She’s all about winning
HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Winning is a formula — and Kennedy Christy has proven to be a vital ingredient.
After playing a key role in three successive WPIAL volleyball championships and a state title at Knoch, Christy wanted to continue that trend of on-court success in college. She opted for Juniata, started as an outside hitter for the team as a junior this season, and recently hoisted the Division III national championship trophy.
The Eagles defeated Trinity (Texas) in the 2022 national title game, 25-17, 25-11, 25-23, to complete a 34-1 season.
“It’s been a winning program and that played a factor in my going there, sure,” Christy said. “But I was also attracted by the values of the program. They want and bring in players who work hard.
“Nobody likes to lose. When you get a group of well-trained, competitive athletes together who all have that work ethic, it builds a winner. Juniata’s been doing that for a long time.”
And the Eagles have been doing it with players like Christy.
Juniata has been to 27 Division III Final Fours, won national championships in 2004 and 2001 along with making the title game six other times. The program has produced 115 All-Americans and 49 Players of the Year. The Eagles compete in the Landmark Conference and have been dominant there.
“Our reputation is out there,” 12th-year head coach Heather Pavlik said. “We’ve been ranked in the top 15 for 40 years. We’ve won 41 conference championships. And I have contacts. All told, I’ve been here 27 years.”
Pavlik played for Juniata’s previous head coach, Larry Bock, from 1991-95. She was an assistant coach on his staff for years after that. Bock and Pavlik are the only head coaches in the program’s history.
“We get players from all over the country,” Pavlik said. “Half our roster is from Pennsylvania, the other half from all over. We just grind out wins. We wear down teams.”
Juniata has players on its roster from Florida, New York, Virginia, California, Colorado and Michigan. The team’s libero is from Puerto Rico.
“This team plays with the same type of tenacity we played with at Knoch,” Christy said. “The ideals of the programs are very similar. I’m proud of winning the WPIAL and state titles in high school, but this one means a little more because it’s a national thing.”
Christy’s versatility played a major factor in Juniata’s run to the national crown.
“Kennedy does everything for us,” Pavlick said. “She hits the ball, she blocks the ball, she digs for the ball, she passes the ball ... She’s involved in just about everything we do on the court. She’s a center piece, for sure.”
Christy ranked fourth on the team with 261 kills this season. She was second with 59 aces and fifth with 220 digs. And she has two more years of eligibility remaining.
“Right now, I’m planning on using that fifth year,” said Christy, a marketing major. “I’m having so much fun playing volleyball here. Our team only had one senior starter, too, so we have a chance at making another run.”
