Abby Felkai reaches 1,000 assists through leadership and heart

Long before she surpassed 1,000 career assists, junior setter Abby Felkai was a ten-year-old falling in love with volleyball. 

When she first started her volleyball career, Felkai had experience at every position. She said this helped to give her a holistic view of the game.

 After primarily being an outside hitter, she began playing as a setter when she was 15 years old.

Once she transitioned into collegiate competition, Felkai said she realized being a setter was the best fit for her. She said the position, which requires a high volleyball-IQ and the ability to make quick decisions, worked for her as a big “thinker” in the game.

As this season began, the team welcomed head coach Shawn McLaughlin which brought new learning opportunities. 

Felkai said McLaughlin’s appointment allowed her to further dive into the setter position, learning how to think in the moment, react quickly and set up teammates for success during games. 

“With our new coach coming in, we started doing specific setter scouts,” Felkai said. “Now we’re looking at things like block schemes, matchups, different tempos, different routes that might work, and honestly, that’s just way beyond what I have ever been coached with in my life.” 

Gabe Woffindin, an assistant coach and a recruiting coordinator, said McLaughlin, who trained as a collegiate setter, has strengthened Felkai’s confidence in her position. 

Woffindin said Felkai began training with McLaughlin in the spring, building her technical skills.

Junior outside hitter Alysia Fingall said Felkai’s sense of calmness radiates deep within the team. 

She said Felkai’s mood doesn’t fluctuate but remains at a consistent level, which allows her to act as a pillar of consistency for the team. 

“She’s fiery, competitive, driven, and she’s open to feedback and to trying things,” Fingall said.

Woffindin said that determination doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Fingall said Felkai’s eyes are set on one main goal: to win a conference championship. 

“(Felkai)’s probably one of the hungriest people to win a championship, to win a game,” she said. “I think, personally, she’s never content, she’s always looking for something to improve on.” 

McLaughlin said Felkai has set a tone for the team of what determination and work ethic look like as she hunts for that championship win. 

He said those aspects of her as an athlete and individual are part of the legacy she wants to leave behind when she graduates. 

McLaughlin also said Felkai is competitive, hard working, humble and fun. He said she builds confidence in the people around her — an important part of being a setter — which is one of the reasons her teammates love and trust her as much as they do. 

Felkai said her 1,000 career assists couldn’t have been accomplished without the help of her teammates. 

When she reached this record, she said she felt grateful because it’s not something many people get the opportunity to do. 

“I’m the one who gets the stat for 1,000 assists, but there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that I think also deserves recognition,” Felkai said. 

She also said the team’s spirit and camaraderie is real, and the support system it offers is strong and everlasting. Every individual success, she said, is really a team success behind the scenes. 

In addition to her gratitude for her coaches, teammates and family, Felkai said her faith is important to her and that it’s guided her throughout her time at Lehigh. 

Throughout her time with the Mountain Hawks, Felkai said she never would have thought this achievement was possible. She said she was simply happy to be at Lehigh and is ready to work. 

What keeps her motivated and inspired the most is her sense of gratitude. She said she’s become familiar with the fact that nothing in life is guaranteed, so she embraces every opportunity she has to play. 

“Every day that I get to go to the gym, step on the court, whether I’m tired, sore, whatever it is, I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to do that, because one day volleyball is going to end and I’m going to miss it,” she said.