There was never really any doubt that Independence all-stater Aubree Cantrell would play volleyball at the next level.
For that matter, neither was the school she would attend.
Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by family, friends, teammates and coaches, Cantrell elected to stay close to home and sign a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball for WVU Tech.
“I am very excited. I was hoping for a day like today. Since I was in fifth grade it has been my goal to play college volleyball,” Cantrell said. “I am a very stay at home, family first kind of person, so I always wanted to go (to WVU Tech). I went to their camp over at the (YMCA) the summer before my junior year. We started talking and we have been in contact ever since.”
For Golden Bears head coach Amber Linville, adding Cantrell to the team has been a priority for quite some time.
“We have seen her play for a couple of years now. She has been at our camps and we have been able to catch some her games against local teams,” Linville said. “As soon as we saw her we felt like we had to get her on our team and we started talking to her.”
Former Independence head coach Kevin Bragg coached Cantrell for the first three years of her high school career and has long been one of her top supporters.
“Aubree is a great player and a great teammate. She is a coaches dream honestly,” Bragg said. “She is a kid that doesn’t change from year to year.”
Bragg went on to describe why Cantrell has been such a highly sought after player at the next level.
“Every year she came back better, stronger and faster. She was more vocal over the years and she was great with the younger kids. You could never tell if she was in a bad mood,” Bragg said. “She can play anywhere as well. You could put her as the libero and she could do it. Her versatility is a big strength as she moves to college, but so is her knowledge of the game and her volleyball IQ. It is off the charts. She could coach a team.”
Current Independence head coach Ron Moreland coached against Cantrell at Princeton and added his thoughts on what she has brought to the team in his first year in Coal City.
“She is a great competitor. Just over the couple of months that I have worked with her she has been incredibly coachable. She leads in her own style and her own way,” Moreland said. “She is inclusive to everybody. I couldn’t ask for anything more coming into my first year at Independence. She is always thinking on the court. Aubree has also been able to put into place all of the things that she has learned over the years.”
Cantrell’s advanced development throughout high school involved playing travel volleyball for Club Attack under the leadership of Jerry Umberger and former Woodrow Wilson all-state hitter Makenzi Coulter.
“I started playing travel ball my freshman year and I have been with Club Attack ever since. I learned a lot from Kenzie Coulter,” Cantrell explained. “She really helped me develop my versatility. She taught me how to place balls and where to be. Learning where to place balls really taught me how to play every position all the way around.”
Cantrell’s development into an all around player quickly caught the eye of the WVU Tech coaches when they watched the Indy standout perform.
“We got to see her play in a tournament over at Woodrow (Wilson) and she played all around. At that point, we didn’t realize how versatile she really was,” Linville said. “Getting to see her play all the way around was huge for us, just from a recruiting aspect. We are really excited to hopefully play her all around if that option comes up, but we will see how she flows with the team.”
The versatility that Cantrell brings to the floor was not the only aspect of the game that Linville noticed.
“Honestly, from watching her play, she has a drive about her on the floor that you can see,” Linville said. “That is exactly what we need on the team. Playing at the next level, you have to have that or you will face some really tough challenges.”
Both Cantrell and Linville agree that getting stronger will be a key component to success in college, but both are convinced that aspect will come with time.
“That is probably about it. Maybe getting her up to the speed of the college game because it is quite a bit different, but I don’t feel like that is going to be a problem based on how she plays,” Linville said. “I think she will adapt very quickly and be able to help us out a lot.”
Every coach is excited to sign new players, but when asked about Cantrell, Linville did have a special gleam in her eye.
“I don’t know if there is a week that goes by that we don’t talk about how excited we are that we are bringing Aubree onto our team. We are super, super excited to have her,” Linville said. “She has a great personality. We have talked to her club coaches and high school coaches and they all have the same things to say about her. She is a really good athlete and very coachable.”
