A-K Valley high school athletes of the week: St. Joseph’s Jillian Bloch, Freeport’s Ethan Crooks

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 4:05 PM

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Jillian Bloch

School: St. Joseph

Class: Junior

Sport: Volleyball

Claim to fame: Bloch, the Spartans libero, has stepped up when needed. On Tuesday against Springdale, she had to slide into the setter role because of a number of players being out sick. On Thursday, she produced 21 digs to lead St. Joseph (5-4, 3-1) in a Section 1 Class A 3-0 sweep over Riverview. Last Thursday, she had 13 digs and five aces in a win against Leechburg.

How did it feel to get the win against Riverview and get to the top of the section?

It was really great because we were coming off a loss to Bishop Canevin, and to get back to a winning streak and to do so playing as a team, we really deserved that win.

How were you feeling going into the match with Riverview?

I felt like we really needed that win to help us get back on track for section play. We had a good talk at practice about how we needed to play.

A 5-4 overall record, how tough is this year’s nonsection schedule?

The teams have been getting the best of us. We need to take our losses as an opportunity to learn and take those lessons into our section games and sharpen where we are deficient.

What’s been the key to your winning ways of late?

Our team connection both on and off the court. We’ve been working hard at that to make sure we’re all playing together and for each other.

How much of a change was it for you to play setter against Springdale?

I enjoyed being a setter and changing my role for a game. I had never played the position before, and the team was very helpful out on the court as well.

Is the 21 digs vs. Riverview the most you’ve ever recorded?

No, I had 49 against Aquinas Academy this year.

What’s the art behind a successful dig?

Staying focused, and a good dig or pass can really set up a good offense, so those digs are an important aspect of the game.

What’s it like being the libero and virtually never leaving the court?

I love being a libero. It’s really fun to set up the offense, get a good pass to our setter and they can set up our hitters. It’s nice to see us all come together to get points and get a win.

Libero is a position that often flies under the radar. Why do you think it doesn’t get more recognition?

I don’t think a lot of people know how important it is to have a serve/receive or have a good pass, and I think people look at the ending result form the hitter getting a kill. Good passes and good sets sometimes get overlooked.

Last year’s team ran away with the section and made it to the WPIAL Class A semifinals and lost to Frazier. How tough was that loss to take?

We came off of two good games before that match. We had a great season and a lot to be proud of, and I believe we can learn from that game.

Do you see the same level of talent on this year’s squad that can get you to the semis this year and beyond?

I believe we can. We have a good defense and a good offense. We have a really good freshman in Maddie Kozub, who’s a really good pickup for our team. If we continue to play for each other and as a group, we can make it at least back to the semis.

Who’s one opponent you look forward to playing the most?

Burrell. I like playing the bigger public schools. Those are always good matchups with the Bucs.

What’s been a highlight of the season?

Winning the Deer Lakes tournament. It was our second year in a row winning that tournament. It was an awesome day all around.

What were your goals for the year?

I wanted to win our section and, individually, I wanted to be a leader both on and off the court, making sure we’re having fun, playing together on our way to, hopefully, winning the section.

Who has the hardest spike on the team?

Kenzie Jones or Kate Giannetta. They’re both very fast and very powerful.

Do you have a specific pregame routine?

I listen to music before our games, and I talk to my teammates about the team were playing or anything, really, just to calm our nerves.

Do you play any club volleyball?

I play for Westmoreland Elite. This will be my fourth year playing for them. I love playing club, all the travel and playing with different girls. I usually see my club teammates at high school games, and it’s nice to see them and catch up.

Is there a college volleyball team you follow closely?

I definitely watch the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team a lot.

The team took in Pitt versus Penn State last year. How was that experience?

It was really fun to watch high-level volleyball and trying to find ways to apply it to our game.

Who inspires you?

Emmy Klika. She was a libero for Pitt. I really am inspired by her defense. When she was playing there, they had some really good seasons.

Ethan Crooks

School: Freeport

Class: Senior

Sport: Golf

Claim to fame: Crooks shot an even-par 72 at the WPIAL Class 2A section qualifier Monday at Buffalo Golf Course, three shots ahead of the second-place finisher. Crooks has helped Freeport (14-1, 11-1) stay at the top of Section 1-2A after winning the section last year. He will tee off in the WPIAL individual championship first round Monday morning at Hillcrest Country Club in Lower Burrell.

