On Thursday, April 16, 2015, Upper Dublin senior Melanie Phifer was recognized at a special news conference for committing to play volleyball at Lebanon Valley College. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Melanie Phifer – Lebanon Valley College (Volleyball)
Major: Actuarial Science
Final list of colleges: Lebanon Valley, Delaware
Reasons for choosing Lebanon Valley: “It had the best program for my major and had it for about 40 years. Also, I am able to play volleyball because their team doesn’t consist of six-foot players!”
What was the progression that led you to playing volleyball at the collegiate level? “I never really thought about playing volleyball in college until someone asked me if I was. At one of my club tournaments, a coach from LVC (Wayne Perry) started talking to my mom, and it went on from there. I finally decided to go to LVC at the end of March.”
Coach Paul Choi says: “Mel was a good all-around player. She was an outside hitter, but she played front row and back row. She was probably the best server on our team, so she was able to rack up points wherever she was – front row, back row. She had a very good attitude and was able to lead the team on and off the court. She wasn’t always the most vocal, but she led by example. She’s very dedicated.”
Infinity coach Bryan Yost says: “She’s just a special player. She’s 5-6 in heels, and she plays like she’s 6-5. She plays much bigger. She’s a very good blocker. She led our club team this year in kills, hitting percentage and serving. She was our best server. She always strings together just incredible runs of six, seven-plus points, and she does it quite often. We definitely scored the most points with her serving. Her defense has been improving every year. She hits great from the back row. She’s just an all-around weapon wherever she is on the court. She hit middle for me too at 5-6 and was very effective. She’s a hard worker and keeps herself in great shape. She’s a strong girl, and she’s very coachable.”
About Melanie:
Favorite food: Watermelon
Favorite movie: Lion King
Favorite music: Jason Mraz
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