Bridgeport High School standout athlete Abby Strait officially signed this afternoon to continue her volleyball career at Wheeling Jesuit University, where she will join the defending NCAA DII championship Cardinals.

 

“Abby is going to fit up there. Her game is quick, not to mention she wants to continue playing,” said BHS Volleyball Coach Ali Curry. “She knows she can get better and by getting into Wheeling Jesuit’s program, she is going to get even better. She is a competitor and she’s not going to go up there and be ok sitting on the sidelines; she’s going to want a spot on the court. It’s going to takes some work. They have some very good players, but I think she’s going to do well.”

 

Leading the Lady Indians this season with 819 kills, 135 blocks, 163 digs, 53 aces and 32 assists, Strait was named by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as first team All-State, as well as captain of the Class AA first team. She also earned first team Big 10 and Player of the Year.

 

Strait said though she had also visited the campus of Fairmont State University and attended volleyball camp at Marshall University, it was a fairly easy decision to accept Wheeling Jesuit’s offer. She visited the campus in August and by October had made up her mind.

 

“Whenever I visited Wheeling, I could just tell I liked it there,” she said. “The coaches were very sociable and nice and obviously they were national champions, so that drew me to (the program) too.”

 

The fact that the Cardinal volleyball team had recently been recognized for academic achievements was appealing to Strait, as well. The BHS senior carries a 3.84 and is conscientious about her studies. She plans to pursue a degree in biology at Wheeling Jesuit.

 

Curry and Assistant Coach Grant Burton have said consistently throughout the season that Strait has played a major role in the Lady Indians’ record-breaking season. The team went 41-7-5, advancing to the Class AA championship in Charleston, ultimately falling to Philip Barbour and emerging as the state’s runner-up team.

 

“(Abby) is the kind of girl every coach wants on her team because she is a competitor,” Curry said. “She loves to win and she went above and beyond what we’ve asked her to do.”

 

Strait also has been a stellar leader, encouraging this year’s young players and playing a definite roll in nurturing their talents.

 

“I knew (the girls) had a lot of potential because last year when they played jayvee and scrimmaged against (varsity), I saw them give 110 percent,” Strait said. “I knew they had that drive to win so obviously when we got into playing, everything clicked all at once and we started winning a lot.”

 

Strait said although a state championship was just out of the team’s reach, her senior year at BHS was definitely a good run. In fact, the past seven years have been good, she said.

 

“I started playing in the sixth grade at Bridgeport Middle School and played BMS varsity my seventh and eighth grade years,” she said. “At BHS, I played varsity all four years. In fact, I never missed a game – and started in every one.”

 

Strait, who also plays softball for BHS – first baseman and pitcher – said she is already conditioning for the upcoming season. In addition to working out on her own, Strait said she also works annually with Curry and Burton, who are also track coaches, to stay in top condition. She is considering running track her senior year, she said.

 

Curry said that while in Charleston at the state tournament, she was able to talk with Wheeling Jesuit Assistant Coach Matt Benner and he indicated that the university is looking forward to Strait joining the team.

 

“After seeing her tape and watching her play, they’re really excited to get her,” Curry said. “And she’s really getting into a good program, which doesn’t often recruit in West Virginia.”

 

This year the Cardinals stand at 38-2. 

 

The signing took place this afternoon at the BHS library. Accompanying Strait were her parents Kelli and Rob, sisters Madelyn and Lilly and coaches Ali Curry and Grant Burton.