Winning tradition drew Ernest to WNCC

Leyton's setter supreme Katy Ernest has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball and study at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff this fall.

Ernest is headed to a program that has developed a strong tradition for winning in recent years. Under two different head coaches the Cougars have not finished below third place at nationals for seven consecutive years. During that span WNCC has captured a pair of junior college national championships, in 2007 and 2010.

"I was looking for a place to play volleyball and WNCC found me," said Ernest. "Coach (Giovana) Melo asked Coach (Jodi) Craig if I could come up for a visit. I really enjoyed the time I spent with the girls."

Before she decided on WNCC, Ernest was considering several other possibilities, including Hastings College and Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. But there were two deciding factors that swung the pendulum the Cougars way.

"I liked the idea of being close to home and family," Ernest said. "Also I already had some academic scholarships lined up at WNCC and, of course, they have a tradition of winning volleyball."

Though the Cougars were interested in Ernest, they weren't ready to sign her up just based on her statistics and recommendations. She was brought in to scrimmage with the team.

"It was kind of hard because I was recruited as a setter," said Ernest. "Setters are supposed to be leaders and here I am playing with college players. But it went well. It was fun."

Despite her excitement over WNCC, one factor gave Ernest cause to take a step back. Recently Coach Melo decided to accept a job at the Univeristy of California at Bakersfield as its Director of Volleyball.

"That gave me pause because I liked her and respected what she's done for the program," said Ernest. "But I'm confident that a program as strong as WNCC is going to find another outstanding coach."

Ernest played on the varsity squad at Leyton for four years, aiding teams that went a combined 105-21 during the regular season. The past three Warriors teams have gone on to the NSAA State Volleyball Championships.

"Katy has put in a vast amount of time and effort into being the setter that she is," said Warriors head volleyball coach Jodi Craig. "Time and repetition--that's what's made her such a good setter. She has the footwork, she knows where people are on the floor and where they're supposed to be."

As a freshman Ernest saw only limited action on the court behind the Warriors senior setter Kayla Rushman. But Ernest stepped into the full-time setter role as a sophomore. An impressive 85 wins and three trips to state followed.

During her three-year run as Leyton's primary setter she has compiled 1,778 set assists, including 642 this past season.

"When she was a freshman she went to some camps with Kayla," said Craig. "I'm sure Kayla helped her as much as she could, but really Katy is very self motivated."

As Ernest knows full well, being a setter is not just about bringing her considerable talent and work ethic to practice and to the floor every game. Setters on a volleyball court are like quarterbacks in football. Leadership is a part of the job.

"She's a tremendous leader," said Craig. "She's my verbal leader and she's my physical leader. She's also always positive with her comments and treatment of her teammates which helps them play their best."

Besides being a standout on the Leyton volleyball, basketball and track teams, Ernest is also an honor-roll student at Leyton. While she hasn't decided on a course of study yet she is zeroing in on a major that will coincide with one of her passions.

"I've thought about secondary education, athletic training and physical therapy," said Ernest. "But I love animals and especially horses. So maybe I would like to look into being a vet tech or something in that area."