catherine’s Bailey Loving bumps the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond. “I’m so grateful that […]
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 22: Quinn Menger, during the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship held at the KFC YUM! Center on December 22, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
St. Catherine’s Bailey Loving bumps the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond.
“I’m so grateful that the world got to see just what an incredible woman she is.”
“I remember watching the rally in real time,” Menger said. “I couldn’t even see because there were so many tears in my eyes. I was so grateful to be part of it, and so many emotions. I’m so proud to be Penn Stater.”
She had a goal: to travel and dress at every game.
It wouldn’t be easy to get on the court at Penn State and Menger knew that. She was going to have to work her way up the depth chart.
St. Catherine’s Bailey Loving bumps the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond.
Menger doesn’t cry much — she’s tough. But when Penn State won the title, she let the tears burst forth. Playing for Penn State is something she dreamed about since she was 10 years old. Now, Menger is bringing a national championship back to Richmond.
“I wanted to be a part of the program that I dreamed of being a part of since I was little,” Menger said. “As soon as he offered me on site, I literally couldn’t say no. I didn’t care about any other offers I had. This is what I’ve always wanted.”
Jamie Schwaberow
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft sets the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
Trinity’s Rose Lee-Taddiken serves the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
In that game, Menger entered the court as a middle for a few plays because the team ran out of subs. It didn’t matter for the senior: she won a national championship.
Penn State elevated Katie Schumacher-Cawley from assistant to head coach and Menger stayed with her. The coaching change forced Menger to step up, lead more and take on a bigger role.
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When Penn State women’s volleyball won the 2024 NCAA national title, St. Catherine’s alumna Quinn Menger couldn’t physically see the game-winning play.
St. Catherine’s alumna Quinn Menger helped lead Penn State to the NCAA women’s volleyball title in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 22.
“This is what I dreamt of,” Menger said. “I was just overfilled with joy.”
Within a week, Menger was on the phone with PSU and later took her official visit. Russ Rose, the PSU coach at the time, offered her a walk-on spot.
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft celebrates a point against Trinity on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
Jamie Schwaberow, NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Quinn Menger and her father, Clark Menger, celebrate after Penn State won the NCAA women’s volleyball title. Clark Menger coaches the Blessed Sacrament Huguenot girls volleyball team.
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft celebrates a point against Trinity on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
With her parents in Richmond, Menger built an amazing relationship with her coach — Schumacher-Cawley even wrote Menger a letter of recommendation for law school.
“We all grew up watching Penn State win national titles,” Menger said about the 2024 team. “We wanted to put Penn State volleyball back on the map, where it’s supposed to be. Every single individual bought into that idea, and there was no talk of transferring, or I don’t want to be here.”
Colby Bonewitz
“She was always strong,” Menger said. “She’s a mom of three kids, three daughters, she has a huge family that all adore her, and she makes time for everybody in her life.
Growing up, the goal was always to play for Penn State. She went to camps in Happy Valley and watched games on TV. She even skipped holiday parties with her dad to watch the Nittany Lions. Penn State was always choice No. 1.
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft sets the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
Heading into the 2024 season, one of Penn State’s mottos was “bigger than us.” Originally, that motto reflected all of the talent that came before them, and all the young girls that look up to Menger and the Nittany Lions.
Would Menger go too? She wasn’t playing a lot and now there was a coaching change. Was leaving Penn State an option?
Matching up with Nebraska in the semifinals, Penn State went down 2-0 — the Huskers had won over 100 games straight when up 2-0.
“My freshman year was really hard to find my identity as a college athlete, because in Richmond, I was a big fish (in a) little pond,” Menger said. “And then I got to Penn State, and I was just another big fish, swimming with the sharks.”
In her sophomore and junior years, Penn State was good but couldn’t “break the wall down.” The team fell in the NCAA region semifinals and region finals, respectively, and heading into her senior year, the Nittany Lions were still trying to get over the hump in the postseason.
“Honestly, when the thought did cross my mind, I immediately shut it down,” Menger said. “I’d be like, ‘What are you doing? Like, 10-year-old Quinn would be slapping you in the face right now, like, you’re playing for Penn State.’ I couldn’t imagine myself going to another university and getting my degree anywhere else.”
Trinity’s Sarah Brown attacks the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
Savannah Reger
Fielding Croft (12) of St. Catherine’s, shown during the Saints’ 3-0 victory over Trinity Episcopal last Thursday, recently passed two-time All-Metro player of the year Quinn Menger to become the school’s career assists leader. Croft has 2,124 assists for St. Catherine’s.
Menger had 462 text messages when she picked up her phone following the title.
Then, Schumacher-Cawley announced she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. That made “bigger than us” take a whole new meaning.
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft sets the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
“She surrounds herself with the best staff to make everybody better, including herself,” Menger said. “I really appreciate all the things she’s done for me.”
St. Catherine’s Paxton Raymon attacks the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond.
Menger and Co. went out on the court with goals and knowing that nobody was going to outwork them. That helped come the NCAA tournament.
So Menger and her teammates knew that they were going to go out and play their hardest every game not only for themselves, but for Schumacher-Cawley.
Courtesy of Clark Menger
“I’m super thankful for Richmond,” Menger said. “I love being from the 804 and I love St Catherine’s. I’m from Powhatan originally, so I’m like, country kid at heart. I mean, I got a little dose of every little part of Richmond.”
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft sets the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
It wouldn’t be easy. Menger and company faced Louisville on its home court at the KFC Yum! Center.
Menger’s eyes were so blurred with built-up tears that she could only keep up with the movement of play. Up 24-17 on Louisville, Penn State picked up match point, and those tears turned into a full sob.
In the title game, Penn State took the first set, and the Cardinals tied it up in the second. After that, it was all Nittany Lions — Penn State won 3-1, bringing home the national title in Menger’s senior season.
In the title game, Penn State took the first set, and the Cardinals tied it up in the second. After that, it was all Nittany Lions — Penn State won 3-1, bringing home the national title in Menger’s senior season.
Now, Menger returns home as a national champion. Looking back on it, she said 10-year-old Quinn would be proud. And through it all, her hometown has stuck with her.
“They’re hometown heroes,” Menger said. “They’re ultimate competitors, and we knew we were gonna have to grind it out.”
Fielding Croft (12) of St. Catherine’s, shown during the Saints’ 3-0 victory over Trinity Episcopal last Thursday, recently passed two-time All-Metro player of the year Quinn Menger to become the school’s career assists leader. Croft has 2,124 assists for St. Catherine’s.
Penn State beat Creighton in five sets in the region finals, breaking down that wall to get back to the national semifinals.
St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft serves the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
Between the second and third sets, Schumacher-Cawley let her team self-lead and they rallied behind each other, pulling off the reverse sweep: Penn State won 3-2, punching itself a ticket to the national title game.
She said about 90% of them were from people from Richmond. They ranged in content, going from congratulations to people telling her they had her back all the way from the 804.
It wasn’t putting the Penn State uniform on for the first time that made Menger emotional. It was the suitcase sitting at her locker for the first road trip. She snapped a picture for her parents and cried knowing she was going.
The work didn’t stop there. It wasn’t easy to play for Rose. It got more complicated when Rose left Penn State after her freshman year and several players transferred out. St. Catherine’s Fielding Croft serves the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.”I knew I was good, but I never thought I was good enough to play there,” Menger said. “Then all of a sudden I sent an email to Penn State, a run of the mill type email like, ‘Hey, I’m always interested.’ And all of a sudden they emailed me back.”Trinity’s Rose Lee-Taddiken serves the ball on September 26, 2024, at Saint Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va.
