Dukes’ Reese Hirschfeld surpasses 1,000 career assists

“It’s such an accomplishment. It makes me feel like I’ve achieved so much in my life already, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t for my teammates,” she said. “Every single day we’re getting work done and they’re getting me more touches. I wouldn’t have hit this milestone if it wasn’t for them because it’s a pass, a set and a hit, so it all comes together with the passers too.”

Hirschfeld has been a key cog in the lineup as part of York’s core senior quartet alongside Cynley Wilkinson, Chloe Koch and Lainey Portwine, and her and her teammates’ efforts have not gone unnoticed by third-year head coach Kelby Phillips.

“Reese has kind of been the heart and soul offensively for the last couple of years here. She works so hard defensively, and that means a lot to me that that’s her mindset, but she hustles for everything and when her teammates see the effort she puts out, everyone works a little bit harder in those moments,” Phillips said. “That’s a really good leadership quality as a setter, but she also invests a lot of time in building relationships with her attackers, both in the ones she’s been in school with for a handful of years and with the newcomers. She wants to know every detail about what each hitter likes, what they prefer and teaching some of those younger kids how to give feedback. It’s just building that rapport, and Reese does a really good job. She kind of ‘mother hen’s’ them sometimes, but between that and her decision-making it makes her an effective setter.”

Hirschfeld’s path at York hasn’t always been the smoothest ride. After recording 10 assists during 11 sets as a freshman, she was off to a promising start in 2022 before injuries waylaid her sophomore campaign.

Between a pair of injuries – the latter being a season-ending ACL tear – Hirschfeld only appeared in 39 sets for the Dukes, though she made an impact when she was on the court with 210 assists, 106 digs, 32 kills, 10 aces and five blocks.

However, she was determined to not let the setback stop her, hitting the gym with a renewed force upon recovery from the injury.

“Last year and the year before was a little bit of a struggle bus for me, but my mindset the whole time was just to get in and get work done,” she said. “I’ve put my mind to so many things, and volleyball was one of them where I wanted to sit there and get it done, play until I got all my reps finished. I took my time getting the reps in and my consistency back because after an injury, it’s hard to get back and going again, but my teammates helped me through the whole process.”

Hirschfeld’s efforts in bouncing back from the injury-riddled sophomore campaign paid dividends last fall, as she earned News-Times all-area recognition and was a third-team Central Conference pick as a junior.

The setter racked up 722 assists in 2023 to finish second on the final area charts behind Centennial’s Ella Wambold, racking up 30-plus assists in seven matches with a career-high 49 in a five-set win over Milford.

Additionally, she netted at least 10 assists in all 32 of York’s matches and committed just 22 errors all season.

“When she first came back last summer, even though she had a brace on it looked like she hadn’t missed a beat,” Phillips said. “As time went on, she started to figure out where her strengths where at, and it contributed a little bit more to her decision-making, especially when she’s running after balls that are a little more chaotic. She just has a better sense of self now, as well as her teammates around her.”

Despite her prowess as a setter, Hirschfeld was far from a one-trick pony for York as she tallied 212 digs, 62 kills, 18 blocks and 17 aces while hitting .179 as an attacker and serving 92.9% from the line.

She’s been even better early in her senior season, racking up 71 assists in three matches with an average of 10.1 per set. Additionally, she’s notched 19 digs and five kills on a .214 hitting percentage to go along with a pair of aces.

Hirschfeld has also done a stellar job getting a slew of the Dukes’ attackers involved in the offense. While Wilkinson and Koch racked up the majority of the kills in 2023 as a young roster endured some growing pains on the fly, the script has looked much different thus far in 2024.

Wilkinson and Koch are still among the hitting leaders with 21 kills apiece, but they’re tied for team high honors with a third hitter in freshman Harley Wardyn.

All three are hitting .152 or better; York’s also getting some very efficient play from sophomore Addison Andersen, who has 10 kills on 16 swings against just one error for a scorching .562 hitting percentage as the Dukes’ No. 4 offensive option.

“In a game, my mindset is to see who the blockers are on the other side of the court and to figure out who’s the weakest block, then get that person the set so they can come out with the kill,” Hirschfeld said. “I’m also trying to figure out, depending on the pass, who is the best attacker in the moment. A lot of it depends on the pass, but overall I think we can distribute the ball a bunch with this new group we have.”

With 1,000 career assists firmly in her rearview mirror, Hirschfeld can now look to closing her York career out with a bang. After a 11-21 campaign last fall, the Dukes have opened the season with three consecutive wins heading into Thursday night’s clash with Aurora.

If Hirschfeld and her senior classmates can maintain the level of play they’ve shown early, there’s no telling how high they can help York climb and what sort of legacy they’ll leave on the program.

“I want to be known as the leader on the court who wasn’t afraid to take risks,” Hirschfeld said. “I want people to see I’m willing to dive on the floor and get to any ball I can so that my hitters can attack and we can get to our goals.”