Women's Volleyball | 3/26/2020 2:19:00 PM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Laura Gamel, a standout setter and defensive specialist for a state-ranked Michigan high school squad, will begin her college volleyball at West Liberty University in the fall.
    Gamel and her family participated in a brief signing ceremony at her school, Lenawee Christian High School, earlier this month in Adrian, Mich.
    Hilltopper head coach Kayla Mull said Gamel will be a quality addition to the program.
    "Laura has the ability to come in as a freshman and contribute as both a defensive specialist and in the setting position," Mull said. "Adding Laura to the mix just makes us more dynamic as a team and I look forward to seeing Laura's competitive drive in action at the ASRC."
    The 5-5 Gamel comes to the hilltop from a highly-successful program at Lenawee Christian, earning first-team All-Lenawee County honors after a sparkling senior campaign.
    The Cougars spent the entire 2019 season ranked among the Top 10 in Michigan's Division IV state poll and checked in at No. 8 in the final regular-season listing. They came up one match shy of a return to the MHSAA state tournament when they were upended in the regional championship game. Lenawee Christian had made it to the Division IV state tournament quarterfinals in 2018.
    That winning tradition will be a good fit on the hilltop as West Liberty volleyball has racked up more than 80 wins over the past four seasons, advancing the Final Four of the Mountain East Conference Tournament in three of those four years.