All-Delco Volleyball: Wright, Painter carried Archbishop Carroll
In addition to Player of the Year Lizzie Herestofa the All-Delco team includes:
Diana Balta, Penncrest: The senior outside hitter/defensive specialist played the do-it-all roll for the Lions. She led the team in digs (349), kills (336) and assists (44) to earn All-Delco honors for the third year in a row. Balta had 27 kills and 30 digs in a 3-1 win over Conestoga, 24 kills and 20 digs in a loss to Rustin and 23 kills and 18 digs in a setback to Strath Haven in the regular season. For her career, Balta finished with 1,195 kills, 1,268 digs, 206 aces and 144 blocks. She also was a first-team All-Central, All-District 1 and All-State Class 3A selection as a senior.
Kristen “Kiki” Daly, Cardinal O’Hara: Playing beside her twin sister, Erin, Kiki Daly closed out her career as one of the top hitters in program history. She finished fourth in career kills with 601 and had the second-best performance in school history with 20 kills in O’Hara’s 3-2 loss to Carroll in the Catholic League championship match. As a senior, Daly recorded 223 kills, 162 digs and 19 aces to lead the Lions to their fifth straight District 12 Class 3A title and a berth in the PIAA quarterfinals for the second year in a row where the Lions fell to eventual champion Allentown Central Catholic. Daly earned first-team All-Catholic honors, All-District 12 and All-State Class 3A honors.
Gabby Davis, Garnet Valley: Davis was the table setter for the PIAA Class 4A champion Jaguars (24-3). She earned first-team All-Central, All-District 1 and All-State honors. The senior setter recorded a staggering 824 assists and 39.9 percent of those helpers (348) came in Garnet Valley’s run to the state title. Davis averaged 34 assists per game in the Central League championship match and District 1 playoffs, and 44.5 assists per game in the state tournament. She had 49, 48, 48 assists as the Jaguars completed their state title run with 3-2 victories over Baldwin, State College and two-time defending champion Parkland in the PIAA championship game. She also had 141 digs and will join Herestofa and Portale at Susquehanna next fall.
Sydney Portale, Garnet Valley: You name it and Portale did it for the Jaguars. She was second on the team in kills (214), digs (203) and aces (49). The lefty was a matchup problem for a lot of teams and, like her teammates, Portale was at her best in the postseason. Portale recorded 33.6 percent of her kills (72), 46.8 percent of her digs (95) and 40.8 percent of her aces (20) in GV’s run to the state title. She had 11 kills, 16 digs and five aces in the win over State College in the semifinals and followed that with a 10 kills, 15 digs and one ace in the comeback win over Parkland in the state final. Portale also was a first-team All-Central, All-District 1 and All-State pick.
Mary Kate Painter, Archbishop Carroll: The senior libero teamed with junior Gina Custer in a formidable back line that was the driving force behind Carroll’s run to a 23-1 overall record and the Catholic League and District 12 Class 4A championships, and a berth in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals. Painter had 16 digs as Carroll blanked Lansdale Catholic, 3-0, in the Catholic League semifinals. She had 19 digs and Custer added 15 digs in Carroll’s epic 3-2 come-from-behind win over O’Hara in the PCL final. Painter finished the season with 199 digs and was a first-team All-Catholic, All-District 12 and All-State Class 4A selection.
Hannah Wright, Archbishop Carroll: The senior and two-time All-Delco was the premier hitter in the county and the driving force behind Carroll’s run to the Catholic League and District 12 Class 4A championships. Wright was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the Catholic League and also was a first-team All-District 12 and all-state selection. Wright pounded 48 kills as the Patriots rebounded from a one-game deficit to beat Cardinal O’Hara, 3-2, in the Catholic League championship. Two games later Wright recorded 20 kills as the Patriots blanked Downingtown East, 3-0, in the opening round of the PIAA Class 4A tournament. The Lehigh-bound senior finished the season with 458 kills and a .377 hitting percentage.
