Mason decides to stay awhile
FREEPORT — An overnight stay turned into an overnight sway for Freeport senior Hannah Mason.
A captain on the Yellowjackets' PIAA Class AA girls volleyball championship team last fall, Mason figured she was headed to Seton Hill University to continue her career.
“Then I attended a volleyball camp at Saint Vincent College and I guess I was one of the best players there,” Mason said. “They invited me to stay over, meet the girls on the team, even play some volleyball with them the next day.
“Seeing how well I meshed with them, I knew that's where I wanted to go.”
Mason recently signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at St. Vincent. She carries a 4.4 grade point average at Freeport and plans to major in science.
The Bearcats plan to use her as a defensive specialist.
“Hannah did pretty much everything for us,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “She's only 5-foot-8, but has great jumping ability.
“At the same time, 5-8 is kind of tiny for the next level, so I can see why they want her in the back row. As time goes on, I imagine they will have Hannah doing more things for them. She is an extremely versatile player.”
Freeport finished 23-3 in winning the program's first state title last season. Three other seniors from that team — Claire Crytzer (George Mason), Courtney Grubbs (Thiel) and Mallory Stopko (Washington & Jefferson) — are headed to college volleyball as well.
Two more standout juniors will likely follow suit next year.
“Anna Christy was an excellent player here and she went on to play for Saint Vincent a couple of years agio,” Phillips said. “I've done some work with their coach through the years and know her well.
“She's always asking me about our players and that she would welcome any player from Freeport.”
Sue Hozak has been the only coach in Saint Vincent volleyball history, taking reins of the team during the program's inception in 1985. She has 616 career wins with the Bearcats and is among the top 15 winningest active collegiate coaches in the nation.
Ten of the 15 players on this year's team are either freshmen or sophomores. Mason is looking forward to joining such a young group.
“Young teams can be molded a lot quicker than more veteran teams can be,” she said. “There's a lot of room for growth and skill on that team and I want to be a part of it.”
She also wants to play — quickly.
“I want to start as a freshman. That's my goal,” Mason said.
Mason has been playing volleyball since seventh grade. She has been a member of the Revolution travel volleyball program, which plays and practices at North Allegheny Middle School and in Monroeville.
“A friend of mine talked me into going out (for volleyball) in seventh grade, for something to do,” she recalled. “It looked like fun and it has been fun.”
She said the “work ethic and mentality” of Freeport volleyball players is what results in so many of them moving on to college ball.
“There's so much pride in the program here,” she said. “That work ethic helps to attract college coaches, I think.
“I'm just grateful that I can keep on playing.”
