Salata's super sense of style sends her to N.C. State

Colleges, Margaret Salata might attest, are sometimes like a pair of shoes.

Finding the perfect fit isn't always easy.

But when you do find the right match, you're bouncing on Cloud Nine. Barefoot.

Salata, a Stevenson senior and an inspiring fashion merchandising major, found her match recently. She made it official this week, signing a national letter of intent to pursue her education and volleyball career at North Carolina State University.

It's a "great fit," noted her dad, Ron, who wasn't trying to be clever.

Talk about stylin'.

NC State is one of the few colleges that boasts both a Division I women's volleyball program and fashion merchandising major.

That's so Salata, who's a lotta volleyball player at 6 feet 1 ("in shoes," she says) and who's an admitted clotheshorse.

"Shoes are my weakness," said the middle hitter, who, Stevenson fans will agree, looks good in gym shoes on a volleyball court.

"I may be 6-1, but I still enjoy my pair of high heels."

She has a passion for fashion.

"I am so excited to learn about everything in the fashion business," Salata said. "(At NC State), I'm going to learn how clothes are made and every little part of the industry -- not just how to market and sell clothes."

While she learns about fashion, she'll try her best to make the Wolfpack a rags-to-riches story. The team went 3-29, including 0-22 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, last fall. That, after a 2-29, 0-22 campaign in 2006, NC State's first under current head coach Charita J. Stubbs.

"They're in the process of rebuilding their program," Salata said. "Even though their numbers (last season) looked harsh, they did pretty well for them."

"I'm hoping by my junior or senior year we'll be one of the top teams in the ACC."

Salata will certainly bring a winning attitude to the Raleigh campus. In her three varsity seasons, including two as a starter, Stevenson went 98-19. Salata rang up 230 kills and 100 solo blocks her senior season.

So, what happens if NC State's losing ways continue in the fall?

Salata won't sulk.

"Since I'm so competitive, I may have an issue with (losing)," she said. "But I know the other girls on the team are just as competitive as I am."

Salata said Stubbs offered her a full scholarship, via e-mail, before even meeting her.

Upon request, Salata provided Stubbs a skills video, which she made with the help of current Libertyville senior Amber Bryant and former Stevenson setter Katharina Boes. The video sufficed for Stubbs, who appealed to Salata in part because she played middle blocker herself for the University of Arizona, where she was a star.

"I'm very excited to have a coach that's a middle," said Salata, whose high school coach, Tim Crow, was also a middle hitter during his college days. "I'm excited to grow as a player at NC State."

Salata visited NC State's campus in February. Back here, a good ol' blizzard was brewing.

"For my mom (Bridget) and I to get off the plane and for it to be sunny and warm, it was the most fantastic thing," Salata said. "I didn't want to leave. It was so nice."

Stubbs and assistant coach Keisha J. Demps gave Salata the tour, but the girl from Illinois was already hooked.

"When I went there on a visit, I fell in love with everything," Salata said. "North Carolina blew me away with just how gorgeous the state is itself.

"It's so different (from here). I definitely could imagine living there the next four years."

When she graduates from NC State, Salata plans to pursue her masters, hopefully at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which is one of the top fashion schools in the country.

"I've taken every single fashion class at Stevenson and I'm very excited to learn about it," she said.

While she's a good student, Salata never earned a 4.0 in her first three years of high school. She made that a goal heading into her senior year, and saw it come to fruition last semester, when she pulled a 4.27 GPA.

Bottom line: She's a confident girl.

That's what Stubbs has to look forward to the next four years.

"She told me she needs a go-to player on the court and I flat-out told her , 'I will be that go-to player for you,' " Salata said. "I'm really excited to make an impact there."

If noting else, she'll make it a point to be dressed for success.