A Visit with former WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon's Kaleena (Walters) Davidson

Kaleena Walters (9) with her Penn State teammates

Background Info: Kaleena Walters was a four-year starter for the Mt. Lebanon girls volleyball team who graduated in 2002. Mt. Lebanon made it to the WPIAL Class 3A finals all four years. The Blue Devils lost in the 1998 title match to Greensburg Salem, beat Baldwin and Greensburg Salem in the next two title matches, then lost to Pine-Richland in the 2001 title match. Mt. Lebanon also made three appearances in the PIAA finals with Walters in the lineup. Walers continued her career at Penn State University. She became a starter midway through her freshman year at libero. She still holds Penn State's record for career digs with 1,957. She also served as an assistant coach at Penn State and College of Charleston.

Kaleena Walters' memories of playing in the WPIAL finals
"I started all four years at Mt. Lebanon and we made it to the WPIAL finals all four years. It was an expectation that we make it to the WPIAL finals. There was pressure of being the team to beat, but we were able to handle the pressure well. We had a good core group of girls. Our setter for three years was Amy Brown. Rebecca Gronsky was our middle for three of those years. A lot of us went on to play college ball. It was so exciting to win two WPIAL titles. We worked so hard."

Walters' memories of playing in the PIAA finals
"We made it to the state finals three times. We lost to Greensburg Salem in my freshman year, lost to Susquehannock my sophomore year, and finally won a state title my junior year. We beat Conestoga Valley to win the title. That was my most memorable year because we were able to win both WPIAL and PIAA titles. In my senior year, we were upset by Allentown Central Catholic in the semifinals."

Walters' thoughts on still holding Penn State's career digs record
"I'm really proud of what I was able to accomplish in my college career. It's a reflection of my teammates and coaches. I've held Penn State's dig record since I graduated, but Penn State currently has a libero who should break my record next year."