Talk about your round at sectional qualifying, how you felt you played.

I had a practice round at that course a few weeks prior, and I was figuring out how the course would play, like hitting different clubs off the tees. Then, during the actual event, I was hitting the ball very well, and I was placing my driver shots. I had a couple of dumb bogeys but made up for them with a few birdies. Good round overall.

Were you scoreboard watching once you got the lead?

No. I had no idea I had the lead. I just kept my head down, played my game, making pars and birdies and finishing.

When did you feel comfortable that you were going to come away with the win?

I made a few bogeys on the front nine and finished 1-over-par, so I was just cruising. But on the back nine, that’s when it really felt like it came together. I was hitting the spots I needed to, hitting the greens where I wanted to. Just playing good overall and sitting at 1- or 2-under going into the last hole. I knew halfway through the back nine that I was going to take the win.

What was your toughest hole?

Three was difficult. It’s a par-5, and you can’t see the fairway, so you’re kind of hitting into an abyss. I hit a bad tee shot and was stuck on my approach. There’s fescue to the right, and the fairway was 20 feet wide where I needed to get to and I just took it up the left side and ended with a bogey there.

What hole was the easiest or a hole you did well on?

A lot of the par-4s are short, like 330-340 yards. I was 80-90 yards in on all of those holes, and I was really placing my wedge shots close, which was beneficial to getting those birdie putts and getting my score low.

Last year, you finished 26th in the WPIAL individual competition, shooting 12-over-par at Sewickley Heights Golf Club. What went wrong that day, and what did you learn from that experience?

That’s a difficult course, makes you pay for your misses. My golf game has really developed from last year to this year. Like last year, 12-over was a good score to me, like I would have taken that 10 times out of 10. I wasn’t playing bad, just had a few bad tee shots. I’ve learned to play a lot smarter off the tee recently, which has helped a ton. Not just ripping driver as hard as I can, trying to stay on the fairway using a 5-iron or a 3-wood.

How eager are you to get into the individual championships this year to show how hard you’ve worked in the offseason?

I want to get out there Monday and show everyone that I’ve come a long way from last year.

The team just missed making the semifinals last year. What discussions took place in the offseason and during the year to make sure you guys advance to the semis this year?

Last year it was just one of those days where everyone failed to play their greatest round. We missed the semis by one, so we’re going to come back this year and work hard to get into the semis. Coach talked about playing our game, that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

How do you get focused before a round?

I usually get there an hour before, and I don’t talk much. I hit the putting green first then hit some wedge shots to get my body warmed up. I normally don’t hit the range, but, if I do, I hit three shots with like a seven or a nine iron and the driver. Then I just wait to tee off.

What’s a key to how successful the team has been in recent years?

The past few years we’ve been playing really great golf. We have a bunch of great players in Aiden Bauman and Carson Kane and his little brother Jackson. I could name so many good things about our whole team. Coach (Joe) Sprumont is great with getting us practice rounds when we need them and making sure we have everything we need. Everyone’s been coming in with either sub-40 scores or 43s and 44s.

What are your goals for the year?

Definitely states. At the very beginning of the season, we do a summer program at our home course and play with the team every Tuesday and Thursday, and, during that time, I set the goal of having my season average be under par and I achieved that, shooting a 34 in my last match. My average is a 35.6.

Which course in PA do you look forward to playing the most?

I’m at Willowbrook Country Club right now. That’s a really nice course. I look forward to playing here every time.

What’s the best course you’ve ever played?

Pinehurst in North Carolina. That was super nice and a bucket list course to play.

What PGA Tour course would you most like to play?

Pebble Beach.

Who would be in your ideal foursome?

Me, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Akshay Bhatia.

What pro golfer would you like to shoot 18 holes with?

Scottie for sure. He seems like a super laid-back kind of guy.

Best round you’ve ever scored?

In a tournament, it was the 72 at individuals. Just shooting a round with my buddies, it was a 68.

How far can you drive it?

I’m sitting around 295 carry, about 310-320 rollout. I hit the ball pretty hard.

What are your future plans?

I want to play golf in college. Probably go into business management, something along those lines. Maybe a PGA professional manager.