Feature: How Penn State Mont Alto volleyball used past experiences to make history in 2022

Penn State Mont Alto entered the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) playoffs as the top seed in the west division during the 2021 season and came up short of winning the conference championship, bowing out in the semifinals to Penn State Schuylkill. A few weeks later, Mont Alto was defeated by top-seeded Cincinnati Clermont in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championship. "I thought about that moment over and over again every single day," said setter Kylie Denlinger while describing the aftereffects following their loss to Cincinnati-Clermont in the 2021 National Championship game. "There were nights I would just lay awake in bed thinking about that night, envisioning that pain of losing and what could have been. Coach told us to never forget this feeling and to use it as fuel towards next season," added Denlinger.

For a group that featured three seniors and four PSUAC All-Conference members, coming up short of both titles was not the way the team envisioned the end of the season to go. It would, however, provide good motivation for a 2022 squad that gained valuable experience from the year before. The returners knew what it was like to play at Recreation Hall in State College, Pennsylvania. Recreation Hall being a bigger arena than they are accustomed to, as well as the Virginia Beach Field House in Virginia Beach, Virginia where the USCAA National Championships are held.

Losing PSUAC Co-Specialist of the Year Rachel Manikowski, defensive specialist Aly Roberts and outside hitter Kimmy Harker presented a challenge of reloading for a Mont Alto team looking to win both the PSUAC and USCAA championship in 2022. Manikowski and Roberts accounted for nearly half of the defensive digs in 2021 and Harker was seventh on the team in kills.  

Mont Alto returned most of its offense from the 2021 season including PSUAC Honorable Mention Kylee Gooding, who led the team in kills with 270. Six of the top eight players in kills all were coming back in 2022. Gracie Vaughn, Leslie Huckle and Caroline Blickley were the other top offensive returners on offense. The offense was set for a strong 2022 season, it was the defense that was a question mark.

Penn State Mont Alto Head Volleyball Coach Randy Hood didn't have to look too far for his defensive answer. Brooke Denlinger, Kylie's younger sister was set to join the team after playing volleyball the last four seasons at Carlisle High School.   

Brooke attended many of the Penn State Mont Alto games during the 2021-22 season and she loved the cohesiveness of the group and how they came together like something she never witnessed before. "I loved the whole team. Every single game I went to everyone was involved, from the players on the bench to the starters. I really enjoyed the team dynamics," said Brooke.

As a freshman, Brooke earned the role of libero during preseason camp, following the departure of libero Rachel Manikowski due to graduation following the 2021 season.

During a preseason practice, the team gathered around mid-court and designed a poster with their team goals listed on it. The poster contained a variety of team goals, such as highest GPA amongst all Mont Alto athletic programs, defeating top teams in the conference, winning the conference and the national championship. The poster features 19 signatures representing each member of the coaching staff and current roster, offering an everyday reminder of their goals.

Entering the season, coach Randy Hood wanted to challenge his team in the non-conference season with tough competition, similar to what they might face in postseason competition. A day following their season opening win to Wilson College, the team took part in the Battlefield Classic held at Gettysburg College. Penn State Mont Alto was the only non-NCAA Division III school participating in the tournament, as the Nittany Lions are a USCAA member. This tournament presented a different challenge, competing against all NCAA Division III competition.

Mont Alto faced Messiah University, Gettysburg College, Arcadia University and Catholic University during the tournament, going winless in four games. The following week they faced Gettysburg again, losing in straight sets.

"I told the team before we went to the tournament that we may come out of this without a win, not saying it will happen, but it could. We are playing some extremely good programs and we just needed to focus on playing our best," said Coach Hood. "We had some successes; we took a set from Messiah and Arcadia. We had instances early on about getting too cautious and we worked on cohesiveness. Taking those sets and working on getting better were little goals to me. From that point on we only lost one match the remainder of the season."

Through the first six games of the season, the team compiled a 1-5 record. A week following the tournament, things didn't get any easier. The Nittany Lions found themselves down two sets to none in the conference opener to Penn State Fayette, a program that won 12 of 17 conference championships since 2005.

Following the second set, Hood and the team captains realized that the team's game strategy needed to change. They urged the other players to play their best game and to take it one point at a time. Hood challenged them to take the match in five sets and the team responded.  These were the type of moments Mont Alto needed to reach their goals, a victory with perseverance against a good team.

Penn State Mont Alto hit its stride shortly following the first full weekend of the conference season in late September as the newcomers adjusted to understanding other team members playing styles.  Following the Penn State Fayette win, Penn State Mont Alto won 25 of its following 26 matches. The only hiccup along the way was a five-set loss to Harford Community College on October 1. Following the Harford Community College loss, Penn State Mont Alto won 17 games in a row.

