Jayme Commins came to Western Nebraska Community College from Ogallala High School where volleyball tradition has been rich under rich under volleyball coach Steve Morgan.

                Now, after spending two years at WNCC under Cougar head coach Binny Canales, Commins is taking her volleyball talents to the next level after signing with Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota.

                Commins said Dakota State was one of the closer schools she had the opportunity to play at and once she took the visit, she was sold.

                "I soon as I stepped on campus, I knew I had the feel for it," she said. "I loved the campus and I knew some of the girls already going there so when I got on to the campus, the girls really made me feel at home there."

                The decision, though, wasn't easy as she had plenty of options for the Cougar setter that was fun to watch on the court the past two seasons.

                "It was difficult because I had a lot of options, but this was one of the closest ones to home," she said. "I mean, I am still pretty far from home but it is nice to know that I am not as far as I could have been."

                Last season for the Cougars, Commins finished with 1,152 set assists which was 8.86 per set. She also had 43 kills, 307 digs, and 16 blocks. Commins leaves WNCC with 1,965 set assists, 451 digs, and 82 kills.

                Commins gets to expand on her successful collegiate career for a Dakota State team that went 19-13 a year ago. Dakota State had three former Cougars last year with Kaylee Spreier, Alwaise Villa, and Barbara Briceno. Briceno will return next year for her senior season with the Trojans.

                "It has always been my dream to continue playing volleyball so it is really exciting to continue playing the sport that I love," she said. "Growing up in a town where volleyball is pretty much everything you did, I am really happy to continue to play at the next level."

                Commins will be the sixth of the six Cougar volleyball players to continue to play volleyball next year. The other five are all headed to different parts of the United States with three headed to the Division I level. Those three include Enna Masaki to UTEP, Kaile Tuisamatatele to Southern Mississippi, and Logan Belford to St. Francis in Pennsylvania. The other two sophomores are also going on to play as Sarena Bartley will be at Corbin University in Oregon, while Aloni Jordan signed with Eastern Oklahoma University.

                Commins said that is a big honor for any school to send all the sophomores on to play collegiately.

                "I am sad that we are all going to different places but I am happy that we are continuing to play the sport that we love," she said. "I hope to see them because I am sad we can't go to the same place, but it is really exciting that we are continuing playing."

                The one thing that Commins will take from her two years at WNCC is meeting different players from all over the world.

                "High school you kind of play of who you got, but at the college level you play with the best people on the court," she said. "It is nice to play with people from all different areas and learn from them. You just get better as a team."

                The hardest part of a junior college, though, is saying goodbye after two years. That is one thing that Commins dreads.

                "It will be really hard to leave. In high school you grow up with the girls basically your whole life and you play with them," the nursing major said. "Then, here, it is just two short years and it is really short. I am going to miss it a lot. I have made a lot of good friendships with the girls on the team and I got to learn about everyone from different areas, which is really cool."