Franklin Regional to recognize senior volleyball players on Thursday

Patrick Varine | Monday, September 28, 2020 8:10 p.m.

Courtesy of Walter Kindelberger

Senior members of the Franklin Regional Lady Panthers volleyball team: clockwise, from the top left, are Aly Kindelberger, Ella Spears, Nicole Currens, Emily Ejzak, Ashley Feorene, Paige Klinger, Alexa Feorene and Renee Baldy.

Senior members of the Franklin Regional Lady Panthers volleyball team will be recognized at the teams’ Senior Night on Thursday.

As freshmen, the group watched the varsity volleyball team go 0-12. Last year, the team was undefeated in section play and advanced through two rounds of the PIAA playoffs.

As of Sept. 28, the team is undefeated in section play this year as well, and is currently ranked No. 1 in Class AAA by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.

The Panthers, who opened the season with four straight wins, have a host of senior talent led by big-hitting Aly Kindelberger, a DePaul commit who had more than 330 kills and a .350-plus hitting percentage last season.

Kindelberger said several things have factored into the team’s turnaround.

“I think one thing that helped a lot was moving from AAAA to AAA,” she said. “Also, my grade and the grades above and below me had a lot of people who loved and wanted to play. Not that the other grades didn’t, but there was a bigger will to play, more people trying out, and we were all playing club volleyball along with playing for school.”

Other key seniors are Nicole Currens, Alexa Feorene, Ashley Feorene and Renee Baldy.

Senior Night will be limited to family members only, and will take place during the team’s match against Indiana. The match begins at 7:30 p.m. at Franklin Regional Senior High School, 3200 School Road in Murrysville.

Kindelberger said she will always have fond memories of being part of the volleyball team.

“It’s just great to watch the program grow, and to be part of the teams that pushed it to be something better,” she said.