Hall of Fame
Alyssa Kilgore Sage is the first of eight SU volleyball players to record at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs, and to this day, ranks fourth in school history with 1,339 kills and 10th in school history with 1,362 digs. At the time of her graduation, she was just the second player in school history to finish as a three-time All-PSAC volleyball player, and to this day, is one of just 10 players with three All-PSAC classifications.
As a senior in 2004, Sage led the Raiders with 409 kills and ranked third with 415 digs – both career highs – as the Raiders reached the PSAC Championship game under first-year head coach Leanne Piscotty. It was Sage’s second straight All-PSAC First Team honor, and it was the culmination of a turnaround for the volleyball team; in Sage’s first season in 2001, the Raiders posted a 6-23 record. The 2004 team was 21-15, including 8-2 in conference.
In her junior season in 2003, Sage recorded a team-high 339 kills and ranked fourth on the team with 320 digs. She totaled at least 258 kills and 225 digs in all four of her seasons with the Raiders. SU reached the PSAC Quarterfinals in 2003 and posted a 13-19 overall record.
Volleyball was not her only sport at Shippensburg. As a javelin thrower, Sage was a varsity performer for the track & field team. She was a two-time PSAC place-winner in the javelin, posting an All-PSAC, third-place finish as a senior in 2005 with a PR of 141 feet, 8 inches. She placed eighth in the javelin as a freshman at the PSAC Championships with a throw of 130 feet.
Her javelin throws were among the best in the region each season, as Sage finished as a four-time NCAA Division II national provisional qualifier in the event. As a senior, Sage qualified for the 2005 NCAA Championships and finished 10th in the javelin.
After graduating with a degree in secondary education and history from Shippensburg in 2005, Sage went on to earn a master’s degree in American Studies from Penn State University. She taught high school social studies in the Palmyra School District for many years and is now a librarian in the Central Dauphin School District. She also worked as a paraprofessional in a K-2 Emotional Support classroom in the Central Dauphin School District.
Sage has remained active in the community as a volunteer volleyball coach at Cedar Crest High School and with the Palmyra club team and as a volunteer track & field coach at Palmyra High School and Central Dauphin High School.
