Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Ja Morant
Favorite team: Philadelphia 76ers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the District 1 final my junior year
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One game during my freshman year I was a setter and literally every ball I touched was a double.
Music on my playlist: Pop and old school rap
Future plans: Go to college at Penn State to study biomedical engineering
Words to live by: “Get comfortable being uncomfortable”
One goal before turning 30: Invent new medical equipment
One thing people don’t know about me: I collect sports cards which I hope to sell later on
By Ed Morrone
Nick Smith had never once played competitive volleyball when he enrolled at Pennridge High School, and judging by what he saw through a window during an open gym his freshman year, he didn’t want to.
Four years later, Smith has played in every match this season for a Pennridge team that just played in its ninth District 1 final in the past 13 years. Not only that, but the Rams are one of just eight teams in the state still playing in the PIAA Class 3A bracket.
So, just how did Smith go from wanting nothing to do with volleyball to becoming one of Pennridge’s most consistent and important players?
“I was into basketball and baseball, so that was my plan heading into high school,” Smith recounted. “I played basketball freshman year, but I wasn’t connecting with it, and I was unsure about baseball too. A senior on the volleyball team who I knew through a basketball connection recommended volleyball to me. I wasn’t sure and kept going back and forth, and finally my mom told me to just go check it out. So one night they had an open gym, and I didn’t even go in, I just watched from the window outside. And I just said to myself, ‘I can’t do this right now.’
“But then that senior saw me in school the next day, and he encouraged me to come to the next one. I tried it, and it just felt right. That group of kids was a great, great fit for me.”
According to Pennridge head coach Dave Childs, Smith has not missed an open gym or program event in the four years since, unequivocally throwing every bit of himself into a sport he wanted nothing to do with at first glance.
Smith didn’t want to try out for the team alone, so he convinced some friends to join him, and the group played jayvee together as freshmen. Smith started out as a setter that first season, and because setters touch the ball constantly and need to know where everybody is on the court, his learning curve accelerated.
“My friends and I were all in it together that year, really,” Smith said. “We all made mistakes, but at the same time we laughed about it and had fun. It drove me to get better at the sport and to keep going with it. Now, we’re in the second round of states, so it’s been a great time.”
Following his freshman season, Smith began the transition from setter to middle hitter, a more aggressive offensive position that had him hunting kills and blocks in front of the net. By his own account, Smith is a quiet kid who has always struggled with self-confidence (and still does), so playing a more assertive position allowed him to make his presence felt through his actions on the court.
Smith recalled the beginning of his sophomore campaign, which still saw him neck deep in trying to figure out how to be successful at his new position. Pennridge was able to sneak some scrimmages in that spring, but then word came down the line that the season would first be paused before eventually shutting down entirely, throwing a grenade directly into the path of Smith’s volleyball development.
He did the best he could with what he had at his disposal, which was essentially educating himself through YouTube videos, working out to increase his strength and playing a little COVID-safe outdoor volleyball with some friends from the Pennridge volleyball community. A year of inactivity was difficult on all spring athletes, but it felt especially cruel for Smith, who was making so much progress toward becoming a difference maker on the court.
“Nick lost so much time developing as a hitter,” Childs said. “Once we were finally able to get back to it the following year, there was a ton of catching up to do in terms of teaching and learning. By that time, he’s already a junior, so there’s only so much time for him to turn into a varsity-caliber player.”
Smith didn’t play a ton as a junior, but he still got to see the court for a team that went 18-3 overall, including a 12-2 mark in league play. Pennridge entered districts as the No. 4 seed behind Council Rock North, division foe Upper Dublin and Neshaminy, but the Rams upended both CR North and Upper Dublin in the bracket and won the district title. This was huge for Smith’s confidence, because in his mind he now had proved that he belonged on a championship team, even if his role wasn’t as robust as it has been this season.
“Nick was slow to start, but he really picked it up,” Childs said. “He’s super efficient offensively. Nothing he does is flashy, but he’s very consistent: not a lot of errors, a lot of kills, smart hitter — just a big, persistent presence at the net. While he played a little for us last year, this year he has been in our lineup since day one. Teams need players like Nick to win championships, and the difference a lot of times between teams that get there and ones who don’t is because of players like Nick. He gets his job done, and that is super important.”
