Gering's Lauren Shaul had that dream of playing college volleyball.

                Through hard work, Shaul realized that dream Thursday when she signed her letter of intent to play at Western Nebraska Community College, one of the top volleyball programs in the country. She is thrilled to be continuing playing a sport that she loves.

                "I decided to go to WNCC because I wanted to continue my volleyball career," the 5-foot-5 outside hitter said. "This chance is really exciting because I really wanted to play college."

                Shaul said that her passion for the game is something that makes this opportunity exciting.

                "I just love the game in genera l," she said. "It is really fun to play. It is challenging at times but it is always rewarding in the end."

                Shaul, who was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, will move to a defensive specialist at WNCC, which is a position that she is ready to take on.

                "I improved on my hitting [in high school] a lot but I am going to work on defense mostly next year," she said. "I think I have improved throughout the four years that I have been here."

                Gering coach Dave Lashley even said that Shaul has all the tools to succeed at the college level as a defensive specialist after being one of the Bulldog's top passers.

                "She is a very good defensive player already," Lashley said. "She has been one of our leading backrow players the last couple of years. She is a great passer and she will bring those attributes to the game. Plus she is a hard worker. She enjoys that game and will bring that part of it with her because she is willing to do whatever it takes to be better to get to the level that she needs to play."

                Shaul enters the WNCC program with a work ethic that saw the three-year varsity player improve each year. Shaul finished her senior season with 204 kills in 100 sets played. She also had 17 aces, 100 blocks, and 394 digs.

                WNCC coach Binny Canales likes what he is getting in Shaul, who verbally committed to become a Cougar back in September.

                "We love her athleticism. She is coachable, she moves well, and we like her passing," Canales said. "We saw her passing this summer in the summer league and the camps and we expect huge things from her."

                Shaul will also continue the long line of Gering volleyball players that played at WNCC. Last year there were two Bulldogs on the team in Santanna Mitchell and Kaylee Spreier. Mitchell will graduate in May and Spreier ws just a freshman. Other Bulldogs that played at WNCC where many went on to play college volleyball included Morgan Broussard, Whitney Roth, Brooke Blomenkamp, Sierra Schmidt, and Stacie Meisner to name a few.

                "I am excited to play with Kaylee again next year," she said. "It is neat that a lot of Gering girls go there."

                Plus, Shaul already knows what to expect when she becomes a Cougar next year since has watched them during the season and at the NJCAA national tournament with her parents this past November. She knows what to expect and the level that her game needs to be at.

                "It is really exciting to play at WNCC because I went and watched them at nationals and that pretty much sealed the deal," she said. "It was exciting to see how far they went."

                But, while she is ready to begin a new chapter playing college volleyball, she will have great memories of her high school career, including winning the Class B6 district title her junior year.

                "One of my favorite highlights was winning districts my junior year," she said. "I will miss playing high school volleyball in general. I have been here for four years so it is kind of hard to leave."