A-K Valley girls athlete of the week: Freeport’s Erica Lampus

By: Jerin Steele
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | 9:47 AM

Erica Lampus

Class: Senior

School: Freeport

Sport: Volleyball

Report card: Lampus is the lone senior starter on the Freeport volleyball team, which won it sixth WPIAL volleyball title Saturday with a 3-1 victory over section rival Hampton. Lampus had the clinching kill in a 25-22 win in the second set. Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips called Lampus a “Swiss Army knife” on the court because of her versatility.

How does it feel to be a WPIAL champion again?

It feels pretty good, especially because we moved up a classification and were able to pull a championship out pretty quickly. It’s always a good feeling to win it with your team. I couldn’t imagine playing a single-person sport and not having someone to share it with.

What did the team do to celebrate?

We had a pretty exciting bus ride home, and then we had a parade through town. We had a police escort and an ambulance in front of us. Everyone was cheering us on, so that felt pretty good.

As the lone senior starter, what is it like working with the younger players on the team?

It’s always pretty exciting because I know how good they are. Even when I am gone I know how great they are going to do. They’re still young, and I know they are going to continue to do great things.

What has the adjustment been like the last couple years after moving from Class 2A to 3A?

Going into it last year, I think we were all pretty scared because we had this thing of winning section titles year after year, but we were changing sections. Once we got through playing each team once last year, we were more confident that we could do it, and from there we kept pushing through.

Coach Phillips called you a “Swiss Army knife” on the court. How long did it take to become comfortable playing multiple spots in the rotation?

Prior to last year, I had only played in the back row, but over the summer going into my junior year I started playing outside (hitter) and became comfortable. I had never played anything other than libero even in club prior to that.

Do you have any college plans?

I plan to play volleyball in college, but I’m not quite sure where yet.

What is your favorite school subject?

Math, because it’s always been the easiest for me. There’s set rules, unlike with English sometimes, which can be confusing to me.

What are your hobbies outside of volleyball?

I’m usually reading a book or doing homework. That’s pretty much all I do outside of volleyball.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Freeport