By Sue Moore
“Volleyball has taken over my life since 7th grade,” said Paige Gebben from Schoolcraft as she signed her letter of intent to play at Aurora University in Illinois. “My mom started me in club sport and I’ve become attached to being a part of the team. I’m super-competitive and can’t just sit around.”
Gebben transferred to Schoolcraft from Parchment toward the end of her junior year in high school. For her senior year she played volleyball for the Eagles while attending classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. She gets all A’s in either school and intends to major in biology at Aurora with the intention of becoming a dentist. “I’ve got braces on right now and have found out that I enjoy going to the dentist and think that could be my future.”
“All of the girls on the team have been super friendly. It felt like I’ve been a part of the team forever. It was a very good fit. They are like my sisters. I’m left handed so I play outside hitter. Now the travel team play starts the end of November and goes to the end of June, so I get to play volleyball almost year around.” Her season stats in Schoolcraft: kills, 319; aces, 70; digs, 306; averaging 3 kills per set.
Her Schoolcraft coach, Erin Onken, said Paige “has been a huge impact player for us this year. We are lucky to have her with our team for her senior year. Her fun-loving, hard-working personality blended easily with our pre-existing team dynamic. She is a great teammate and leader for us.”
Paige will receive Academic All-State honors for her excellence in the classroom as well. “It has been an honor coaching Paige. I’m so proud of her for her hard work throughout her high school career and am excited to see what she does collegiately,” Onken said.