Missy Doherty

Biography

Head coach Missy Doherty completed her 15th year at Penn State in 2025. Doherty's guidance has seen Penn State reach nine NCAA Tournaments and four NCAA Quarterfinals in that time span, including Penn State’s first National Semifinal appearance in 17 years during the 2016 season. Doherty guided the Nittany Lions back to the National Semifinal in 2017. The 2025 season saw five All-Big Ten honors for the Nittany Lions under Doherty's watch, including seniors Ellie Hollin (first team), Lauren Saltz (first team), Erika Ho (first team), Lilly Spilker (Freshmen Team), and Brooke Long (Freshmen Team). Doherty led PSU to five consecutive conference wins including a top-10 road win over Michigan, an overtime home win over Ohio State, and a ranked win on home turf against No. 22 USC. Doherty coached Penn State to its third Big Ten Championship appearance and 27th NCAA tournament appearance in 2024. The Nittany Lions finished 11-8 with four ranked victories, most notably against then-No. 1 Northwestern. The victory over the Wildcats was Penn State's first win against a top-ranked team since 2005. PSU had its third ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year in Sydney Manning and five All-Big Ten honorees in Kristin O'Neill (first team), Ellie Hollin (first team), Gretchen Gilmore (second team), Sammy Dupcak (second team) and Kayla Abernathy (second team). O'Neill and Hollin also earned IWLCA All-American honors. Doherty coached the Nittany Lions to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018