Republic senior volleyball player Haley Chastain has signed to play at Northeast Oklahoma A&M. Chastain joins a team that finished 2013 with a 15-16 record.
“We return quite a few girls, but we need someone to step in right away because obviously, the season wasn’t as successful as we wanted it to be,” says NEO assistant coach Lee Johnson. “What Haley brings is that outside hitter, that (defensive specialist) that we can put out on the court and play kind of an all-around role.”
Republic coach Piper Wright says she’s enjoyed seeing Chastain’s improvement over the past three seasons.
“I’m extremely proud of Haley. It’s been really fun to watch her as a player and to watch her grow and mature as a young lady,” Wright says. “Haley is a really funny kid, in a good way. She’s always been able to keep our team lighthearted and give us a smile when we need it.
“As a player, Haley has been a major contributor on the floor. She’s been an outside hitter for us through two district championships,” Wright says. “She’s not extremely huge and tall, but she can jump like crazy and she’s very dynamic. She’s really fun to watch out there. She just kind of comes in out of nowhere. She got a lot of kills for us and is a huge contributor.”
Chastain says she chose NEO because of its distance from home, its size, and its atmosphere — and she’s also excited to be joined by Republic teammate Maddy Sherman.
“I’m actually really looking forward to playing college ball with my best friend, because Maddy is actually going there with me. We’ve played together since we were in third grade, and that’s probably what I’m looking forward to most,” Chastain says.
“I’m just ready to learn. (In) high school, I learned a lot, but definitely in college, I’m ready to be a totally different player than I was out there. I’m ready to grow a lot as a player and as a person, too.”