In her four years at Panther Valley, Riley McArdle was accustomed to playing her game.

She established herself as one of the best volleyball players in school history as well as the greater Schuylkill/Carbons region. When she graduated last year, McArdle had set school marks in digs (947), kills (295), and aces (217). She was the Times News Volleyball Player of the year in both 2022 and 2023.

However, this season McArdle has shifted her focus in a new environment.

She recently completed her first season at King’s College, where her priorities lie as a defensive specialist and back row player for the Monarchs. Still, many of her prior results have remained the same.

Much as she did at Panther Valley, McArdle played the season as an outside hitter and defensive specialist, but now has some new surroundings, yet still with the same results.

McArdle led the team in sets and games played (88), and also was first in aces (43) and second in digs (205). She also had 47 kills and scored 90.5 points. King’s finished with an overall 18-10 record.

“I have changed my position where I am on the court,” stated McArdle. “This season, it has been more about defense. I was able to get away with more stuff in high school.

“This was different. I was able to move to the front row in high school, but I am more stationary here.”

From the start, though, McArdle knew it was going to be a challenge.

“Coming here, I understood that I was going to be competing against 20, 21, and 22-year olds,” reflected McArdle. “I knew I had to work hard. For me, hard work has always produced the best results.

“I got better in everything that I did.”

Kings’ head coach Bernard Kachinko was confident McArdle could make a smooth transition.

“Riley was a standout athlete in high school, and had outstanding all-around volleyball skills that I felt would transition very well into her college volleyball career,” stressed Kachinko. “She is an effort player, and puts her heart and soul into whatever she does. Her work ethic is beyond outstanding, and she is one of the hardest working kids I have ever coached and is never going to get outworked. She has an amazing competitive spirit.”

Kachinko didn’t hesitate to move McArdle to her current position and was immediately impressed.

“I felt coming into her freshmen year that she had the ability to make her mark immediately as a back row player,” he added. “The strength of our team is our back row, and Riley made it even that much stronger. What we call the back row sorority of our five players, well that sisterhood went to another level with the addition of Riley, who was the only freshman back row player.

“Riley’s transition going from a left back position player in high school to a middle back player in college transitioned well because she worked at it, and she took on and embraced the new challenge. I feel she can play all the back row positions well, and her versatility will be a luxury for me to have over the rest of her career.”

“Riley’s versatility has allowed me the opportunity to have her play front row where needed. She has some big ups as an outside hitter, and held her own at the net. I know with how hard she works, she will continue to improve her front row game and work at this challenge.”

McArdle, who is a nursing major, has learned to manage her time wisely with her volleyball commitment. However, she’ll continue to work toward next season with an upcoming league in the spring.

“It’s hard to believe the season is over, and I have a lot of free time on my hands,” reflected McArdle. “I’ll work to keep in shape with weightlifting a few days a week.

“The MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference) is a tough league, and I know what to do to improve my game. I know I have to keep working, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do next season.”

The King’s volleyball faithful also are looking forward to her next chapter.

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Abigail McGinley, a 2021 Jim Thorpe graduate, recently completed her four-year volleyball career at Alvernia University. McGinley was second on the team this past season in digs (255) and fourth on the team in aces (25). Over her career, McGinley amassed a total of 841 digs, 88 aces, and 118 assists.

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Hailey Shreffler, a Panther Valley graduate, recently recorded an 11th-place finish and received Second Team, all-league honors as a member of the Eastern University cross country team at the MAC championships. She crossed the line in 23:45, which marked the highest finisher for the college at the event since 2021. In the spring, Shreffler won the MAC 1,500-meter championship.

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College Corner will be a review of local athletes who are excelling and extending their career at the next level. Submit your thoughts or any college athlete to tnsports@tnonline.com.