SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete
Kya Lynch creates something close to magic on the volleyball court. The Central Bucks West senior is the ultimate finisher at the net and has made putting down kills look oh so easy. Lynch has spent her senior season shattering her own records, and recently, the 6-0 standout turned in a performance that – pending official confirmation – will put her name in the state record books. In the Bucks’ five-set win over Upper Dublin, Lynch had 52 kills (and no, that’s not a typo). The previous PIAA record of 51 kills was set in 2024 by Upper Merion’s Sophia Schweikert, who is now competing at Jacksonville State University. “Ultimately, it was just about Kya wanting to help her teammates out and just really wanting key points in key moments,” West coach Todd Miller said. “She’s setting a really good standard for the rest of her teammates by working as 
hard as she is, and as a captain, that’s what you hope for. She continues to strive for greatness, and what she’s doing is definitely special.”
No one had a better vantage point of Lynch’s historic performance than senior setter Emma Shank, who spent the match feeding the gifted hitter. “It was insane,” Shank said. “I couldn’t even believe that her arm was still attached to her body. It was just one kill after another. I knew every single set that I set her, she was going to get a kill and make my set look so good.” Since their middle school playing days, Shank has set for Lynch, who has gone on to become one of the very best at her position. She is the first West player to surpass the 1,000-kill mark. “Kya definitely has been around the sport of volleyball, whether she liked it or not, for as long as I was coaching,” said her mother and former Council Rock North volleyball coach, Kinsey Lynch. “I remember Kya being just a week old and taking her in my BabyBjorn onto the Rock North campus and heading into the gym.”
The gym. It’s become something of a second home to Kya, who has spent countless hours refining her volleyball skills. Now, the Rider University-bound senior – a captain and four-year varsity starter – is reaping the benefits. And the best part about it? She’s loving every minute of it. Volleyball was not something Kya played to please her mother – herself a standout collegiate player and longtime coach. Rather, it became her own passion. Although for a brief stretch, Kya did consider going with lacrosse instead. By her freshman year, juggling both club volleyball and lacrosse had taken its toll. “I’ve always wanted to play a sport in college,” she said. “I was doing club (volleyball) since I was nine or 10 years old on a team that my mom coached. It came to a point in my freshman year – my body was tired. I fractured both my feet because practicing on different surfaces back to back can mess up your feet. Also, I was going right from school lacrosse to club volleyball, which was from 8-10, and I had a lot of conflict with that kind of thing. It was definitely challenging.” The fractures and time conflicts ultimately forced Kya’s hand. She chose volleyball.
Does she ever get tired of the grind? “No, I don’t,” she said. “I love it actually. I don’t know. There’s just something about it. I love the sport of volleyball. I get so fired up, and I’m a very competitive person, especially when we play teams that are better than us. I think that’s the greatest way to get better – what could my team do better and just motivating everyone.” For five years, Kinsey coached Kya on the club circuit, strengthening a bond that extends well beyond volleyball. “It’s amazing,” Kya said. “She’s always been one of my biggest supporters throughout everything, and she’s always told me – ‘Even if volleyball is not your sport, I’ll always be there for you,’ and I feel like she’s been one of the most influential people that has helped me throughout volleyball – the mom side but also the coaching side because she’s been doing it for so long, so she knows both aspects.” Added Kinsey, “I’m obviously so happy for her that she’s blazed her own trail in a sport that I love and just have embraced in my life, so it is a very special bond that I have with her. I’ve always told her she’s been my most favorite player to coach.”
To read Lynch’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/kya-lynch/
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete
Going back to the days of leather helmets and no chin straps, high school football coaches have preached the essentials of blocking and tackling and senior leadership. At a smaller school like New Hope-Solebury, with a younger squad and a roster size in the twenties, coach Dale Smith has found all three of those qualities in two-way lineman and senior captain Quinn Phillips. “He has stepped up and become more of a leader as far as the other aspects of being a captain,” said Smith. “That includes things like getting younger kids to seven-on-sevens or taking them home and also being that vocal leader. He is the guy who is helping kids out with learning their plays.” An avid reader with a 4.2 GPA, Phillips is also a student of the game. Though undersized at 5-8 and 215 pounds, he has used his football IQ to teach his younger teammates the proper work habits. “Before games, I will go over the plays and go on the board with the other offensive linemen,” said Phillips. “If I have any issues or comments, I try to help them out as best as I can. I have been a lot more vocal in terms of helping out underclassmen or freshmen. I was more of a ‘leader by example,’ as they would call it. I would do something rather than say it. Now that I’m a senior and a captain, I have the opportunity to also help people out with my words.”
Never has the leadership of Phillips been more needed than during the current season. The Lions started off the 2026 season with two straight wins, but a recent 19-13 loss to Morrisville marked the fifth consecutive loss. Said Phillips: “(Roster) numbers have always been an issue, but that still doesn’t mean that we can’t rise above it. We are very talented. I don’t think our record necessarily reflects our capabilities.” A native of Ohio and an avid fan of Georgia Tech, Phillips moved to the area during his grade school years and continued playing tackle football after starting at a young age. His first chance to see the field with the Lions came as a sophomore, playing just on the offensive side of the ball at guard. “I was very nervous at first,” he recalled. “But, after the first game, it was just so much fun. I had played football since first grade, so it was really weird to have a year like my freshman year when I didn’t get to play. As soon as I got to play my sophomore year, it was just amazing.” By the time he was a junior, Phillips was also a mainstay on the defensive line. “He’s not the biggest or the strongest,” said Smith. “He just finds a way to get the job done. Defensively, I’ve been very impressed the last two years. He is just constantly in the backfield.”
At New Hope, it is not uncommon for there to be multi-sport athletes. However, once football season ends, Phillips has shifted gears. “Quinn is a kid with high expectations academically,” Smith said. “He wants to do really well to get into a good college. He puts a lot of pressure on himself.” Smith – who also played the cello all his life – confirmed as much. “I do have a very heavy academic workload. Also, during the winter, I ski quite often. I participated a lot in the football offseason. I just feel like putting all of my effort into one sport makes me more successful than it would be by splitting it into others.” Phillips is also heavily involved in volunteer work at the Carversville Farm Foundation, which is headquartered about five minutes from his home. “It is a local foundation that focuses mostly on goods to give to local homeless shelters and to those who are less fortunate,” he said. “During the summer, I go to that around twice per week.” And even though there won’t be another football season to prepare for, the son of Leda and Korey Phillips will be hitting the books and getting his college applications together. His beloved Georgia Tech currently tops a wish list that also includes Pitt, Bucknell, Lehigh and Johns Hopkins.
Wherever he ends up, Phillips knows it was on the shoulders of others. “My mom and my dad are at every single game, cheering the loudest,” said Phillips. “They always try to be a part of my life and love me. I would also like thank all of my coaches. This program has had some hardships and issues. All of my coaches, though, I want to thank each and every one of them.”
To read Phillips’ complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/quinn-phillips/
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