All-Delco Volleyball: Early experiences shaped Cain into Player of the Year

CONCORD — Rachel Cain’s volleyball career took a drastic turn in the fall of 2015.

Cain was a freshman and not expected to see much, if any time on the varsity girls volleyball team at Garnet Valley. Then junior setter Gabby Davis, who would go on to earn All-Delco honors as a senior, rolled her ankle and Cain’s athletic career changed forever.

Suddenly, she was thrust into the starting lineup of a team that was dominated by seniors and juniors.

“It was eye-opening,” Cain said. “Gabby was an amazing setter and having to step in was a huge responsibility. It taught me a lot about leadership, friendship, responsibility and just volleyball in general. I think it was a great learning experience and I’m really thankful I got the chance.”

It wasn’t smooth sailing. There were moments of doubt.

“She was scared,” said Garnet Valley head coach Greg Wood, who was in his first season as an assistant coach under Mark Clark. “There were a lot of tears those first couple of days. “There were a lot of conversations that I had with her, telling her how good she was and how much I believed in her. It was hard. It was a good team with a lot of seniors and here was a freshman who a week before was worried about making the freshman and JV teams and now she’s starting varsity.”

“It was scary, but I had a great group of girls with me,” said Cain, who will play volleyball and study nursing at East Stroudsburg University. “They were very supportive. There were a lot of seniors on that team and they were just amazing to me. I’ll never forget how nice they were to me.”

That experience sowed the seeds for a career that would culminate in Cain being named All-Delco twice and the 2018 Daily Times Player of the Year.

“I remember telling her that this was not about now, this is about you being all-state as a senior,” Wood said. “This is about you being Player of the Year three, four years from now. To see how hard she’s worked and see where she is today, all those goals have come true. She’s one of the best players in the state and I’m just proud of her.

“She got to learn quickly. She was thrown right into the fire and never missed a beat. We had a lot of conversations early on. Being around that state championship team in 2016 really helped her, too. She was capable of running that team. We were fortunate to have two very good setters and it helped her grow as a player and as a leader.”

READ: Garnet Valley dominates first team

Joining Cain on the All-Delco team, which was selected by the Daily Times sports staff following consultation with county coaches, are Garnet Valley’s Ally Hartney and Emma Rokosky, Archbishop Carroll’s Paige Monastero and Meghan McCann, Cardinal O’Hara’s Maeve Boylan and Riley Shaak from Notre Dame.

Cain and Monastero are repeat selections. Cain, Hartney, Rokosky and Boylan are seniors. Monastero and Shaak are juniors and McCann is a sophomore.

Playing as a freshman gave Cain an idea of what was expected of her as a varsity player. Being along for the ride as a sophomore during Garnet Valley’s PIAA Class 4A championship run in 2016 was beneficial, too.

READ: The full list of All-Delco honorees

It instilled in her a drive to make sure that foray deep into the state tournament was not a one-year event.

“Going on all of the buses and watching them from the sideline was unreal and I wanted to do that myself,” Cain said. “Having the team come back and go to states every single year was an amazing feeling.”

Cain guided the Jaguars a 21-4 overall record, a third straight 11-0 mark in the Central League and back-to-back trips to the Class 4A semifinals where Garnet Valley fell to eventual champion North Allegheny both times. She was the driving force behind that run. Her ability to set up hitters made Garnet Valley tough to defend. Cain led the Jaguars in assists (719) and also registers 171 digs, 36 aces, 21 kills and 15 blocks to earn first-team All-Central League and All-District 1 and All-State Class 4A honors from the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.

But it was more than just the numbers that set her apart. Her leadership on a senior-laden team was paramount to Garnet Valley’s success. Cain, Hartney and Rokosky were the glue that kept the Jaguars together when things got tough.

“The teamwork and family you make with your teammates is what I love about volleyball,” Cain said. “It’s not one person. I didn’t do it alone. It was working together with five girls on the court and we developed a very special bond.”

It’s a lesson Cain learned as a freshman and never forgot.