Sarah Horton leaves Montana State volleyball

[Gidal Kaiser]

By GIDAL KAISER
Chronicle Sports Writer

If Montana State wishes to take a step up the Big Sky volleyball ladder in 2013, it will have to grow up fast.
Sarah Horton has left the volleyball program, head coach Kyle Weindel confirmed on Saturday afternoon. The 6-foot junior outside hitter from Frenso, Calif., tweeted (sic) “I came I saw I conquered I left. #bozeman I will miss you.” earlier that day. According to Weindel, Horton decided to leave school; she was also found academically ineligible at the conclusion of last semester.
He did not infer if the eligibility issue was a direct reason for her leaving Bozeman. Horton majored in University Studies. Attempts to reach Horton were unsuccessful.
“She won’t be returning and at this point has no plans on going anywhere else because she’s academically ineligible,” Weindel said. “Anytime you lose a player who scored as many points as Sarah does – or did – it can impact the program.”
Horton started all 29 matches and played all 118 sets for MSU as the Bobcats went 15-14 and made the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time since 2005. She posted a team-best 497 kills, second on the Bobcats’ single-season all-time list, on 1,412 attack attempts (top mark, single-season). Horton added 28 aces, 20 assists 311 digs and 46 total blocks.
Horton’s 2,863 total attacks put her at seventh on the MSU career chart with her senior season left to play; she also had 955 career kills and was 60 kills away from breaking into the top 15 all-time Bobcat leaders.
Horton is the fourth MSU spiker to leave after last season; Taylar Barney and Jennifer Lundquist graduated in four years while redshirt senior Macy Page exhausted her eligibility. Horton and Page combined for 868 of MSU’s 1,533 kills; both were named All-Big Sky (Horton, first team; Page, honorable mention) in November.
Without the pair, MSU’s top offensive attacker becomes sophomore outside hitter Eli Svisco, who posted 265 kills and 20 aces as a true freshman. Svisco also collected 312 digs.
The Bobcats signed Kennadie Clute, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Spokane, Wash. and Alexandra Rader, a 6-foot outside hitter from Shingle Springs, Calif., as part of a three-woman recruiting class in November. Weindel indicated he has three more commitments for the Class of 2013, at least one of whom will sign a National Letter of Intent this April.
“We have a terrific 2013 class coming in from very successful club and high school programs, maybe the best in a long time in my opinion, overall,” Weindel said. “There’s plenty of talent and skill inside to make up for that, especially with the group we have coming back. I’m way comfortable with whom we have returning as well.”

[LongTimeCatFan]

Good luck Sarah and best wishes.