News at St. Catherine's
Times-Dispatch: For St. Catherine's volleyball star Quinn Menger, the court is a second home
Menger was named the Metro Player of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
BY ZACH JOACHIM
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 26, 2019
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 26, 2019
Walking around St. Catherine’s campus with Quinn Menger feels a little like tagging along with a celebrity.
As you walk down the steps of the Kenny Athletic Center to the gym, a passing administrator smiles and tells you “Quinn is our rock star.”
As you enter the gym, basketball players shout, “you go Quinn,” and, “we love you Quinn!”
Menger smiles, appreciative of the praise. But she said accolades make her feel awkward, because she doesn’t play with them in mind.
“I play to have fun,” Menger said. “Sometimes I feel guilty because some other people probably deserved it more than I did.”
This year, Menger's play was more than deserving — the Saints’ junior setter is the All-Metro player of the year for girls volleyball.
Menger was a first team all-state selection and the LIS player of the year. The future Penn State Nittany Lion doled out 660 assists, served 68 aces, hit 130 kills, and added 60 blocks and 129 digs.
Penn State has won seven national championships, the most of any Division I program. Coach Russ Rose has led the program since 1979, and his .861 career winning percentage ranks first in NCAA DI history.
Menger was 10 years old when she attended her first camp in Happy Valley. She always thought of Penn State as a “reach school,” until suddenly it wasn’t.
“I never anticipated actually having an opportunity to go there. Those camps, I was scared to death, they were really good,” Menger said with a laugh. “I never thought some girl from Richmond who put in tons of work could make that happen.”
St. Catherine’s went 26-5 this year, and finished the season ranked 14th in the state by MaxPreps. The Saints advanced all the way to the VISAA title match, where they fell 3-1 to Flint Hill, the top-ranked team in Virginia.
Menger had no shortage of offensive options — sophomore outside hitter Elise Williamson was a first team All-State honoree, and senior middle blocker Jailah Channer was named to the second team. The duo totaled 541 kills between them.
Coach Skip Weston noted a particular camaraderie in this year’s team. That culture drove them to the state final, and Menger had a major hand in building it, he said.
“Everyone on the team is welcome, it’s a family,” Weston said. “And Quinn and (senior libero) Claire (Ellis) have been a big, open part of that.”
Weston added that Menger functions as another coach on the court. She’s been around the game since she was a 3-year-old watching her parents coach. That early experience helped her lead by example as early as eighth grade.
Menger has been a mentor to not only her teammates, but to young players in the Richmond area. The Saints host a camp in the summer, and Menger loves helping the kids there.
“It’s right up my alley, we’ll break the speaker out and play music,” she said. “It’s fun for them to realize that it’s a fun place to be.”
She hasn’t thought about the prospect of coaching down the road, but can’t imagine life without the game.
Menger’s time on the court has been the aspect of high school she’s enjoyed the most — the relationships she’s built while playing the sport she loves that will stick with her more than anything.
“The fact that some of my teammates are going to be my bridesmaids is so touching,” she said with a wide smile. “The fact that you get to do what you love with the people you love is awesome.”
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
