Anchorage Daily News

Hannah Curtis didn't plan to wait so long to decide her future as a college volleyball player. It just worked out that way, and now the Colony graduate is glad it did.

Curtis, a 6-foot middle hitter, has signed a national letter of intent to play volleyball at Division I Rutgers of the Big East Conference. She didn't make the recruiting trip until the first week of April, and she did so only because new coach Jeff Werneke got her name from an admissions slip and decided to give her a call.

She visited the campus in New Brunswick, N.J., and was immediately hooked. She liked the city, she liked the girls on the team, she liked the coach.

"It was so perfect," she said.

Curtis was close to signing with Providence College in Rhode Island. She opted for Rutgers because it was located in a bigger town that's closer to a much bigger city, New York.

Providence does not offer athletic scholarships. Rutgers offered Curtis a full two-year scholarship (tuition, books, housing). Curtis explained she is splitting a four-year scholarship with another player.

With lots of family in Maine, Curtis always hoped to attend college on the East Coast.

She is the third Colony graduate to play Division I volleyball, joining Maren Witzel, a 1997 grad who went to Michigan State, and Megan Irvine, a 1994 graduate who starred at Duke.

She is the first Mat-Su athlete to play D-I volleyball since 2002 Wasilla grad Stefanie Farris played at The Citadel.

Curtis said she'll play middle blocker at Rutgers.

At Colony, Curtis was a mobile middle who led the team in kills (662) and blocks (139) and was third on the team in aces (68) and digs (344). Her athleticism meant she was just as effective digging along the back row as she was spiking up front. A blistering serve offered another weapon.

But all those physical gifts weren't what impressed Colony coach Amy Carter most. Curtis' passion for volleyball -- she plays year-round, with gusto -- is what Carter cherished.

"I still remember her coming into the beginning of the season (saying) 'I haven't played volleyball in six days!' '' Carter recalled. "They were probably the only six days she didn't play all year. She just loves the game. She has the determination to be the best player she can be and does the work to get there."

Curtis, the Northern Lights Conference-North player of the year, led Colony to a 16-4 record last year and a spot in the Class 4A state championship match, where the Knights fell to South.

Find Ron Wilmot online at adn.com/contact/rwilmot or call 352-6712.

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