Horrigan nears volleyball records at DeSales

On Sept. 10, Governor Mifflin High School grad Paige Horrigan was named the Freedom Conference Volleyball Player of the Week as a member of the DeSales University women’s volleyball team. For Horrigan, it was a great start to her senior season and she hopes this season will top off an amazing volleyball career she has enjoyed at DeSales.

In her three seasons on the DeSales volleyball team, she has appeared in all 97 matches. She enters her senior season ranked 16th in kills (642), seventh in hitting percentage (.256), seventh in solo blocks (84), third in block assists (194) and fourth in total blocks.

She is well within range to break the all-time records in block assists and total blocks, and she has her eye on them.

“Luckily for me, I got to start as a freshman as a middle blocker and maintain my position throughout my years at DeSales,” said Horrigan. “I do believe that I have a shot at the record in either category as long as I push myself to play at the best of my ability. I’m pleased with my success in the program.”

Although she is closing in on some DeSales records, she gives a lot of the credit to her teammates.

“A balanced offense and defense is the biggest reason for success in college volleyball,” said Horrigan. “In high school it helped when teams had one or two incredible players to carry the team, but in college the most success comes when every person on the court contributes equally in their respective position. Volleyball truly is a team sport and teamwork/heart can usually beat out talent.”

Paige started playing volleyball in seventh grade for Governor Mifflin Middle School. She continued playing the sport on through high school, and played club volleyball with X-Court as well. She has a lot of fond memories from her high school volleyball days.

“My greatest memories of Gov. Miflin High School volleyball team is my coach, Mr. Davis, who continually pushed me to be the best player I could be,” said Horrigan. “As well, I formed many friendships on the team that continue today. My favorite memory of high school volleyball was getting the opportunity to play on the same team as my younger sister, Brooke, my senior year. Fortunately, I get to continue that memory because she is also one of my teammates at DeSales.”

Her sister, Brooke, is a setter on the DeSales team and is beginning her sophomore season after appearing in seven matches last year as a freshman.

After a great volleyball career in high school, Paige went on to DeSales and took up right where she left off in high school. She was one of five players to record over 100 kills, she recorded 132 of them. She led the team with 84 total blocks, including 30 solo blocks. It was an amazing start for a freshman.

“I didm’t find it too difficult to transition form high school to college volleyball,” said Horrigan. “The biggest difference I noticed was that the speed of the game is quicker in college, but my experience from high school helped ease the transition.”

By the end of her freshman season she had established herself as one of the top players on the team and was already starting to take a leadership role on the team as a sophomore.

During her sophomore season she ranked second on the team with 238 kills and led the team with a .269 hittling percentage. She also led the team with 80 total blocks and recorded double digit kills in a match nine times.

Then she put it all together with an even better season as a junior. She was second on the team in kills with 272, and led the team with 114 total blocked shots.

At the end of the season she was named to the All-Freedom Conference first team, and was earned Honorable Mention on the AVCA All-Region Team.

On top of her skills as a blocker and many other aspects of the game, Paige brings a positive attitude to every game and tries to keep up the spirits of her teammates, especially when things start to go wrong.

“I enjoy maintaining an upbeat atmosphere on the court to keep everyone smiling and enjoying the game,” she said. “My favorite thing about volleyball is the friendships I’ve formed. At DeSales, our team is seriously like a family and the girls have truly become my best friends. I couldn’t ask for a better team to play with. I love just getting on the court and playing, so it always puts me in a good mood.”

Paige is a chemistry major at DeSales with a concentration on forensics. After graduation she plans to work at a pharmaceutical company in a research laboratory.