Seated behind a plastic gray table in the McLean High School cafeteria, senior Adrienne Long carefully signed the documents signifying her commitment to play volleyball at Union College.

“I was relieved that I was able to find my place and stick to it,” Long said. “It’s a great breath of fresh air to finally know what college is going to be your college.”

Long’s father, who was an avid volleyball player himself throughout his high school years, introduced her to the sport at a very young age. In third grade, she started playing recreationally, and by seventh grade she was competing on a travel team. Long didn’t stop club volleyball when she got to McLean, but balanced it with her time on varsity.

“Volleyball has two separate seasons, high school and club,” Long said. “Club volleyball is still competitive and is instead more travel focused than high school volleyball is.”

Long switched around between several club teams throughout the years, which makes the bond with her McLean teammates special as she is guaranteed to see them year after year.

“The girls on the team have always been my favorite part of McLean volleyball,” Long said. “Obviously every season has its highs and lows, but having teammates I know I can rely on made every season far more enjoyable.”

When it came time for her to commit to college, this bond was evident in the wide support she received from her team.

“When she told me [about her commitment] it wasn’t surprising because she’s a great player,” junior Katia Abelev said. “I expect she’ll carry her positivity for both playing and school work with her in college which will probably make her experience great.”

Since her freshman year, Long had dreamed of playing volleyball in college and even took initiative by emailing a list of college coaches to put herself on their radar. When she visited Union College, she knew it was the place she had been looking for.

“Union fit what I was looking for in a college perfectly on paper,” Long said. “When I got there and felt at home, I was pretty settled with my decision. Union has a great academic program for my major and a super tight knit community, so I am super excited to get to be a part of both of those things alongside volleyball.”

As a captain on varsity, Long will be bringing her leadership skills and positive attitude to college, where her teammates are certain she will be successful.

“I played with Adrienne for three years, and she’s been so much fun to play with,” junior Goldie Woods said. “She’s so funny and supportive all the time, both on and off the court. I’m so [excited] that she’s committed to go play at Union because she’s been working so hard for so long. She’s actually going to kill it there.”

As for Long, she has no doubts about her decision. With the support of her teammates behind her, her future is looking bright as a collegiate volleyball player.

“Since I had played for so many years, and volleyball is such a huge part of my life, it just made sense for me to continue with the sport,” Long said. “I couldn’t picture my college experience without volleyball being in it.”