GREENVILLE – For Greenville senior Brooke Stachler, it is a chance to continue playing a game she loves.
Stachler admitted she was concerned the opportunity to play volleyball at college might not happen, but that all changed on Monday night when she signed her letter of intent to continue playing volleyball at Edison State Community College.
“It is exciting to know I am going to continue playing volleyball,” Stachler said just before she put pen to paper surrounded by family and friends in the Greenville High School lobby just outside the gymnasium. “I didn’t think I was going to get that opportunity, but now that I have the chance I am super excited.”
Stachler said ESCC contacted her for a tryout and the rest is as they say history. Her career plan is to be a social worker.
“I think it will work out well,” Stachler said. “When I was at the tryout I mixed well with the girls and they were all super nice so I think it will be good for me.”
This past season, Stachler compiled 457 assists which is more than she had the previous two seasons combined. As a sophomore she had 93 assists and 232 her junior year.
“My first three years at Greenville we didn’t have the best season,” Stachler said. “But this last season we got the new coaches Jim and Michelle Hardesty and we had one of the best seasons we’ve ever had. I am just really thankful that got to happen in my senior year.”
Greenville marked an 11-12 record under the Hardestys this year, the most wins in a season for the Lady Wave since 2012 when they also had an 11-12 record.
“It is an exciting day,” said Michelle Hardesty. “I think Edison is a good fit for Brooke having seen them play in the recent past. She will fit right in there. It is a good college and a good start to a college career so we are very proud of her and we will do our best to be supportive and attend some of her games so we are looking forward to that.”
Jim Hardesty agreed.
“(Brooke) is mentally tough. We put her through a lot of paces this year being our first year and we leaned a lot on her as far as leading the team on the court,” he said. “I know she was the first one I went to to get the word to the rest of the team on what we needed them to do and she did a great job with that, and if she can put up with us leaning down on her like that she can put up with anything. To her being the captain was a no-brainer. She did a great job with that too and I don’t think we would have had it any other way. She was the first one to greet us and the last one to leave at night and she was the main cog in our wheels here.”
“Having a player go off to college says a lot about her and her abilities,” Michelle added. “But it also says a lot for our program this year. From where the Greenville program has been the last few years to where they finished this year the fact that colleges were looking at our players speaks volumes to them and to where this program is headed. We have players. We have underclassmen that are interested in a college path and we are big advocates of that. We will push and do whatever we have to do to get them to that level.”
Edison State Community College assistant volleyball coach Ashley Ryan also attended the signing and confirmed Stachler’s abilities on the court. ESCC was 24-9 this season.
“Brooke will be a strong player for us,” Ryan said. “We are going to have a lot of girls returning which is nice. We have three other liberos that will be coming in so that will be good, healthy competition for them to battle for who gets to play. It will be good for them and for everybody.”
Stachler also thanked her family, coaches and friends for all their support over the years.
