There is a new leader at the helm inside the Emmaus High School auxiliary gym, as first-year girls volleyball head coach Brianne Giangiobbe brings in new life and a change to the program after longtime head coach Gwen Millets stepped down following the 2018 season.

Giangiobbe played the sport at a high level, first at Freedom High School, then as a Division I player at Lafayette College. It is her first opportunity as a head coach, but one she is ready for.

“I was the assistant coach at Northampton Community College and coached club the last three years,” said Giangiobbe. “When I saw the opening here, I thought I was qualified enough and talked to a few of the coaches in the area and asked if they thought I should go for it and they told me to go for it.”

Her team has a good amount of talent returning from last year. The biggest hole will be in the middle of the court as the school’s all-time leader in assists and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s MVP, Caroline Bond, graduated last year. But there are a couple of tall and athletic hitters at the net in Penn State commit Macy Van Den Elzen and fellow senior Maiah Sabol, along with juniors Jaya Bhagat and Makenzie Krasley. Senior defensive specialist Kelsie Baus will also be a key cog at the back end of the defense.

“I’m excited for the amount of talent that we have on this team,” Giangiobbe said. “They accomplished a lot last year and we want to keep the momentum going into this season.”

The Green Hornets finished runners-up in the District 11 Class 4A tournament last year, falling to five-time champion Parkland. They qualified for the PIAA tournament for the first time in 23 years. There is plenty of confidence and momentum inside the program, and enough talent to keep it going into this season.

Emmaus opens the season on Friday, Aug. 30 at Southern Lehigh. It will then play in the annual First Kill Invitational the following day. EPC action begins with a match at Northampton on September 3. The home-opener is on September 9 against Nazareth.