Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Scott Pennewill enters his fifth season as the IUP women's volleyball head coach in 2019, spearheading a dramatic turnaround while re-establishing a winning tradition since taking over at the start of the 2015 season. 

In four years, Pennewill has a 69-60 (.535) overall record and has rebuilt the Crimson Hawks from one of the worst teams in the conference to the PSAC Southwest Division regular season champions (2017). IUP had three straight winning seasons under Pennewill, including back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2016 and 2017. It was the longest such streak for the program since IUP posted seven straight winning seasons under Carmine Cortazzo (1999-2005). 

Pennewill has also led the Crimson Hawks to two straight PSAC tournaments (2016-17), something that hasn't been done at IUP since three consecutive tournament berths from 2002-04. IUP's latest tournament appearances have come after the PSAC reformatted into four divisions, with the Crimson Hawks placed in the Southwest with arguably the three most powerful teams in the entire conference - California, Clarion and Seton Hill. 

The 2017 season marked IUP's most successful overall in more than a decade. The Crimson Hawks finished with a 25-10 overall record, won the PSAC Southwest Division regular season title, and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship. The win total (25) was the most by an IUP team since 2005, the division title was the second ever for the program (2002), and the NCAA tournament appearance was the first since 2010. The three-set win over West Chester in the Atlantic Region opening round was IUP's first NCAA victory since 2005. 

For his efforts, Pennewill was named the PSAC Coach of the Year in 2017. 

He had privilege of witnessing senior outside hitter Natalie Cignetti post one of the best individual seasons in program history. Cignetti earned honorable mention All-America honors from the AVCA, was a consensus All-Atlantic Region selection, and was named the PSAC Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Year. She led the PSAC in kills per set (4.28), total kills (488), points per set (4.79) and total points (546.5). Her points per set and kills per set figures also ranked 14th and 17th in NCAA Division II, respectively. Cignetti is the first IUP women's volleyball All-American since Laura Hall in 2002. She also earned Academic All-American honors, was named the 2017-18 (PSAC) Pete Nevins Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and IUP Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and is the conference nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year. 

In addition to Cignetti, senior middle blocker Gabby Egler earned All-Atlantic Region and first team All-PSAC honors. 

During the 2018 season, he saw senior libero Jess Marut finish her career ranked second in IUP history and eighth in PSAC history with 2,319 digs. Marut owns four of the 11 highest single season dig marks in IUP history. 
 

---

Pennewill has coached a combined five All-PSAC selections in his three years at IUP after the program had none in 2014 and a combined five from 2010-13. Cignetti has three selections to her name, including first team nods in 2016 and 2017. Middle blocker Gabby Egler was a first team pick in 2017 and setter Lindsay Moeller was named to the third team in 2016. Cignetti and Egler's all-region selections in 2016 and 2017 are the first for the program since 2006. 

Pennewill had a successful first year at IUP, posting a 17-15 overall record. It was the most wins by a first year head coach in program history. It was an eight-win improvement from the previous season and the first winning season for the program since 2012. The Crimson Hawks featured an offensive resurgence under Pennewill, with Cignetti (358) and Alexis Anderson (330) each finishing with more than 300 kills. Cignetti also earned CoSIDA All-District honors and was named second team All-PSAC West.
 
Pennewill has been a successful coach for 22 seasons, previously serving as a head coach at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels. Through 2017, he has an overall record of 357-328 (.521) with previous stops at Clarion, Drexel, Johns Hopkins, Loyola and Millersville. 

He last coached collegiately at Loyola University, a Division I school out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), from 2008-2010. He won 37 matches in his three years with the Greyhounds, which included a seven-win improvement in his second season and a MAAC Championships appearance in year three.

Prior to Loyola, Pennewill spent five years at Division III Johns Hopkins out of the Centennial Conference, going 105-44 (.704) with three berths in the ECAC Tournament, including a semifinal appearances in 2005 and 2007. He led the Blue Jays to an impressive 41-9 (.820) league record and his 105 wins and .704 winning percentage still stand as program records.
 
Pennewill inherited a team in 2003 that lost 21 matches a season earlier. Under his tutelage, he helped Johns Hopkins to a 23-9 record in his first year, while also boasting 20-win seasons in 2005 (24) and 2007 (25). The 25 victories in his final season were tied for the third most in program history. Prior to working at Johns Hopkins, Pennewill was the head coach at Drexel University, Clarion University and Millersville University.
 
He took his first collegiate head coaching position at Millersville in 1990. Pennewill was the Marauders' first head coach of a new program and quickly helped the team develop into a contender in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Just three seasons after starting the program from scratch, Pennewill led Millersville to an 18-14 record, the PSAC East Division crown and a berth in the PSAC Semifinals in 1992.
 
Following the 1993 season, Pennewill made the move to Drexel where he guided the Division I Dragons for five seasons, posting an 88-96 overall record.
 
After moving on from Drexel, Pennewill took the head coaching position at Clarion where he went 34-48 in two seasons, helping the Golden Eagles through a rebuilding phase. He returned to Millersville for the 2001 season, helping the Marauders reach the PSAC Semifinals again that season.
 
In addition to his collegiate coaching, Pennewill has been extremely active in the region's club volleyball scene. Early in his career, Pennewill was a coach and athletic director of the South Central Pennsylvania Girl's Volleyball Association. He coached the area's Junior Olympic club team from 1986 to 1992, guiding the 1992 team to a Top-25 national ranking.
 
While he was not on the court coaching, Pennewill helped found East Coast Volleyball, Inc., in 1990. The company, whose primary objective was to promote volleyball to youth, hosted three of the most prominent Junior Olympic tournaments in the country, the Early Bird Extravaganza, Northeast Qualifier and East Coast Championships.
 
Pennewill has also served as a court coach at the USA Men's Volleyball Olympic Festival Tryouts, from 1993-1995, and was an administrator, court coach and evaluator for the Boy's and Girl's Youth National Team Tryouts, from 1990-1997.
 
Pennewill graduated from Slippery Rock University in 1983 with a degree in health and physical education and a minor in sports management.

He is happily married to his wife, Darla Mae Pennewill. They have two daughters - Lauren and Katie.

Updated June 27, 2019

Pennewill's Year-by-Year Career Record
 

Year	School	Record	Pct.
2018	IUP	7-24	.226
2017	IUP	25-10	.714
2016	IUP	20-11	.645
2015	IUP	17-15	.531
2010	Loyola	14-20	.412
2009	Loyola	15-18	.455
2008	Loyola	8-25	.242
2007	Johns Hopkins	25-6	.806
2006	Johns Hopkins	15-12	.556
2005	Johns Hopkins	24-7	.774
2004	Johns Hopkins	18-10	.643
2003	Johns Hopkins	23-9	.719
2001	Millersville	12-15	.444
2000	Clarion	18-20	.474
1999	Clarion	16-18	.471
1997	Drexel	13-19	.406.
1996	Drexel	22-19	.524
1995	Drexel	12-19	.387
1994	Drexel	21-20	.512
1993	Drexel	12-19	.387
1992	Millersville	18-14	.563
1991	Millersville	7-12	.368
1990	Millersville	2-10	.167
22 seasons		364-352	.508