Kopecky commits to W. Virginia

Michelle Kopecky had been a lifelong swimmer when she came to Conant High School as a freshman.

"But I was kind of getting burned out with it," she admits. "The 5 a.m. practices were tough. I also thought about doing cross country (in the fall of her freshman year), but everyone told me I should try volleyball."

So Kopecky took the advice and played on the Cougars' freshman A team.

Not only did she become one of the best varsity players in the area by the time she was a junior (all-area selection), Kopecky has now earned a Division I scholarship.

The 6-foot senior outside hitter made a verbal commitment to play for West Virginia.

"I never thought it would happen when I was a freshman. I was so bad," Kopecky said. "I had been a swimmer all my life. My whole family swims."

Michelle's brother Carl was a former state qualifier for Conant in the freestyle.

Michelle adapted quite well to volleyball. She decided to play year-round and the countless hours paid off.

"Once I knew I wanted to play in college, I was aiming to be Division I," she said." I didn't want to play D-III."

The West Virginia coaches saw Kopecky competing with her Fusion Club team at a tournament in Minnesota earlier this year.

She visited the school in June.

"I loved it," Kopecky said. "I didn't even know what to expect, but when I got there it was like, 'Oh, my God!' I loved the atmosphere. It was like a huge country town and everything was based just off the campus. It's so different than living in Schaumburg."

Kopecky plans to study business.

Last season was her first on Peggy Scholten's varsity team. She made the most of it, leading the Cougars with 179 kills and a .234 hitting efficiency.

"Michelle's dedication to training year-round to the sport has definitely paid off, and I am thrilled for her and her family," Scholten said.