Bethel Park graduate enjoys warm homecoming
When Stacey Kazalas said she was bringing a few friends over to the house for dinner, her parents, Lynn and Ted, did not blanch when they learned she meant the Loyola Maryland women’s volleyball team. They prepared a feast.
“It was wonderful. A lot of great Greek food,” said Alija Pittenger, who is in her first season as head coach of the Greyhounds. “Stacey was excited.”
Her homecoming was equally thrilling. The trip marked the first time that Kazalas played in front of a partisan crowd since she graduated from Bethel Park High School. The 5-11 sophomore hitter and her club competed in the Robert Morris Tournament to kick off the 2015 season.
“Anytime you play in front of family and friends, it is special,” said Pittenger.
Kazalas agreed. “It was a good feeling being back in Pittsburgh. “Definitely,” she added of the visit to her home. “Everybody loved it and I did, too. I enjoy my teammates, competing and school.”
Although she gained a great deal of playing time, Kazalas couldn’t really say that about her freshman year at Loyola. The Greyhounds finished 2-27 overall. This season, however, there is renewed enthusiasm among the Greyhounds since the arrival of Pittenger. The two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at Fairfield University played at Michigan and helped the Spartans to three NCAA tournament appearances. She ranked second on her team in digs and kills.
“I played a lot more than I anticipated last season because so many players got injured and the team had to rely a lot on its sophomores and freshman,” explained Kazalas, “but I think the program took a step back. It was in the basement.
“Wow,” continued Kazalas as her eyes grew wide. “Things have definitely improved with the arrival of our new coach. She is definitely a bonus. For me, I have learned so much over the year and made great improvement.”
Despite losing all three matches in the Robert Morris Tournament before sweeping Howard, 3-0, for the first win of the season, Kazalas, indeed, has developed. In 2014, she racked up 118 kills. Already, in four matches, she leads the Greyhounds with 46.
“Stacey is working hard,” Pittenger said. “Anytime you have a new coach coming in, it’s an adjustment.
“Stacey is super athletic and we like to take advantage of that athleticism. We also want her to be fast and aggressive. When she does that, she is hard to stop.”
Before arriving at Loyola, Kazalas was hard to stop. At Bethel Park High School, set earned all-state, all-WPIAL and all-section honors multiple times. The Almanac’s Player of the Year in 2013, she also earned team MVP honors as a junior and a senior. During those two seasons, she recorded 456 kills to lead the team. She hit .340 her final year and averaged 4.7 kills a game.
Kazalas views her high school years as well as her days spent in the AAU system as steppingstones to where she is today and offers candid advice for young players attempting to follow in her footsteps. “Never give up,” she said. “If you don’t push yourself, then you don’t know what you are capable of doing. Keep the love of the game in you, too. There is no point in doing it, if you do not love it.”
Kazalas clearly loves the sport as witnessed by her performances at the RMU Sewall Center. In between points, she and her teammates enthusiastically applauded every successful play.
“Every point in volleyball is precious,” she explained with a wide smile. “It can make or break a match. So you celebrate as a team each time because you are close to your goal and that’s to win the set.”
Though Loyola won no matches in the Robert Morris Tournament, the games will go a long way towards helping the Greyhounds achieve their ultimate goal. “It’s good to see such great competition so early in the season. It’s a great way to start off the year against tough teams,” explained Kazalas. “It will help us improve as we try to reach our goals.”
If improvement translates into a NCAA tournament berth, Kazalas said that she would gladly accept that. “I would be happy. I would love to see us make NCAA playoffs.”
Besides volleyball, Kazalas is loving school and her classes. The sophomore is majoring in psychology. “School is going well. I love my classes,” she said. “It’s really been easy to adjust to school.”
Because one of her teammate, Corri Waters, an Elizabeth-Forward graduate from Pittsburgh, Kazalas seldom gets homesick. Until, of course, she gets hungry for some great Greek food.