Women's Volleyball 2011 Recap

The Women's Volleyball team at Penn State New Kensington started the season off with a bang. The first match was at home against PSUAC rival Penn State Greater Allegheny. The girls won three straight games and won the match decisively 3-0. The next two matches were at home, so the girls were hoping to continue the success of their season opener.  The girls fought and tried their best, but were outmatched by Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State Brandywine losing both games 3-0.

                "After these two losses, I told the girls well we can only go up from here. We haven't won a game in the past two matches, but on the other hand these next two games are on the road, so we can put all the distractions behind us and move on." said head coach Dave McGeary.  Responding to what Coach McGeary told them, the girls went out and beat Penn State DuBois in five sets 3-2." Junior Katie Colbert said during the recent struggles.  "I knew I was the oldest grade wise on this team, and everyone on this team was frustrated, including myself.  I told the girls just forget the past and move on. We all banded together and won the battle."

                The rest of the season was a learning process for the team with three straight losses to Penn State Beaver, Penn State Greater Allegheny, and Penn State Fayette. While the losses to Beaver and Fayette were rough, the match with Greater Allegheny was one of the most exciting games of the season.  New Kensington jumped out big on the road in winning the first two sets, but was unable to seal the deal, dropping three unanswered sets and lost the match 3-2.      

Head Coach Dave McGeary's response about the season, "It was a tough year overall for the girls, but I'm very proud of how they competed despite what the overall schedule looks like. With the win over Greater Allegheny to start the season, and with the win at Dubois to stop the losing slide, the girls got a glimpse of what a force they can be when they play well.  We have a young team, so we all must continue to work hard and build off this season."

                All of the girls will be returning next fall for the 2012 campaign. The team was comprised of mostly underclassmen with the oldest being junior captain Katie Colbert. "I personally have learned a lot from this year. At times it was hard, because I was frustrated with myself and didn't always play my best. I have learned a great deal from coach McGeary and I thank him tremendously for that, as well as sticking it out with the team. The two games we won this year show that if we can continue to get better, there is no telling how far we can advance."