Seniors leave winning legacy for Hampton volleyball

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 8, 2018 | 7:45 PM

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To be the best, you have to beat the best. For the past three years, the Hampton girls volleyball team did just about everything else except that.

It doesn’t taint the season for the Talbots (10-4), who bowed out with a 3-1 loss in the WPIAL quarterfinals to Central Valley.

“I am so proud of how well our team played throughout the season,” said senior captain Anastasia Russ, who is committed Pitt. “The work we were putting in was really showing. I wish we could’ve gone farther, but I am really proud.”

Russ and the other seniors, who coach Matt Robertson called the smallest group he’s had his six years with the program, have plenty to look back on.

Over the past two years, the team compiled a perfect record in its section against every team other than Knoch or Central Valley. Knoch is the reigning state champion, and Central Valley was a returning state qualifier.

“I think they were able to finish,” Russ said. “We had trouble finishing as a team, whether we started off ahead or not. We started off five games against Central Valley and just didn’t have the energy to win.”

Hampton went 18-0 against the other teams, but 0-9 against Knights and Warriors. It wasn’t enough to return the team to its glory days of 2016, where it finished as WPIAL runner-up.

“All of our groups of seniors have done a great job,” Robertson said. “But I think this group one-upped last year’s seniors of being the winningest group all-time at Hampton.”

It was only a few years ago the team was struggling to win games, let alone chasing section titles and playoff bids.

“The legacy that they leave really impacts the underclassmen in the sense of seeing what needs to be done to have a successful program,” Robertson said. “This group, their sophomore year we went to states and had that experience. But they know what we had before, what the program was.

“It’s a tribute to their work. We’ve become one of the more consistent teams in the section and the WPIAL.”

The program turnaround started with Russ, who was recently named a third-team Under Armour All-American — the only female volleyball player in Pennsylvania to be awarded the honor.

“She was one of the top players that we had in program history,” Robertson said. “That (award) was something cool that she received.”

Although losing Russ leaves a major hole, the team is expecting to return starters Maggie Laffin, Gillian Mulcahy, Katie Januck and Claire Braun.

Sophomore Bridget Wojick and freshman Claudia Braun are prime candidates to replace experienced senior setter Nikita Corbelli.

“The group we had this year, going against seniors and great competition as juniors will give them a jump start next year when it comes to their senior year,” Robertson said.

“I’ve always told them, when their time comes, I’m looking forward to that group taking over.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hampton