Kirah Dreisbach spent her high school career playing for a highly successful Parkland volleyball team. During her four-year career, the Trojans went 95-7 with two conference championships, four district titles and two state gold medals.

The outside hitter has transitioned to the collegiate ranks where she put together an impressive first season. In 107 sets this past fall for Moravian College, Dreisbach recorded 148 kills and 306 digs as the Greyhounds went 15-17 (1-5 in Landmark Conference).

“With having a young team, we didn’t quite know what to expect with all of the new skills and personnel,” Dreisbach said. “But we definitely improved throughout the season and started to mesh with each other, even if we lost some games we didn’t expect to.”

Dreisbach made an immediate impact for the Greyhounds this season. During the season-opening 16th Annual Greyhound Premiere Invitational against Baldwin-Wallace and Ursinus, Dreisbach finished with 12 kills and 12 digs in the two matches combined.

Her 148 kills ranked fourth on the team, while her 306 digs (including her 2.86 per set) was more than any other Greyhound. She provided a solid defensive presence on the back line for head coach Shelley Bauder.

“I think I had a successful first season, especially as a freshman, and I’m happy with myself and the team’s play,” Dreisbach said. “It felt good knowing I could come in right away and make a difference on and off the court, and be able to score points and help prevent the other team from scoring.”

While the transition from high school to college was a tough adjustment for Dreisbach, the former Trojan felt completely prepared in large part because of her coaching staff at Parkland.

According to Dreisbach, the biggest adjustment surrounded the schedule and having to play a number of tournaments and tri-matches throughout the season. And there were only a few conference matches toward the end of the Greyhounds’ season.

“The transition was hectic with going from high school to college, but both Parkland High School and the volleyball team had thoroughly prepared me for challenges and intensity that are found at Moravian,” Dreisbach said. “I have been trained through an intense program with the help of coach [Mike] Krause and staff that definitely has made it a smoother transition. It was all new and different at first, but it didn’t take too much time to get into the rhythm of things.”

Still, despite only being on campus for a few months, Dreisbach fit in seamlessly. And she only plans to get stronger and faster when her sophomore season comes around next fall.

“My plans are to continue and increase our team lifting and conditioning sessions, and also play in a women’s league once a week to keep my skills up,” Dreisbach said. “I want to get stronger and more conditioned, so I can keep improving and be a more explosive hitter and move faster on defense.”