Penn State Mont Alto advanced to the conference playoffs as the number one seed out of the west division with a perfect 12-0 conference record. In the opening round of the conference playoffs, they defended home court by defeating Penn State Beaver in four sets to go back to Recreation Hall for the conference semifinals.

Mont Alto swept Penn State Brandywine in the semifinals and Penn State York in the championship game to win the program's first conference championship since 2003. The team would then go on to compete in the USCAA National tournament as the #2 overall seed.

During the USCAA National Tournament, Penn State Mont Alto won its two pool play games to advance to the semifinal round to face off against Cincinnati-Clermont for the second consecutive season. Mont Alto won the rematch by defeating Cincinnati-Clermont in straight sets, setting up a rematch with Penn State York for the National Championship.

Penn State York took the first set, 26-24, which was a slight wake up call for the Nittany Lions. "We knew they were going to give us everything they had in the beginning", said Kylie. "Instead of panicking, we just had to play our game and trust in our process." Mont Alto did just that, winning the final three sets and claiming the first team National Championship in Penn State Mont Alto school history.

The Denlinger sisters joined a select few, winning both a conference and national championship as siblings.

Brooke came in right away and excelled across the board for the Nittany Lions. She ranked fourth nationally in serve receives with 392 and third in digs with 505. Following the season, she was named an Honorable Mention by the PSUAC.

"From day one Brooke had the right team mentality and she knew she had to work hard to become the team's libero," said outside hitter Kylee Gooding. "There wasn't a single day that she took off and she was always trying to get better. Typically, the libero is the captain of the defense. Without proper passes and handling, the offense cannot get started properly.

As for Kylie, she ranked first nationally in assists with 894. She was the team's primary setter this season, a key component in the team's offensive effort. Kylie will receive the dig, often from her sister and will look to pass the ball to the opposite or outside hitter for an attack. A setter must have strong communication skills and they ability to think quickly throughout the fast-paced match.

For players like Gooding, her success does not come without good cohesiveness with her setter. When asked about their relationship on the court, she had nothing but praise in discussing her relationship with Kylie. "It was probably the best setter-hitter relationships I've ever been a part of," described Gooding. "I was able to give her feedback on sets to allow the team to achieve." Kylie was a key component on many of Gooding's team-leading 359 kills this season.

"This is the question we get asked all the time!" exclaimed Brooke when the two were asked about who the better volleyball player was. The two couldn't decide and for good reason, each playing a part in helping Penn State Mont Alto win the USCAA Division II National Championship.

The unselfishness of the Denlinger sisters when being asked to rank one another blends into the strengths of the volleyball program. Each player on the team performing their role to the best of their ability and trusting in one another.

On the return trip to State College in the PSUAC tournament in 2022, the returning players were ready to take care of business because they believed in one another and trusted that they were in good hands to reach their full potential. The same approached applied during the National Championship tournament.

For the upperclassmen on the team, this was a process that they instilled on the incoming players and their mindset paid off.

When asked about their favorite memory of the previous season, Kylie was quick to mention her favorite memory. "Following our win at Nationals, we invited Penn State York to join in on our postgame prayer. So, we all huddled together on the court and that was an emotional moment," said Kylie.

Coach Hood said during an interview following the season that it all hasn't sunk in yet what this team accomplished. "We had the commitment from everyone, the 16 team members, the two managers and the coaching staff," said Hood. "Each day we entered the gym whether to play or practice, we all put everything we had into it." Penn State Mont Alto's Director of Athletics Staci Brennan agrees with that assessment.

"The thing that sets this team apart from others is that they truly embrace the team concept, everyone was 100 percent committed, and played a role in their success," said Brennan. "They also faced their share of adversity over the past couple of years, but that just made them stronger; they never lost focus. I'm extremely proud of what they have accomplished and couldn't be more excited for them."

That feeling sunk in a little more during a banner unveiling ceremony on Friday, January 13 during halftime of the men's basketball game. The team lined up on the sideline as two banners were unveiled to celebrate their accomplishments of winning both the 2022 PSUAC Championship and USCAA National Championships.

Before the USCAA banner unveiling, captains Kylee Gooding, Kylie Denlinger, Candice Baum, coach Hood and Assistant Coach Russell Fleming invited Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. Francis K. Achampong to center court to surprise him with a medal of his own. The moment capping an end to the Mont Alto volleyball season.

Following the medal presentation, the team members and coaches turned their attention to the other end of the court as Kylie Denlinger and Kylee Gooding pulled the strings to unveil the National Championship banner. The crowd erupted to celebrate something that has never happened in school history, winning a team National Championship.