On Monday, May 23, 2022, Abington seniors Erika Knapp & Izzy Reilly were recognized for committing to compete in volleyball at Rosemont College.
Erika Knapp – Rosemont College (Volleyball)
Major: Education
Final list of colleges: Rosemont, Ursinus, West Chester
Reasons for choosing Rosemont: “I liked that the class sizes were small, so I can get a one-on-one experience with the teachers. It’s a beautiful campus – it’s so pretty. Also, the sports program too.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in volleyball at the collegiate level? “I grew up with my dad and a lot of my family playing volleyball, so I just knew it was going to be something that was really important to me.”
Coach Dan Marsh says: “Erika got better every year, and she ended up being a defensive specialist for us. She worked really, really hard every year to get a position. She would say, ‘I want to go out for this position,’ and we would end up using her somewhere else, so she kind of ended up being a utility player for us, and we filled her in wherever we needed her. She’s a great server, a good student, and I’m looking forward to seeing her in college because she improved. If you would have told me when Erika was a freshman that she’d be playing college, I would have said, ‘No way,’ and every year she got better and was able to make that happen for herself, which is great. Now she comes back to our open gyms, and she saw this freshman kid who was a good passer but wasn’t moving her feet – she went over and helped her and said, ‘This is what I did. I was flat-footed. You need to get up on your toes and move.’ She’s a good kid, and I’m sure she’ll be a good fit with them.”
About Erika:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: 13 Going on 30
Favorite artist: Kanye West
Izzy Reilly – Rosemont College (Volleyball)
Major: Psychology
Final list of colleges: Rosemont, Widener
Reasons for choosing Rosemont: “My club coach is the coach at Rosemont, and he convinced me to come there. It felt like a good fit.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in volleyball at the collegiate level? “I started when I was really little, and I started playing competitively when I was around nine years old. From there, I’ve been playing club and school, and now I’m going to play in college.”
Coach Dan Marsh says: “Izzy was the staple of our program for four years. She’s been our best player for four years, and in our open gyms, we’re still trying to figure out how to fill her spot. Izzy could do anything. She was our setter, but she could have been a libero in college – that’s how good of a passer she was. She just was a great leader, and obviously, she was a very good setter. She was able to set even when we were not a very good passing team, so she could still get the ball to the pin when we needed it. We had strong outside hitters, so she was able to do that. Really just her way of leading – she wasn’t a rah, rah kid, but she would lead by example and make sure everybody was on point and in the same spots. She was literally a coach on the floor. I’m not a volleyball expert, and I lean on kids like Izzy to help me get through some things, and she was great at that. I’m looking forward to seeing her play in college. It should be fun. She’s a great kid.”
About Izzy:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: New Girl
Favorite artist: Kanye West
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