Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Chase Utley
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the gold medal at Mizuno Boston Tournament last March on my Royal Legends 17s Blue volleyball club team
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: During my first year of basketball, the ball got stolen from us, and I chased the player down the court and just threw my body into her before she could make the layup. My coaches were a little angry, but I thought it was hilarious, especially since the foul was worth it because she missed her free throws.
Music of mobile device: Classic Rock
Future plans: Attend Bucknell University to study elementary education
Words to live by: “Your happiness and health are your top priorities. Everything else is just background noise.”
One goal before turning 30: Get my Master’s Degree in Education
One thing people don’t know about me: Home Goods is my danger store. I’m always afraid of spending too much money there.
By Mary Jane Souder
Gillian Conner has a passion for volleyball.
In truth, the Plymouth Whitemarsh senior can’t imagine her life without it and for the past two years has been a fixture in the varsity lineup. A veteran of the club circuit, the senior captain plays year round.
It’s not the ending that even Conner might have imagined when – as a freshman – she was cut from the team. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was just the beginning.
“I didn’t have too many expectations when I tried out for the high school team,” Conner said. “I knew I was a very new and inexperienced player.
“I was disappointed when I was cut, but instead of just giving up on volleyball, I decided to pursue it even further to become a more experienced player.”
A year later, Conner tried out again and made coach Seely Byler’s decision an easy one.
“As soon as she walked in – oh my word, she absolutely belongs with this program. She was one of the most clear-cut (choices),” the PW coach said. “I’ve had several kids that were cut and come back the next year – you don’t see much progress and now they’re a sophomore, and you’re worried about taking a kid that might not even make it to the varsity level, but I knew as soon as she walked back in that second year that she was going to be with us the whole time.”
What changed?
“I think she was very unsure of herself and what her capabilities were, and I think with that extra year of not only practice but – hey, I have a goal in front of me and this is what I’m working towards,” Byler said. “Sometimes you need that little kick in the butt – I want to prove somebody wrong.”
For Conner, the unwavering belief of her middle school coach – Neil Engle - played a significant role in her perseverance.
“I knew I wasn’t as experienced as other players in eighth grade, but I think the fact that my eighth grade coach saw so much potential in me and really wanted me to pursue volleyball that inspired me to stick with it,” she said.
Conner’s turnaround shouldn’t have been surprising. When the PW senior does something, she typically does it very well.
“She’s very detail oriented and always asking questions,” Byler said. “When we take the time to watch film in practice, she’s always the one who wants to go again, take the extra reps so she can really perfect whatever we’re trying to put in place.”
In the classroom, Conner boasts a 4.0 GPA, and with the AP classes she is presently enrolled in, she has taken seven AP classes over the past two years. She is the copy editor for the school newspaper, Town Crier, and may add advertising manager to her list of responsibilities this year. She is part of the school’s Tutor Club and tutors second graders at Conshohocken Elementary School, helping to improve their reading skills.
“I was amazed at what she’s been able to accomplish - she not only plays fall volleyball, but she also plays club year round,” Byler said. “To accomplish all the things she’s accomplished academically is pretty impressive.
“She’s always adding more things to her list whereas most kids would start to get overwhelmed and not be able to handle it. It’s not like she’s just joining these clubs, she’s running these clubs. It’s amazing to be able to balance so many balls in the air.”
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Sports were not a part of Conner’s life as a youngster. As a matter of fact, she didn’t get her first taste of competitive sports until she went out for the volleyball team in eighth grade.
Although things didn’t exactly go as she had hoped the following year, Conner didn’t give up and joined the club volleyball circuit immediately after she was cut. As a sophomore, she was a no-brainer choice to make the team.
“I felt very confident,” Conner said. “I was really excited to get back into my school season and try out again.”
She started for the jayvee team and then endured yet another setback during preseason of her junior year.
“I was real excited because I made varsity, and the second day of tryouts one of my teammates accidentally landed on my ankle,” Conner said. “I ended up getting a high ankle sprain and I missed the entirety of the preseason that summer.
“I was really worried. Thank goodness it wasn’t a fracture or I probably would have missed out on the season. I had a lot of emotions those two weeks I was out because I worked really hard for it, and I didn’t want to lose it that season.”
Conner was back in time for the regular season and stepped into the starting lineup as an outside hitter for a Colonial squad that captured a share of the SOL American Conference title.
“It really made me appreciate it that much more because even with my injury I still went to the preseason practices to be with the team and watch the team,” she said. “It was frustrating not being able to play with my team during the preseason, but once I got back into it, it was just amazing. We had an amazing season, and I was really happy to be part of it.”
This year Conner was named a captain.
"She's a quiet leader," Byler said. "In the past, we've had some more vocal leaders, but she's a great combination of leading by example on the court. If one of her teammates misses a serve, she's always the first kid that's encouraging that girl to get it the next time. She's a great combination of leading by example and also being encouraging."
Conner’s first priority remains and always has been her academics, and she has her sights set on one day becoming an elementary school teacher.
“I’ve always known that basically my entire life,” she said. “When I was little, I was always reading to my imaginary class, using an easel to write on white boards, things like that.”
While she is already using her tutoring skills, she is counting the days until next semester when she will work with a teacher at Plymouth Elementary School three times a week as part of an education internship.
Away from school, Conner – a self-described dog person - volunteers at a local Pet Valu store cleaning cages for adoptable cats. The past two summers she served as a camp counselor at Mermaid Country Day Camp, another positive experience for the future teacher.
“I had nine- and 10-year-old girls both summers, and it was a really great experience because I really loved my kids and working with them,” she said.
Conner hopes to compete in club volleyball at the collegiate level, keeping a sport she loves a part of her life for as long as she can.
“I always look forward to volleyball season because I’ve made such close friends, and we’ve actually been such a successful volleyball program these past few years, and that’s made it even better,” she said. “It’s made my high school experience so much more enjoyable.”
