In Beaver County, Christa Harmotto is a name synonymous with excellence in women's volleyball.

Christa's athletic talents blossomed in junior high under Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame coach Terry Borkovic. At Hopewell High School, Christa earned two letters in basketball and three letters in volleyball. She set Hopewell volleyball records for hitting percentage (.595) and blocks (186) in a season and led the Vikings girls' volleyball team to a 59-0 record against WPIAL opponents, three WPIAL titles, and a PIAA title. Christa's accolades include being named All-Section, All-WPIAL, and All-State, Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Volleyball Player of the Year in 2004, and Female Athlete of the Year in 2005 by the Beaver County Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She was also selected for the USA Junior National Team as a junior and senior and won gold at the 2004 NORCECA Junior Continental Championships in Winnipeg.

At Penn State, as middle blocker, 6'-2" Christa earned All-Big Ten honors all four years, plus Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior in 2007. She was named American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention as a freshman, second team as a sophomore, and first team as a junior and senior, helping her team to the 2007 NCAA championship while being named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.

As a senior, Christa led the Nittany Lions to a 38-0 record and a repeat NCAA championship, finishing with the highest Division I hitting percentage that year (.486) and with the second highest Division I career hitting percentage (.433). In 2008, she was named ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-American of the Year in the University division. Christa graduated in 2009 with a degree in elementary education following her student-teaching experience abroad at the Yapton Elementary School in southern England.

From 2009 to 2016, Christa played volleyball internationally, in China, Italy, and Turkey. During these years, she also represented the United States in international competitions on Team USA, winning silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, gold at the 2014 FIVB World Championship in Italy, and gold four times at the FIVB World Grand Prix. Christa served as captain for the 2014 and 2015 FIVB teams and the 2016 Olympic team.

Christa and her husband, Derek, along with their two sons, five-year-old Waylon and three-year-old Maverick, reside in Orange County, California.

− Photo courtesy of USA Volleyball