Before she became the best at bumps, she had to take a few lumps.
Neumann-Goretti High School senior Valentina Conte will go down as one of the best volleyball players to play the back line at the South Philly school. But getting to that point took a few scary scenes, especially during the opening act.
“I had to learn how to dive first,” Conte said about learning how to dig a ball. “At first, I didn’t do it right and I remember my first coach (Scott Carcillo) told me to brace my arms. I was just plopping on my hands and that could break my wrists. He taught me the flow. It’s something like a dolphin dive.”
During the trial era, there were a few unfortunate errors. One particular stuck with Conte from her freshman year.
“We were away. I forget what school it was but it was my freshman year and they had just waxed the floor,” Conte said. “I noticed it while warming up, and I knew it wasn’t going to be good. I dove for a short ball and I got stuck and my feet hit the back of my head. My back cracked and it was the most painful thing ever. I tried to look and act cool after but the whole crowd oohed. I was like, ‘I’m good. I’m good.’ ”
Conte can laugh at it three years later as she recorded her 500th career dig for Neumann-Goretti in a match against Archbishop Carroll on Sept. 24. It’s a milestone rarely reached in high school volleyball, but Conte has been piling up the numbers since she first hit the floor — rather harshly — during her freshman year. Conte combines her athletic tracking ability with a fearless mindset to snuff out opposing kills and keep the play alive for the Saints. She’s just wired to bravely dive across the hardwood and think about the consequences later.
“All I’m saying in my head is, ‘Go for it.’ You gotta let go,” Conte said. “I just gotta go and think about it after.”
Conte got her start playing CYO volleyball at St. Richard Elementary School and she joined Jersey Juniors Volleyball for club when she reached high school age. She’s helped Neumann-Goretti steady its program as the Saints have shown improvement year-after-year since the COVID pandemic.
The Saints are 1-4 through five Catholic League matches (4-4 record overall), but they’ve already played most of the top competitors including Carroll, Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Ryan.
“This hard streak is only bettering us and making us tougher,” Conte said. “(Assistant Coach Nora Cerone) is not playing it safe at all. We’re working hard in practice.”
Conte relies on her talented teammates for success and said the 500-dig milestone was a team achievement. Conte wasn’t keeping track of her dig count, but her teammates were right on top of it.
“I have such a great team,” Conte said. “I love my girls. They truly make the season so much more enjoyable. They planned for me to get 500 digs so well. I literally had no idea. They made it so special and something I’ll never forget.”
During school hours, Conte is an ambassador at Neumann-Goretti and a member of the National Honor Society. She’s also a member of the yearbook club and Italian club. She hopes to study physical therapy in college next year.
But before she heads off to higher learning, Conte is looking to create a few more volleyball memories along with creating a few more bruises.
“Joining this team has really made my high school experience,” Conte said. “I can’t even imagine not playing volleyball for Neumann. Freshman year, when I tried out, I was so happy to make the varsity team. I made such good friends and I looked up to those older girls. Now I’m a senior and I have to try to be the role model for the girls coming in. It just made my high school experience so much more enjoyable having volleyball to look forward to.” ••
