Western Nebraska Community College volleyball players Kathryn Stock and Kuulei Kabalis will be taking their talents to the next level after verbally committing to NCAA Division I schools.
Stock, who is from Thibodeaux, La., is going 15 minutes from home after agreeing to attend Nichols State University in Louisiana. Kabalis is staying in the Midwest as she committed to Kansas State University.
Both players said they fell in love with the Division one programs.
“The girls and coach were really nice and they made me feel like myself, and I just felt good there,” Kabalis, who was named to the NJCAA national tournament last fall in helping the Cougars to the national title. “I just had a good feeling when I went there.”
Surprising enough, Kabalis had dreams of playing at a Division I program, but nothing like a top-notch university that she is headed to. “My goal was to go to a Division I school, but I didn’t know I would be going to a Big 12 school,” the 5-foot-6 libero said. “I am just really excited about going to Kansas State and it is just a feeling that is unbelievable.”
Kabalis also was looking at the University of Utah, Washington State, Hawaii, and Arkansas State, but when it came down to it all, she elected to stay in the Midwest. Even though she KSU won’t be playing Colorado and Nebraska, who are opting for new conferences next year, she said that is staying somewhat close to WNCC.
“It [the Midwest] wasn’t somewhere I wanted to stay, but they got be there and I am just excited to see what will happen next,” she said.
While Kabalis is still a good distance from her hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, Stock is going to closer to home. Stock said one of the biggest reasons she decided to go to Nichols State was because the coach didn’t have a problem with her Morman believes, which included not playing on Sunday.
“I liked that the coach at Nichols supported me and told me it was OK for the believes that I had here,” Stock said. “[Because of my religion] I don’t play on Sundays and Coach Gi doesn’t make me play on Sundays, and that is something hard to find in DI programs. That was a big deal to me.”
Being just minutes from home was also something that was a positive influence for her decision.
“The school is only 15 minutes from my house and that was really interesting to me,” she said. “It will be pretty cool to have my friends and family support me. I also really liked their art program, which is what I am going to go into.”
Stock was looking many offers, including Manhatten College in New York, Idaho State, Tulane, McNeese State, and Northern Michigan. Stock realized that going to that Division I program was too good to pass up.
“I felt like it was the right place for me to. I also knew some of the girls on the team and that helped,” she said. “It definitely was a really hard decision because I had so many good offers. I liked almost every place I went.
Stock and Kabalis it is a big relief to get the decision out of the way.
“It is huge to get this decision taken care of,” Kabalis said. “I am so glad I got to choose this school. Now, I can actually focus on school now instead of having to worry about where I am going next year.”
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