Seneca Valley volleyball star Kennedy Hummert picks Division I George Mason
Making a verbal commitment to a college prior to the beginning of her junior year was not in Kennedy Hummert’s plans. A recent visit to George Mason University changed her mind.
The libero at Seneca Valley came away from the school with glowing reviews.
“The girls I met on the team were all so nice,” Hummert said. “The head coach (Megan Shifflett Bachmann) was a libero at Penn State, and I think the volleyball program there can turn into something great.”
Hummert committed to the school, located in Fairfax, Va., last week. The Patriots compete in NCAA Division I’s Atlantic 10 Conference. They went 17-13 last season and reached the conference quarterfinals, the program’s best season since 2009.
“I didn’t think that I was going to commit this early, but when you know, you know,” she said.
George Mason contacted Hummert a month ago, expressing its interest in the Cranberry Township resident following a strong season for 3DGE Volleyball, a club team based in Monroeville, and a high school campaign that saw her tally 342 digs, a single-season record at Seneca Valley.
Hummert did not become SV’s starting libero until a couple of weeks into her sophomore season last fall.
“She could have started before that, but we had talented players ahead of her and she waited her turn. But she was definitely ready,” SV coach Brett Poirier said.
A season-ending injury to senior libero Kyla Stepp moved Hummert into a starting role. Along with her digs, she contributed 36 aces, 32 assists and earned first team all-section, second team all-WPIAL honors and a Butler Eagle all-county first team nod.
“I’m very proud of the fact that once I moved into a starting role, I continued to work hard to improve and helped the team in every way I could,” Hummert said. “A libero does not score many points, but from that position you get to see so much of the game and I like helping our hitters.”
Virtually her entire club volleyball career, dating back to grade school, has been spent as a libero. That much experience has molded Hummert into a very capable and reliable player at the position.
“She has all the qualities you want to see in a libero,” Poirier said. “Her knowledge of the game is top-notch, she reads hits with the best of them and reacts quickly. She’s one of the best liberos in all of the WPIAL.”
That type of high praise could add unwanted pressure to an incoming junior. Not so for Hummert, who plays for 3DGE Volleyball’s national 17U team.
“There’s a lot of pressure that comes with playing club volleyball at a high level,” she said. “If there’s any more pressure that comes with playing in high school, I want it because it will push me to work even harder.”
