A-K Valley senior spotlight: Plum’s Caroline Hunter

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, November 8, 2021 | 10:31 AM

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Caroline Hunter

Plum girls volleyball

Members of the Plum girls volleyball team have turned the page on the WPIAL season.

The Mustangs dropped a 3-2 decision to Hampton in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals last Tuesday but quickly changed focus to the PIAA tournament.

They will play WPIAL champion Freeport in the opening round of the state bracket Tuesday.

One of the players tasked with re-setting that focus is senior co-captain Caroline Hunter, a third-year letter winner, outside hitter and team leader.

“Us just going in with a clear mindset, not thinking about the loss, (doing) more of what we did right and well that game,” Hunter said of the Mustangs’ rebound strategy. “Focusing on that and touching up some things so we can get going again.”

Hunter and the Mustangs (16-3) won the Section 1-3A title for the second straight season. They tied for the section crown with Franklin Regional and Indiana at 12-2 to earn the No. 7 seed in the WPIAL playoffs.

Hunter has made quite an impact this season in a starting role and is second on the team in kills and hitting percentage.

“After losing all of our outside hitters last season, Caroline has really stepped up to help fill this void,” coach Kelsey Bonk said. “She works so hard to progress her game and has turned into a great volleyball player and leader.”

Hunter took a break from PIAA playoff preparation for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How has the season gone so far?

I think it’s gone great. I think we’ve really passed everyone’s expectations of what the season would be like this year. It’s so much fun. … This year is so much fun for all of us.

What are some of the strengths of this year’s team?

Our ability to fight back and kind of battle out the long rallies. We knew we’d have to be a team because we don’t have many big hitters. So we need to fight back and focus on serving. That’s something we’re really accomplished at.

How did it feel to win the section title?

Being able to win that title again felt really good.

What is your role on this team as a captain?

My role is just kind of making sure everyone is staying calm when we are down and trying to pick everybody back up. Saying things like ‘Don’t stop now. We’ve made it this far, we can keep going. We have nothing to lose at this point.’

What are your favorite cheers or chants on the court?

Our JV team started doing these cheers for us. My favorite one is when the opposing team hits a ball out and the girls go O-U-T, out. It was really fun because the student section picked up on it. We have the whole gym doing it. It’s cool and kind of funny.

How did you get involved in volleyball?

I haven an older cousin (Sofia Chapkis) who is a senior in college. She started playing, so me and my cousin on the team, Julia (Chapkis), started playing. We’d go to these little club practices at AVC (Allegheny Volleyball Club), then we started trying out in middle school.

Are you involved in any other sports and activities at Plum?

I play lacrosse. I started that my freshman year.

Which sport do you like better?

It’s a hard decision. The atmosphere on both teams is so great.

Have you made plans for next year?

I plan to attend the University of Pittsburgh. I’m working on other applications. Pitt has been the main school I’ve wanted to go to. I’m deciding between the criminal and medical side.

What is something people might not know about you?

I think the main thing people don’t know is I play lacrosse. I’ve been playing volleyball for so long since middle school but just decided to play lacrosse (in high school).

What do you like about lacrosse?

I like the physical aspect of it. It’s very intense. I can almost relate it to volleyball. It’s like what’s going to happen next? You never know. The people on the lacrosse team are such great people.

Did you dress up for Halloween?

It was last minute. I just kind of took a white t-shirt, threw some fake blood on it and ripped it up.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Plum