2024 BCR Volleyball Player of the Year: Senior captain Ellie Harp is the ‘glue’ for Princeton

Ellie Harp has a cool and calm demeanor on the volleyball court.

And her Princeton teammates feed off it.

“I did my best to stay calm on the court,” she said. “I felt like the girls on the team did well when I was calm because they felt my calmness. It spreads throughout the team. That’s how I try to put it off to others.”

Behind their captain’s leadership, the Princeton Tigresses came on strong at the end of the season, winning nine of their last 10 regular-season matches with two set points in a regional semifinal match against an eventual state finalist.

Harp, a senior outside hitter, led the Tigresses with 156 kills (2.1 per set) and led all-area players in serving with 247 points (3.3) to go with 32 aces. She was unanimously named to the Three Rivers East All-Conference team.

For all of her accomplishments, Harp is the 2024 BCR Volleyball Player of the Year.

“It was definitely my most fun I’ve had team-wise,” Harp said. “We all bonded really well and played well together. We all enjoy each other. It was definitely really fun to end on with this team with my last season.

“I think everyone started to just know what everybody’s strengths were by the end of the season and that’s when we started playing well. We definitely found our strengths as a team and we started playing extremely well and we ended on a very high note.”

“She was the glue that held our team together.”

—  Princeton coach Andy Puck

Harp was like a coach’s dream athlete for PHS coach Andy Puck.

“Ellie was a two-year captain and three-year varsity athlete. Ellie was the perfect athlete to coach,” he said. “She was the glue that held our team together. When asked a lot of her, she always rose to the occasion while putting team first and leading by example.”

Harp enjoyed playing all-around.

“When you have to rotate out, I’d lose momentum than being able to stay in I felt like I was always in the game,” she said. “That’s one thing I felt like I struggle with if I got pulled out.”

Harp was especially proud of her serve receive this season.

“I served well and my serve receive was very consistent. That was one of my most ways I contributed to the team,” she said.

Whether she gets a bigger thrill making the big kill at the net or making a key dig, depends on the game.

“If we need a kill to sideout, it’s always fun to get the final kill. But then If you’re playing a really good team that’s hitting hard and getting that dig, that fills so good,” she said.

What Harp likes best about volleyball is the team work involved in every play.

“Like coach Puck always says, it starts with the pass,” she said. “So that’s why I focus on my serve receive so I can give my setter a good pass so she can set to one of our hitters, especially when i was in the back row.”

The Tigresses went down fighting at the end, falling to El Paso-Gridley 27-25, 25-21 after holding a 24-22 lead in the first set and a six-point lead in the second. To see the Titans advance to the state finals helps take the sting out of their season-ending loss, if not bring a case of the what-ifs.

“It always stinks losing, but seeing that that team made it that far .... I could have told you that honestly (they would),” Harp said. “We hadn’t played a team like that. It is nice to think that we did lose to them, but they’re in the final 4. Gives you a little satisfaction.

“I always think, ‘What if we would have pulled out that win?’ We were playing so well, we could have beat anyone. I think if we would have beat them we could have gone really far.”

Harp has taken her last competitive serve and swing at the net. She plans to major in biology and go to PA school.

“It’s definitely sad I won’t be able to play competitive volleyball again like I have, especially since I was young and being around club,” she said. “It’s sad, but everything has to end at some time.”

But it sure was a fun ride.