8/11/19
Being a former standout player at Freedom High School, Brianne Giangiobbe has always know the competitiveness of girls volleyball in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
With teams like Parkland and Central Catholic having won state titles in recent history, the EPC is arguably the commonwealth’s toughest league.
Add in Liberty, Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic, and it’s easy to see why many consider the Lehigh Valley to be amongst the best in the state.
Emmaus has also been one of the top programs in the league and that’s what drew the interest of Giangiobbe to apply for the head coaching position.
On Monday, the first official practice date for fall sports teams, the 24-year-old will begin her first season with the Hornets.
“I have been in coaching for a few years now and played for Freedom and being from the Lehigh Valley, Emmaus has always been a strong program with competitive volleyball,” said Giangiobbe who was hired back in March.
“When the coaching position opened, I believed I was qualified. The opportunity seemed too good to not apply and the commitment and work ethic of the student-athletes is something that really drew me towards the program.”
Giangiobbe, a 2012 graduate of Freedom, takes over for longtime head coach Gwen Millets who stepped down after 17 seasons at Emmaus.
Giangiobbe was most recently an assistant coach at Northampton Community College in 2016. Prior to that, she played Division I volleyball at nearby Lafayette College in Easton from 2012 thru 2015 where she earned honorable mention All-Patriot League honors, graduating in 2016 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
While at Freedom, she was a two-time Lehigh Valley Conference, District XI and all-state player, and in her three years on varsity she amassed 993 career kills as an outside hitter. She was also a track standout.
Giangiobbe inherits an Emmaus program that finished 25-7-1 overall a year ago and 14-2 in the EPC. The Hornets reached the District XI Class 4A championship game falling to rival Parkland and also qualified for the PIAA State Tournament for the first time since 1995.
With a number of key players returning to the lineup, including senior outside hitter Macy Van Den Elzen, junior outside hitter Jaya Bhagat, junior Mackenzie Krasley and senior defensive specialist Kelsie Baus, Giangiobbe knows the cupboard is hardly bare as she heads into this, her first season with the Hornets.
“Emmaus has been a consistently strong program in the Lehigh Valley and I followed them throughout last season and I believe they have a strong core to work with,” she said. “This will be a new program for every player, from rising freshmen to returning seniors and I am excited to see them accept the challenge of change and move forward into this upcoming season.”
Emmaus will open up its season on August 30 at 4:45 p.m. when they travel to Southern Lehigh for a non-league match and then a day later, the Hornets travel to Giangiobbe’s former school to compete in the First Kill Invitational at 8:30 a.m.
To keep up to date with the team throughout the season, follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and ‘like’ Emmaus girls volleyball on facebook.