Over the last six months, five players from the Gavilan College women’s volleyball team have signed scholarships to play at colleges all over the country.
Avry Walker, a Gilroy High graduate and first-team All-Coast Conference selection, was the first to sign last fall, accepting a full-ride offer to play at Talladega College in Alabama.
Walker was a two-year starter at outside hitter for coach Kevin Kramer. She left in early January to attend classes and train with her new team at Talladega, where Walker plans to study psychology.
Monte Vista Christian graduate KC Beadle, a two-year starter at middle blocker for Gavilan, signed her scholarship offer to attend and play at Evergreen State College in Washington next fall.
Beadle made her mark on the Rams program by becoming one of the leading blockers in program history. In addition to playing volleyball, Beadle will continue her work toward a degree in theater.
Two other GHS grads Brittany Lewis and Melissa Avila accepted offers. Lewis inked her letter of intent to play at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, next fall. Lewis, a setter, was part of the 2009 Rams squad that captured the program’s first Coast Conference championship and first trip to the CCCAA State Playoffs.
After taking a year off, Lewis returned to the team in 2011 and rotated as one of the three starting setters.
Avila, a back-to-back first-team All-Coast Conference selection, signed with Dickenson State University in North Dakota. Avila made a smooth transition from an all-league outside hitter in high school to setter at Gavilan, where she left as the team’s all-time leader in assists.
Emily Tonascia, a graduate of San Benito High, is the most recent player to sign and has done so by accepting a scholarship to play for and attend Menlo College in Atherton. Tonascia, another two-time first-team All-Coast Conference recipient, was the main offensive threat for the Rams from the middle blocker position.
