When the Emmaus and Freedom High School girls volleyball teams met in the previous postseason match, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals, the Green Hornets were on top of their games and won in straight sets, advancing to the conference final. Two weeks later in the District 11 4A semifinal round, the roles were reversed as the Patriots found success and won the match 3-1 last Thursday night at Catasauqua High School to earn a spot in the district final.

Emmaus finished the year with an 18-4 overall record.

“I feel that the season went really well regardless of results,” said head coach Brianne Giangiobbe. “The girls made it an amazing season by coming to practice every day ready to get better and create a good experience. I think this senior class sent an excellent example for the other classes.”

The Green Hornets accomplished a lot of success on the court, but that wasn’t even something they talked about for yearly goals. They won over 75 percent of their matches, qualifying for leagues and districts, and finishing one win shy of winning an EPC title and also playing in states. But it was the culture the team had that made Giangiobbe happy about.

“This year we never really discussed goals on wins and results,” Giangiobbe said. “We mainly focused on culture goals and how to make Emmaus volleyball a great team. It meant a lot to the seniors who had a shortened season last year to end with normalcy and continue into EPCs and Districts.”

There were many highlights in a winning year, but one specific one sticks out to Giangiobbe.

“One of the highlights from this season is from pretty early on,” said Giangiobbe. “We had a five-set win over Becahi. It showed how much grit and fight the girls had.”

Emmaus had six seniors that will graduate, including Kassidy Hallman, Ava Holden, Lily Hulbert, Summer Lorincz, Jenna McGinnis and Mia Pickering. According to their coach, they surely will be missed.

“They changed the program and started the change right after the district final match last season,” Giangiobbe said. “This class felt like it really embodied the goals and focus of the program. The players themselves are great people and it really can change the whole atmosphere of a gym. I am very sad to see them go but know they have bright futures ahead, and they have set a great example for classes moving forward.”

Next season will be Giangiobbe’s fourth as head coach, which will be a full cycle. She expects continued growth.

“I am excited to see this program keep growing,” said Giangiobbe. “Next season will be my fourth year and I am excited to see my first class of freshmen be seniors.”