When people think of fall sports, most think of the Friday night lights of football, the crazy student section at the hockey games, the calming feeling of boys golf, and even the success of the boys cross country team. However, what cannot be overlooked, is the girl power at Hempfield Area.
For starters, the girls volleyball team has consistently made the WPIAL playoffs for the past three years. Senior defensive specialist Kennedy Nelson thinks that this year’s “girls volleyball team has a good chance at winning sections this year”. Due to stellar offensive performances from Ella Berkibile and Lauren Howard, the girls are looking forward to upcoming games. Nelson says the girls plan to go “deep into the playoffs, beat Penn Trafford, and hopefully bring a WPIAL championship to Hempfield Area”.
The team’s super close bond was highlighted as “before every game, [they] go out to eat” together. Nelson defines girls volleyball with the word “friendship; we are all very close, and I love them all”.
Additionally, the girls soccer team has truly turned it around in the past two years. Last year, they won their first game, and this year they already started off strong with a 2-1 win against North Hills and a 1-0 against Armstrong. Senior goalkeeper, Lila Clark, says that the team wants to “hold each other accountable and become a stable team in our section”. This seems like a very achievable goal, as the team has bonded during the off season and regular season as well. Clark credits tournaments with creating the strong bond that is crucial in games, “If everyone isn’t pumped and into the game, we won’t have motivation out there”. When it comes to playing North Hills, she said, “everyone contributed; everyone played their best and gave it their all, and the bench cheered us on the whole time and never gave up”. Clark herself has been motivated working on her “punts and long balls” to get the team to “as many wins as possible”.
This atmosphere would not be created without the coaching staff. “Our coaches believe in us and our ability to succeed so much and without them we wouldn’t be where we are today”. It seems as though the girl’s soccer team is ready to compete.
Flying under the radar is the Cross Country (XC) team despite their fantastic start, going 2-0 against Penn Trafford and Yough. Senior Anna Geisel was super proud saying that “everyone is important to the team; everyone makes a difference in their own way”. The girls team has bonded through their love of ice cream and Chic-Fil-A. The coaches have been “pushing [their] limits and seeing how far [they] can go.”
Lastly, but certainly not least, girl’s tennis was just two games off from making the playoffs last year. This season, senior Gianna Novotney is hoping the team can make it happen. Tennis is not really all that popular in the US compared to football or baseball; however, popularity does not equal importance. Novotney states that “each player has something valuable to bring to the team by pushing each other every day”. The coaching staff has been an abundance of help for the girls. “They help us connect and give constructive criticism and encouragement when needed to push ourselves” says Novotney.
To the team, tennis is more than a sport. “Tennis means a lot to me. It is super fun and helps relieve the stress of the school day. I love talking to my friends at tennis and laughing on the bus together”.
When it comes to Hempfield Area, girl power is real and demonstrated weekly as our athletes take to the courts, fields, and trails. Check out the 24-25 Student Calendar for all of our team schedules so we can watch our girl’s sports teams in action.
