High school volleyball athletes commit to playing in college

Multiple South Placer-area high school girls' volleyball players have recently committed to continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level such as players from Whitney, Rocklin, Del Oro and Woodcreek High schools. Three Whitney High volleyball players will continue at the next level, including Sierra Foothill League Most Valuable Player Katelyn Cochran, who will compete at Oregon State University. Jenna Kraft is committed to California State University at Monterey Bay while Alyssa Eimer will play at Santa Clara University. Three players from Woodcreek High have also committed to playing in college: Sofia Guerrero, Skyla Graham and Cady Hatch. Guerrero and Graham will play both indoor and beach volleyball at Sierra College in Rocklin while Hatch is going to American River College. "I'm very excited to be playing at American River next year and am mostly looking forward to playing at a faster level and improving my volleyball skills," Hatch said. "Some of the things I want to work on before going would be making my serve more flat and faster and improving on building my volleyball IQ." The Lady Timberwolves trio combined for 556 kills and 85 blocks while Guerrero led the team in digs and assists with 303 and 502, respectively. For Rocklin High, senior Avery Gottschalk is signed and committed to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. She will look to build off of a strong final season with the Thunder where she totaled 175 kills and 61 blocks. "I'm beyond excited to have the opportunity to play at the next level and it has been my biggest dream since I was in middle school," Gottschalk said. "I'm working on my physical strength and mental volleyball IQ. My biggest goals are to be a block leader of my team and to be high on the team in hitting percentages." Del Oro High senior Ally Chandler is committed to the University of California at Davis on a full-ride scholarship, according to her coach Tricia Vidlund. Chandler helped lead the Lady Eagles to the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals and an appearance in the NorCal playoffs. She will join an Aggies team that finished 15-15 last season.