Tale excited to reclaim the legacy of Fayette Volleyball

Anna Tale was hired in November to take over the Penn State Fayette volleyball program, and she is looking to build the team back up to the level of where postseason success was the standard while allowing the players' passion for the sport to shine.

"My expectation this season is for these girls to give it their all in a sport that we all love," Tale said with a smile. "My goals are to make it to the Rec Hall (for the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference [PSUAC] championships) and reclaim the legacy that Penn State Fayette is known for.  My goals are to make it to PSUAC playoffs and to be able to play at USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) Nationals, considering we are hosting the tournament this year."

Tale said the key returning players will be Pasepa Driso-Buwawa (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands HS HS), and Kamden Miller (Midland, PA/Lincoln Park) and Tyannah Eddings (Uniontown, PA/Uniontown HS).

"Pasepa and Tyanna are our leaders," Tale said. "Pasepa has such a presence on and off the court that emanates well with the girls. They all look up to her for guidance and composure when things go awry or when the mood of the court is shifting because we're down.  Tyanna is a great leader, because as libero, she is always giving her all to go for any and all balls that she can get to keep the team in play to score another point.  Her persistence in our defense is what helps our other players gain more confidence throughout the game knowing that she will be there to keep the game going."

As one of the key members of the first Penn State Lehigh Valley team, Tale knows the importance of building the program by bringing in new contributors each year.  She mentioned Rylan Musgrove (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville HS), Hannah Cramer (Brownsville, PA/Calvary Chapel Christian), and Mercyangelis Gonzalez-Morillo (Columbia, PA/Columbia HS).

When asked about the top teams in the PSUAC and what Fayette will have to do to attempt to get there, she responded swiftly.

"The top teams in the West are Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State Greater Allegheny, and in the Wast division, it is Penn State York and Penn State Brandywine," she said. "We will have a solid season if we trust each other, communicate and have fun."

For more on the Penn State Fayette volleyball team, go to https://psfathletics.com/sports/sball/index. 

By: Bill Hughes