Several area volleyball players were selected to Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-State honors this past week.
Among those chosen to a First Team All-State position on the Class-A PVCA team was Bellwood-Antis senior Stephanie Hatch.
Hatch was a middle hitter for a Bellwood-Antis team that finished their second straight undefeated MAC division season (12-0), finished second to Northern Cambria in District VI-A playoffs, knocked off Father Geibel in the first round of PIAA playoffs and eventually finished fifth in the state in Class-A after playing in the PIAA championships at Robert Morris University. The Lady Blue Devils (21-4) finished with a school record for wins and have now raced to a 38-6 mark over the past two years overall.
“Talent-wise, we’re not the best team in the state,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Stephanie Burner in her first season as head coach at Bellwood. “But when we play together something really clicks and we have something special.”
Steph teamed with junior Lauren Carter to form one of the more potent middle hitting attacks in the area and was complemented by outside hitters Elyse Schreckengost (senior) and Haley Crider (junior), setter Katie Palmer (junior), right side hitter Nicole Ross (junior) and defensive specialist Lindsey Claar (senior) to lead Bellwood-Antis to their first visit to the PIAA volleyball playoffs.
Hatch is a multi-sport star at Bellwood-Antis, who is gunning for her 1,000th career point and on the way to the school record in blocked shots on the girls basketball team and is an integral part as a jumper and sprinter on the Lady Blue Devils track and field team.
“Steph has gone from being an incredible athlete to being an exceptional volleyball player this year,” explained coach Burner. “She really developed into a volleyball player and led the team this year, especially at the end of the season and during the playoffs. Right now, Steph is actually playing club volleyball and possibly looking to play volleyball in college. Currently Steph is a star on the Bellwood-Antis basketball team.”
Teammates Lauren Carter and Katie Palmer joined Hatch on the MAC Division 3 All-Star Team.
Northern Cambria junior middle hitter Ashley Hogan moved up to the First Team after a second team selection in 2003, and Huntingdon senior setter Bethany Kozak were other area First Team picks. Huntingdon’s Greta Gibboney, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Erin Albert and Altoona’s Rachel Gehret were named to Second Team spots.
