Macy Van Den Elzen had a senior year to remember. The recent Emmaus High School graduate took home a lot of individual accolades on the volleyball court for her performance last fall.

The latest came this week as Van Den Elzen was voted the 2019-20 Lehigh Valley Health Network East Penn Press Female Athlete of the Year.

“I’m honored to be recognized by our local writers who know us so well both on and off the court,” Van Den Elzen said. “Their support in telling our stories to the community is what is important. Being named EPP Female athlete of year with so many accomplished female athletes is humbling.”

Van Den Elzen was a prominent player in front of the net for Emmaus the last three years, starting nearly every match along the way. This past season, she finished with 410 kills, 144 digs, 71 service aces and 50 blocks. She had a senior season to remember.

Van Den Elzen is committed to continue her career at Penn State University this fall.

“As a student-athlete at Emmaus I learned valuable life skills with cooperation, leadership and time management,” said Van Den Elzen. “Having been involved in sports has really helped me develop a positive attitude. It has made me want to strive toward continual self improvement. I think the discipline and goal setting I’ve acquired over the years will help at Penn State.”

The Green Hornets ended their 2019 season at 22-9-2 overall, finishing as semifinalists in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoffs and runner-up in the District 11 Class 4A tournament to qualify for the state playoffs.

A two-time All-State honoree, Van Den Elzen posted a hitting percentage of .372 last season. She was also selected as the EPC and District 11 MVP, and was named a 2019-20 Under Armour First-Team All-American. She also earned 2019-20 Gatorade Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year honors.

“I am proud of our accomplishments,” said Van Den Elzen. “I feel like we honored our past teammates, our school and our legacy as players. We have certainly come a long way. At the end of the day though, it’s really not about the wins. It’s more about how much we’ve grown and how much we still love to play the game. I’m so thankful for the memories and the sisterhood. I wish all the best to Emmaus volleyball.”

Van Den Elzen was a top contributor for the Green Hornets since her first years with the program as an underclassman. But she used each year to continue to get better and improve her overall skill set.

“I always try to develop all aspects of my game not just on the court but also off the court,” Van Den Elzen said. “As I got older the mental part of the game became more important as well as conditioning while improving my on-court skills.”

Within the next month Van Den Elzen will begin her next chapter, becoming a collegiate student-athlete. Whether there will be a volleyball season at the Division I level and Big Ten this fall is still to be determined, but the journey will still be taking place soon.

“I’m looking forward to new opportunities with a new team, new coach and new school,” said Van Den Elzen. “I’m excited to be playing at the next level. I know it will allow me to grow both as a player and a person.”