Valley grad Emily Lewandowski playing key role in reviving Penn State New Kensington women's volleyball

In October 2017, Emily Lewandowski was still in middle school Valley Junior/Senior High School. On the 18th of that month, the Penn State New Kensington women’s volleyball team won its Penn State University Athletic Conference opener, defeating Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Fast forward to Sept. 13, 2022, and the Lions defeated Penn State Shenango to open PSUAC play. Lewandowski, by then a freshman for PSNK, had eight kills, 12 digs, a pair of aces and a solo block in the match.

In between? Zero conference wins for the Lions, a PSUAC losing streak of 35 matches.

“I did not know that,” Lewandowski said about breaking the losing streak, “but good for us!”

PSNK concluded the 2022 season 3-9 in the PSUAC and 7-17-1 overall. Modest numbers, to be generous, but considering the 35-match conference losing streak and the fact that the team won only five matches overall in the previous two seasons combined, it was a giant leap forward.

Lewandowski and the Lions are intent on improving further as the season opens. PSNK hosts Butler County Community College on Wednesday, and the Valley grad said this year is going to be an eye-opener to those around the conference.

“Coming off our season when we did so much better than in previous years, we just have a whole set of different goals,” she said. “Our minds are in the right place. Our bodies are. We’re just so prepared for this season.”

This fall marks the third as coach for Holly Saville, who served one season as an assistant with the program before taking the reins.

In her first season at the helm, 2021, the fog of covid still was lifting, so, Saville said, last season felt like the first time she really could steer the program the way she wanted. With her system firmly in place and with more players to suit her needs — there are 10 on the roster — Saville is optimistic about the immediate future.

“I definitely feel like we’re stronger than we have been the past couple of seasons,” she said. “Every season we get stronger. Several of the girls are in their third year, and they got significantly better as they went from their first year to their second year as I went from assistant to head coach.”

Lewandowski will be counted on to play a bigger role after showing plenty of positive signs in her first season.

Appearing in 21 matches last fall, Lewandowski averaged 1.29 kills per set, 1.95 digs per set and recorded 25 total aces. She had a season-high nine kills in a win over Penn State Lehigh Valley and a season-high 14 digs in a win over Penn State DuBois.

Though she was pleased with certain aspects of her first season, she is expecting much more from herself this time around.

“Going from high school volleyball to college volleyball, that’s hard for everybody, especially going into your first semester of college,” she said. “It was hard to adapt, but I did it. My season wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be, but I put in the time and I am ready for this season.”

One area where she has focused a lot of energy is her hitting. Saville said Lewandowski came in expecting to play right-side hitter, but Saville moved her around the front line, even playing her at middle. Now, Saville said, middle is where Lewandowski might experience her greatest success.

“She accepted that challenge and rose above that challenge,” Saville said. “She wanted to be a middle blocker, and she really does great in that position.”

Besides transitioning into a new position, Lewandowski also worked hard to shore up her defense. She said she never played defense in high school, so serve receive at the college level was particularly unnerving.

She went so far as to use the word “scared.”

But as the season went on, she gradually developed more confidence. Now she is able to pass more efficiently, and, more importantly, she is able to shake off mistakes more easily.

That, she said, should be true of the entire PSNK defense this fall.

“It was never our best last year just because we didn’t have the players to do that,” she said. “But we have a couple of new defensive specialists coming in, and I’m really excited to see what they can do.”

When it comes to serving, Lewandowski had no problems. That, she said, always has been one of her strong suits. In fact, during a match in her eighth-grade year, she said, she served out an entire set against Riverview.

That won’t be the only way Lewandowski serves for PSNK. Saville is hoping to build the program to one of the best in the PSUAC and do so by using as much local talent as possible.

To that end, she said she has a willing ambassador in Lewandowski, someone to pave the way on the court and on campus.

“Her sheer desire to play, you couldn’t ignore it,” Saville said. “Off the court, she is one of my primary players to be there for new recruits. She makes herself available anytime I need her on campus. … She really impresses me with her intentions off the court, not just on the court.”

Of course, winning is the best recruiting tool of all, and now that Saville seems to have the Lions pointed in the right direction, the program has inched closer to a stage where it could sell itself.

Lewandowski will have three more seasons, counting this one, to help the program grow. For now, she is eager to see what this one brings. Saville said last year’s team was just two losses from making the conference tournament, and, Lewandowski said, that will change this year.

“Absolutely,” she said. “We’re looking to make playoffs this year. I love my team, and I’m so excited that I have all this time with them.”