Smith said that he was raised and taught to give 100 percent of his effort in everything that he does, and he applied that to volleyball even when he was sitting on the bench. He takes pride in encouraging his teammates and keeping the energy high when he’s not in the game, and Smith wants to be someone his team can rely on to come up with a big kill or block to stop the opponent’s momentum.
“If I had to go out there, then I was going to be ready,” he said. “At Pennridge, winning is the standard. Even if I was sitting on the bench, there are still always opportunities to go out and work your hardest. Nothing good comes your way if you don’t give it your all, so you have to be confident and get comfortable being uncomfortable. This season, I’m standing taller and trying different things in practice to make myself a more complete, better player.”
Despite falling to undefeated Neshaminy in the district final, Pennridge – which won a share of the SOL American Conference title - still earned an invitation to the state tournament. The Rams defeated District 12 champ La Salle in straight sets in an opening round match and will meet District 10 victor and Erie-based McDowell at Bald Eagle High School in Bellefonte, not far from State College, where Smith will attend Penn State in the fall (more on that in a bit). A win would send Pennridge to the semifinals.
In order to keep playing, Smith is going to need to continue being his efficient, consistent self. On the season, he has 126 kills, which ranks fourth on the team, while also posting 64 blocks (second), a 34.5 hitting percentage (also second) and 73 games played (first). The team is using its loss to Neshaminy (one of just two defeats on the season) as fuel, and a possible rematch with the Redskins in the state final is still a possibility on the horizon.
“That loss was upsetting and frustrating, because we all know we can play better than we did,” Smith said. “That time is gone, and we’ve moved on. I have optimism that we can keep going in the state playoffs, because we don’t like losing. We know what we’re up against by now and won’t be surprised by anything that comes our way.”
“It’s a tight-knit group of seniors,” Childs added. “For the students who went through COVID, it probably means a little more to them to still be playing. They want to keep it going as long as possible, and they don’t take it for granted anymore. We’ve been fortunate to do this more than others, but it’s hard to do and never a guarantee. For them to still be playing is kind of cool and special.”
Once the ride finally does come to an end, Smith will be bound for Happy Valley, where he plans to study biomedical engineering. The field was appealing to him because it’s a combination of all the things he excels at academically: math, physics, biology and chemistry. Both of Smith’s parents are teachers, and he knew he didn’t want to go that route, just like he knew he wasn’t excited by a typical office job. One day, he hopes to invent new medical equipment that could help save people’s lives.
“Just like in volleyball, being someone people can rely on is something I aspire to be,” he said. “For me, this path was just something that felt right.”
As for volleyball, Smith said he knows several Pennridge volleyball alumni that are milling around on campus up in State College. Whether it’s outdoor, club or intramural, Smith wants to keep the game in his life, because it’s already given him so much in such a short amount of time. Until Smith found volleyball, he had never really felt like he was part of a larger community working in unison toward the same goal. Now, everything is different than it was four years ago, when he nervously watched the open gym through the school window.
In his down time, Smith loves collecting and selling basketball trading cards, a hobby he picked up during the down time of the pandemic. He recalled pulling a limited edition card of Minnesota Timberwolves young star Anthony Edwards and marveling at how much money it was valued to be worth. Smith said he also enjoys playing golf, even though he’s not as naturally skilled as he is in volleyball, as well as going fishing with his brother and playing video games.
Leaving the friendly confines of the Pennridge community won’t be easy, but after discovering so much about himself through the game of volleyball, Smith is ready for whatever challenges are heading his way next.
“I’m the type of person that needs to put total effort into everything that I do,” Smith said. “Pennridge is a top-end volleyball program that really sets a standard of excellence, so I feel like as I move into this next stage of my life, it’s all coming together. Heading into real life is the big leagues, so I’ll keep going and putting 110 percent effort into being successful at whatever I do.”
Smith is excited, but also finds himself in a bittersweet scenario. Whenever and however the volleyball season ends, it won’t be an easy pill to swallow because Smith isn’t ready for all of this to be over just yet. He’s having too much fun, and the wins are only a small component of the enjoyment he has procured from this experience.
“This team has given me a sense of community that I had never found before, especially in sports,” he said. “I will always remember the guys on this team more than the games themselves, because the friendships I’ve made have been way more impactful.”
