As the high school volleyball season comes to a close, it is time for girls to pick where they will continue their volleyball career.

Horizon High School had three girls commit to two different colleges, signing their letters of intent on Wednesday.

Karen Scanlon, Kat Yung and Tori Anderson are seniors on the Horizon volleyball team who will continue their volleyball career at the collegiate level.

Scanlon, who started playing volleyball in eighth grade after she stopped playing basketball and softball, plans to attend University of Tennessee at Martin next year. She began playing volleyball at the private school she attended, Saint John. A friend convinced her to try out for a club team.

Scanlon’s choice to come play volleyball for Horizon was an easy one.

“I live in the Scottsdale Unified School District, but I decided to open enroll in Horizon because of the amazing recommendations about the volleyball program and Coach (Valorie) McKenzie,” Scanlon said.

With volleyball on her mind, Scanlon played on the junior varsity team her freshman year then moving to the varsity level the rest of her time at the high school level.

Scanlon is appreciative of her time at the high school level and everything McKenzie has taught her.

“Our team has developed so much over the past few years,” Scanlon said. “Coach McKenzie is one of the most accomplished and wise coaches I have ever had. I have learned so much from her.”

She hopes to take everything she has learned from her years of playing to the collegiate level.

Kat Yung wanted a way to keep playing the sport she loved as well as finding an academic balance.

“I mainly started my search to continue playing volleyball in college during the club season,” Yung said. “The process took a while finding both academically and an athletics school.”

While making her difficult choice of what university to attend she focused on these main points, location, coach and academic standing. Yung chose to continue playing volleyball at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Another major factor in attending ERAU was Tori Anderson. Anderson, a fellow player and friend on the team, is also attending ERAU next year.

“Tori and I have been dreaming ever since we were little to attend the same college,” Yung said. “We have basically grown up together playing club since we were 9, and we have been best friends since we were young. I am really excited to continue playing with her in college.”

The choice to go to the same college was always something that excited the girls but never though could happen. Yung and Anderson took their first unofficial visit together. After that, they took their own visits and both decided they loved the school.

“I'm super excited to play with Kat at Embry Riddle,” Anderson said. “Kat and I have been best friends since kindergarten so I couldn't be happier that we will continue to be best friends in college. We also play really well together on the court because we know each other so well and how to pick each other up in games.”

Overall, Anderson looks back at playing with Yung and her other teammates in high school as an amazing experience capped by the fact that the Horizon Huskies once again defended their title of Class 6A Desert Valley Region champions.

“Playing volleyball at Horizon has been amazing,” Anderson said. “I'm so blessed to have been able to play on varsity for four years. It's tough because every year the team has been different with past seniors graduating and the team dynamic changing a bit each year, but we've always had great team chemistry in the Horizon volleyball program that makes everyone feel like family.”

As each of these three girls looks fondly toward their future they are thankful for the time they spent as a team, and Anderson and Yung look forward to carrying on as a team.