Pennridge senior Steph Judkins became the first female in program history to surpass the 1,000-kill mark. (Photo provided courtesy of Pennridge volleyball.)
Steph Judkins had her sights set high when she stepped onto the court as a freshman at Pennridge.
“I said I wanted to be the first girl to get 1,000 kills at Pennridge,” she said.
Judkins knew that goal was well within her grasp when former coach Zech States gave her the stats at the end of her junior season and she had 825 kills. The least kills she’d ever had in a season was 211, and that came in her freshman year. As a sophomore, she had 334 kills for a Ram squad that captured the SOL Continental Conference title with a 12-0 record.
“I went up to coach Brandon (Johnson) at the beginning of the season, and I said, ‘I need 175 more to get a thousand,’” Judkins said. “He said, ‘Okay, we’ll get you there,’ and that was basically how it went.”
Entering Friday’s match against Cheltenham, Judkins was just 12 kills shy of the coveted milestone, and she took care of business, finishing with 19 in the Rams' 3-0 sweep.
“It was really exciting,” the senior standout said. “I really love my team, and I couldn’t have done it without my team and without my coaches, past and present between club and high school.
“They pushed me to my limits to be a better player. When I reached it, it was great because it showed how much I’ve grown and all the hard work that I did to that point.”
When Judkins delivered a kill that vaulted her to the magical milestone, the match was halted, bringing a happy end to the countdown and delighting her teammates and fans.
“Maddie Mosser, our setter, set her outside – she had a single block, and she went and put it to about 15-20 feet where the block wasn’t,” coach Brandon Johnson said of the historic kill. “It was a typical powerful Steph hit with no block up.
“The jayvee was sitting right behind us and they were kind of doing a countdown. All the varsity players stormed the court. (Coach) Ryan (Genova) from Cheltenham was very understanding and let us pause the game to celebrate with her teammates.”
In addition to the traditional balloons, Judkins was presented with a gold commemorative volleyball and banner.
“It was such a great experience for her,” Johnson said. “She’s going to have memories for years to come.”
And what is it that sets Judkins apart?
“It’s a combination of just physical ability combined with getting involved so early,” Johnson said. “She has that skill set that you look for.
“Every time our team walks in a gym, you notice Steph first and say, ‘Oh, wow.’ Her (understanding) of the finer details of the game is what sets her apart. She really improved her passing this year, and she’s worked hard at that. Now instead of always killing the ball, she’s a big part of our serve receive. Her attention to details and playing for so long has made her one of the better players to come through Pennridge.”
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Judkins got her introduction to volleyball tagging along with older sister Jenn to club practices.
“I started playing when I was five,” Steph said. “I used to always go to her practices, and her coaches were like, ‘She can come and play with the ball.’
“I’d go and I’d play. I just loved the sport and I’ve played ever since.”
Take away a two-year stint with field hockey, and it’s always been volleyball for Judkins, who also danced for seven years until she was 10. She joined the club circuit when she was 10, playing initially for Infinity 12s and then moving on to Synergy for three years. Since then, she has played East Coast Power.
This fall, Judkins – who was on a college visit this weekend – is in the middle of an intense college search. The 6-1 outside hitter has options at every level – from Division One to Division Three.
“I really want the feel of a family-oriented college,” she said. “I want to go onto the campus and know I can be there for the next four, maybe five years.
“I wanted to keep it open to (Division) One, Two and Three because I never knew if I wanted to go D-1, if I wanted it always to be volleyball or if I wanted D3 that would be volleyball and academics where I still could have the strong academics, but it wouldn’t be as stressful.”
With her sights sets on one day becoming an athletic trainer, Judkins is leaning toward an exercise science major.
“I’ve worked with the trainer at the high school, and that’s what made me think about going into that,” she said.
Taking precedence right now for Judkins is finishing her final high school season strong.
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