By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

Playing volleyball a little farther from home the past three years has opened the door for Anna Logan to go to college close to home.

The Yadkinville native, who transferred from Forbush High to Mount Tabor after her freshman year, signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at Catawba College.

Catawba, which competes at the NCAA Division II level, is located in Salisbury — about 45 minutes from Yadkinville. That’s only about 15 minutes longer than the daily drive to Mount Tabor that Logan has made the past three years.

Logan signed her letter of intent in November. Mount Tabor had a special press conference/celebration event for the standout player in December, giving its latest sports standout athlete the royal treatment.

“I didn’t want to go too far away from home,” Logan said. “I went to visit and I just loved it. That’s when I decided.”

Logan has family and friend connections to Catawba. Her aunt, Ginger Hamric, is the Indians’ coach. One of her best friends, Starmount graduate Jordan Raye, was a freshman setter for Catawba this past season.

Taylor Doss, another Starmount grad, has played the past two seasons for the Indians. Former Forbush standout Jasmine Chunn of East Bend just finished her senior year of volleyball at Catawba.

Logan had a number of college programs on her recruiting trail, including several Division I schools. But in the end, family and location won out.

Hamric was Logan’s first youth coach, directing a club team called the Angels when Logan was in fifth grade.

“I grew up around volleyball and I had always been around the game,” Logan said. “I started playing and it just hit me one day, and I got serious about it.”

Over the past four seasons, Logan developed into a legitimate college prospect, spending time as both a middle hitter and outside hitter for Tabor.

This past fall, she was voted the Player of the Year for the Central Piedmont 4A Conference. Mount Tabor won the league and advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals before wrapping up a 24-4 campaign.

In 2008, Logan played a key role on a 28-1 Tabor team that advanced to the state championship game (losing to Greenville Rose in the finale).

“She is just a remarkable kid, period,” Mount Tabor coach Robyn Wesselman said. “When she is able to train and lift every day, and really have that explosive arm strength, she is going to be unbelievable.

“I think Anna can dominate at the Division II level. I just think that she has that ability and that support system.”

Logan said she took a big leap of faith transferring from Forbush after her ninth-grade year. She left friends and long-standing teammates behind to attend a high school twice as big — and to be part of a volleyball program considered among the best in the state’s largest classification (4A). Forbush plays in Class 2A.

“It was hard to leave Forbush,” Logan said. “It was probably one of the toughest decisions of my life, but I’m so glad I decided to come here.”

Wesselman said she enjoyed watching Logan mature in so many areas the past three years.

“She came here for the right reasons,” the coach said. “She didn’t come just for volleyball. Anna grew up as a person here. She was challenged academically, socially and athletically.

“She went from being a big fish in a small pond to becoming a big fish in a big pond.”

Logan’s volleyball skills became evident early on. This past season, Wesselman challenged her standout player to become a vocal senior leader on a somewhat youthful squad. During the playoffs, Logan responded in a fierce way.

“As a coach you push them and push them,” Wesselman said. “I want to force them to be a team, so I kept telling them during the playoffs, ‘If you don’t straighten out, we’re going to get beat.’

“Anna stood up in the middle of the room and said, ‘Stop it. I’m tired of what you’re saying. We are going to win!’ She walked out of that huddle and all of the mouths dropped. I was like, ‘Yes, she finally grew as a leader.’”

Logan could be a key piece in Catawba’s lineup in the coming years. The Indians made the NCAA Division II tournament this past season, posting a final record of 17-12, 9-7 in the South Atlantic Conference.

“She just loves to play, loves the game of volleyball,” Wesselman said. “She always want to be on the court and she is always smiling on the court.”