Chelsi Roark of Sale Creek HS, seated, who has signed to play volleyball for Bryan College.Chelsi Roark, a Sale Creek team captain and all-state selection, recently signed a volleyball scholarship with Bryan College. She helped the Class A Lady Panthers win a school-record 49 victories and the District 6-A and Region 3 titles on the way to the program’s first state tournament, where they finished third.
Sale Creek coach Debbie Hill said she expects Roark, who had a team-high 555 digs last fall, to be a defensive specialist for the Lady Lions. Roark also totaled 315 kills for the Lady Panthers and contributed 88 aces.
“She played all the way around for us,” Hill said of Roark, who plans to major in business. “She led us on defense, and she’s a smart offensive player. She uses her knowledge of the volleyball game to her advantage.
“She’s really a nice girl and I think the environment at Bryan will be a good fit for her.”
Roark said she was in middle school when she began dreaming of playing college athletics. She also said Bryan was a school she had considered attending regardless, so when coach David Shumaker started talking to her, she was plenty interested.