Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Cole Hamels
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: My favorite memory competing in sports was when my team beat Upper Merion on Sept. 30, 2014, at their gym. We beat them in five games, and three out of the five games went into extra points. I could not have asked for anything more than that win. We worked hard throughout the season to train and condition, and our hard work truly showed. We came and we conquered, and most importantly, we played our hearts out.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I am not the most graceful person on the court, that’s easy to see! A funny thing that has happened to me while playing was when I dug a ball and my shoe flew off and landed in the middle of the court, and the play continued so I finished the play without my shoe on!
Music on iPod: I don’t have one specific artist I listen to, however, Miley Cyrus is my all-time favorite. Her new album is on repeat a lot for me. I also really like listening to Mumford and Sons, Kid Cudi, Nicki Manaj and Taylor Swift.
Future plans: I aspire to work in the medical field as a nurse because I have a passion for helping people and giving back.
Words to live by: “Live for those who wish they’d have another day.”
One goal before turning 30: By the time I am 30, my goal is to have a steady job in the medical field and be married!
One thing people don’t know about me: I love being independent and doing things on my own. A fun fact that many people do not know about me is that I can say my ABCs backwards!
By Mary Jane Souder
Candyce Riley, according to her volleyball coach, is a walking advertisement for the saying “It’s all about we, not all about me.”
“Candyce is the most selfless player I know,” coach Kathy Tanner said.
Throw in the fact that the Hatboro-Horsham senior is upbeat, enthusiastic and a leader that is respected by her teammates, and it’s easy to see why the senior captain is pretty much a coach’s dream.
“If we all had 10 Candyces on our team, life would be wonderful,” Tanner said.
Riley’s selfless attitude was underscored when the team was looking for a setter at the start of the season. A four-year starter, she has made a verbal commitment to Saint Francis University as a libero, but that didn’t prevent her from volunteering to try a new position.
“Candyce contacted me before the season started to tell me that she would be happy to play any position that was needed,” Tanner said. “In Candyce style, she put her team before herself and offered to learn a whole new position before I could even approach her about it.
“A setter on the team is like a quarterback in football. Not only does the role require athleticism, it requires leadership, intelligence and an ability to communicate and accept feedback from every teammate. I was amazed how quickly Candyce was able to adapt to this challenging role.
“She passed on the opportunity to be recognized as the best libero in the district during her final year in high school to do what was best for the team.”
Listening to Riley tell it, offering to play a new position was the most natural thing in the world.
“My junior year our setters were two seniors, so it came to our realization that we were going to lose our two setters,” she said. “I’ve always been setting back row. If there was a bad pass, I would set. I always had that skill in the back of my mind.
“I tried setting at practice, and things started out really well, and I’ve just been sticking with it. It’s so different being front row because I’ve never played in the front row. It’s really fun. It’s a whole new perspective.”
The change has worked out well for Riley and the Hatters, who recently broke Upper Merion’s 107-game winning streak in Suburban One League play with a heartstopping 3-2 win. Coming as no surprise, Riley and fellow senior Sam Jones led the charge.
***
It took coach Kathy Tanner absolutely no time at all to realize that Riley was not your run-of-the-mill athlete.
“When I saw Candyce playing on the St. Catherine’s CYO volleyball court in fifth grade for the first time, I knew she would be something special,” the Hatters’ coach said. “It wasn’t just her athleticism. Yes, she had that, but more importantly, it was the way she interacted with her teammates and her excitement for the game.
“I was just a spectator at the time, cheering for the opposing team, but I couldn’t help but want to cheer for her team too.”
Riley, according to Tanner, is that same player today that she was seven years ago.
“I now have the privilege of coaching her,” the Hatters’ coach said. “And just like in the past, it’s not her natural athleticism and sense of urgency that impress me the most – although they are very impressive.
“It’s her enthusiasm and her ability to connect to every player on the court that is truly a gift.”
Riley – who got her start in competitive sports playing soccer – has had a love affair with volleyball ever since she first set foot on the court, following in the footsteps of older sister Kristy.
“Ever since she started playing for the club and high school, I fell in love with it, and I became fascinated with it,” Riley said.
She played for her CYO team until eighth grade and began playing club volleyball when she was 13. She’s never stopped. She has played for various clubs and is currently a member of Synergy.
“I quit the other sports once I could play CYO (volleyball),” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I really like this sport.’
“It was like - this is the sport I want to focus on. I would always see Kristy diving around and stuff. When we would pick her up at practices, practices always looks like so much fun, so I think that’s what really got to me.”
Although she has grown to 5-6, it was her diminutive stature and fearless style of play that made her a natural choice for libero.
“There’s so much adrenalin after you get a really nice dig and you end up winning the play,” she said. “I think it’s so much fun.
“Everything about diving – I love it. Just staying low, getting a good pass – it’s a good feeling because you know you can run a good offense off of it.”
Although her sister played at Cabrini, Riley says she never gave serious consideration to playing collegiate volleyball until her sophomore year. The coach from Saint Francis spotted her at one of her games, and last spring Riley committed to take her talents to the Pennsylvania school.
She will major in nursing, a natural choice for someone who puts others first.
“I really want to go into the medical field,” she said. “I’m 100 percent focused on that. I absolutely love helping people. I always have that drive to care for others, so I want to go in the nursing program.”
This past summer, Riley as well as several of her teammates traveled to Haiti for a mission trip.
“The jayvee coach, John Young, has been going down to Haiti with a group called Poverty Resolutions,” Riley said. “He would always come to practice and tell us how his trip was and show us all his pictures.
“We would always tell him – he has to take us down. It would be such a cool adventure, such a great experience. One day he told us we could actually make it happen.”
Each member of the team raised $1,700 to pay their way, and from July 26 to August 2, the team was in Haiti where they helped with the construction of a transition center, a job training site to teach skills and work ethics to the citizens of the Third World Country.
“We had to sand the inside of it, put primer over it, prime the outside and paint the inside and outside,” Riley said. “After every day, we would go to an orphanage for an hour or two and play with the little kids.
“We loved that. That was the best part of the day.”
The trip was a life changing experience.
“Coming home was such culture shock to see how much we take for granted here,” Riley said. “I know it’s very cliché, and everyone says, ‘Oh, we take this for granted,’ but I never really believed it until I actually saw it.
“Being in Haiti made me realize I definitely have to cherish the relationships I have with my parents. Being in the orphanage – the kids had no attention. There was basically no love for them. It’s definitely a trip I’ll never forget.”
Riley is active in school activities. She is a member the LINK Crew, a group of upperclassmen who help smooth the transition for freshmen entering high school. She is part of the school’s Partnership Program, a group of 30 students that travel to Philadelphia once a month to work with the Broad Street Ministry serving food to the homeless. Riley is also on the Advisory Board for the senior class.
“Riley really stands out because she is genuine, and kids know that,” Tanner said. “None of it’s false. It’s just a really nice thing.”
