AD-turned-coach excited about future of Penn Hills volleyball program

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, October 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Stephanie Strauss never planned on returning to the bench to coach girls volleyball this season, and the Penn Hills athletic director never imagined it would happen this season.

The Indians had their share of struggles during Strauss’ return to coaching but were able to pick up a pair of section victories against Woodland Hills. Penn Hills finished its season with a 3-14 overall record and a 2-8 mark in Section 1-3A.

The Indians’ win outside section play came against Riverview.

Strauss focused on getting her inexperienced group to understand the game better.

“We saw a ton of improvement defensively and being able to read the other team’s hitters,” Strauss said. “Our volleyball IQ increased tremendously.”

Penn Hills had a large group of seniors on the roster. London Irish, Kendyl Jones, Bella Larko, Gabby Pernatozzi, Lauren Sipple, Tristan Thompson and Keyana Walker contributed for the Indians.

Sipple returned to the program after not playing for a few seasons. Strauss appreciated having a group of enthusiastic players.

“I want to thank the seniors for their leadership and enthusiasm,” Strauss said. “They have bright futures ahead of them.”

When building a program, Strauss did her best to lay the foundation. She worked with assistant coaches Brooke Lowe and Marvin Mallory to try to keep the players excited to return next season.

Strauss said the middle school program saw increased interest and the Indians hope to have a more experienced group next year.

“We have a talented young group of girls on the rise who are looking to play club this winter,” Strauss said. “This will be the key to our success moving forward. I’ve never been more excited for the future of Penn Hills volleyball.”

Program building was once a big part of Strauss’ day-to-day responsibility. Before returning to Penn Hills to become the athletic director in 2017, she was an assistant women’s volleyball coach for Navy and Juniata. She was a successful collegiate player at Juniata as well.

Being back on the bench brought back some old memories. While getting back to coaching has been difficult because of her other responsibilities, Strauss was excited to be around the sport she spent so much time around growing up.

“I love it,” Strauss said. “There were some really fun moments this season for me sitting on the bench and just feeling so proud of our team and the progress we’ve made. I had no idea how much I missed it until I was all in.”

Tags: Penn Hills