'It looks like we may have found a gem'

SANDPOINT — There’s an old sports axiom that says you can’t coach height, and it’s especially true in the sport of volleyball.

At 6-foot-3, Sandpoint senior Anna Alsager has that commodity in spades, and this week she signed a letter of intent to play volleyball next season at George Fox University, a Christian college in Newberg, Oregon.

Alsager will play middle blocker, choosing the college for its friendly, safe environment, saying it felt like home.

“I had a chance to practice with them, and they accepted me really easily,” said Alsager of the Bruins, who play in the Northwest Athletic Conference. “I’m excited and blessed to have the privilege of playing in college. I can’t wait to get started.”

Alsager received a $35,000 scholarship from the Division III school, where she plans to study cinema and media communications. She has an interest in animation, and spent three months creating a three minute animation video that she submitted to the school, which boasts an 88 percent graduation rate in four years, has a 14 to 1 teacher to student ratio and claims that 98 percent of its graduates land jobs.

Alsager played for her mom as a junior at Sandpoint, where she put up a solid block while bringing some swings to the hitting game. The pair opted to play and coach for the Kootenai Thunder last fall. Initially, Anna wasn’t sure she wanted to play in college, but something clicked her senior year, and she can’t wait to take her game to the next level.

“Just being with the girls and bonding with a college team. Getting the opportunity to travel and experience being on a team,” answered Alsager of what she’s looking forward to most. “The excitement of the game, the rush of getting a good hit, knowing you’re helping the team.”

Alsager put together a video of her hitting with former Bulldog and University of Montana standout Koko James, and the George Fox coach liked what he saw. Her length and jumping ability can create steep and tough to block angles on spikes.

“I’m excited about her potential. She seems to be jumping better, certainly is reaching higher for the ball, and is getting to the setter more quickly and locating her shots pretty well,” said George Fox head coach Steve Grant. “She seems very excited about her potential for playing at this level and her excitement sure looks like it’s going to translate into working hard to come in and get a chance to play sooner rather than later. She certainly has the genes to be a stellar player and has had some great coaching, so it looks like we may have found a gem.”  

Alsager follows in the footsteps of her mom Karen, one of the best outside hitters in the Big Sky who is in the University of Idaho Hall of Fame for her volleyball exploits. Mom has coached daughter in club and high school, and admits she is ready to watch her daughter grow as a player under another coach’s tutelage.

“She’s still a very raw player. Now that her heart is in it, I’m expecting it to go well,” described Karen of Anna, noting her block is her biggest strength. “She’s to the point where she feels bad if a ball goes over the net. She takes it personally to protect the libero.”