Upper St. Clair outside hitter Amos looks forward to joining sister at Duke

When it came to her collegiate volleyball career, Alex Amos knew she either would be playing with or against her sister.

The Upper St. Clair junior outside hitter chose to join forces again with her older sister Sam, a freshman outside hitter at Duke University.

“Obviously, playing with her was my better option. I am struggling playing without her now. The feeling of getting to play with her again is beyond exciting,” she said. “My ultimate goal was to play in the ACC. I loved Duke way before my sister went there. It just felt like home. The coaches are amazing and so are the players. Everything about it feels like a family.”

Now that Amos has her college destination planned, she can focus on helping the Panthers compete for a section and WPIAL Class AAAA title.

“We're looking really solid. We lost four seniors from last year, but I think we are managing well,” she said. “Expectations are really high once again. We are shooting to get to states.”

Last season, Upper St. Clair fell to Baldwin in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals but won the consolation match to reach the PIAA playoffs. The Highlanders beat the Panthers once again in the PIAA quarterfinals.

This year, though, Upper St. Clair got some payback as it defeated Baldwin, 3-2, in a Section 2 showdown. It snapped the Highlanders' 41-match winning streak against WPIAL opponents.

“That was a huge win for us. Probably other than making it to states, one of our goals was to beat Baldwin,” said Amos, who has been sidelined while dealing with an irritated stress response in her left tibia. “It was a really tight match, and they are the best opponent we have (on the schedule). It's always good competition when we play them.”

At 6-2, Amos, an All-WPIAL and all-state selection last year, is a force at the net. However, she continues to work on her game.

“All around, I've been trying to improve. My goal was to get better, and I am happy with how far I've come in three years,” she said. “Hitting and passing are my two biggest strengths.”

Panthers coach Alex Hinsey is happy with how she turned a weakness (passing) into a big positive.

“My first year as coach was her freshman year. We knew she was a dominant hitter, but the passing aspect is what really needed to take off. She was a three-rotation player,” he said. “Now she is our best passer. She has progressed into a six-rotation player, and that's huge for us. I think she can continue working on being a smarter hitter and see her hitting percentage increase.

“Every match and practice, she is working hard to get better. She knows when she goes to Duke, it'll be a whole new level, and she wants to meet that challenge.”

Amos has taken on a leadership role as well.

“We're very lucky. As a junior, she is our most seasoned varsity player. Her leadership skills go a long way as well,” Hinsey said. “We're super proud of her committing to play at Duke. She has worked hard her whole life. It's really, really cool she'll get to play with her sister again, too.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.