Kelso's DeRosier to play for LCC
Friday, July 6, 2007 7:29 AM PDT
By Rick S. Alvord
Printable version
E-mail this articleKacie DeRosier could have played her first collegiate volleyball match a few thousand miles from home in South Dakota or Kansas.
Instead, she'll do it a few minutes from home.
The Kelso High School standout, who will compete in the Washington All-State Volleyball Series next weekend in Fife, has signed a letter of intent to play for Lower Columbia College and new head coach Marcy Gilchrist next season.
"I wasn't ready to leave the area yet," said DeRosier, the Greater St. Helens 3A's first-team all-league setter last season as a senior. "I want to stay home for two years, save some money, get a job and maybe move on from there. But leaving was not a step I was ready to take."
The 5-foot-5 DeRosier chose LCC over the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota and Garden City College in Kansas, two colleges that heavily recruited the former Lassie.
It will be a good fit for DeRosier, who has played competitive volleyball since age 11 and has been a longtime member of the Cowlitz Volleyball Club. Gilchrist also has coached in the club.
"I'm very familiar with Marcy and I'm excited about playing for her," DeRosier said. "I know I'll learn a lot. It'll be intense, but it'll be good for me."
Although her forte is setting the ball for the "big girls to do their job," DeRosier said one of the biggest assets she'll bring to the Lady Devils is camaraderie.
"I think teamwork is one of my strengths. I like the feeling of playing with the other girls. In volleyball, if you don't play as a team, you're going to suffer," she said. "But setting is a lot of fun. I like the adrenaline you get from that pass-set-hit teamwork. I love seeing that ball hit the other side of the court after I make a set."
DeRosier will compete in the Class 3A matches of the Washington All-State Volleyball Series, July 13-15 in Fife.
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