Highland coach Jordan Neal said he took a chance on Abby Peterson as a freshman. Three years later, the leader of the Hawks is eyeing a scholarship to Utah State.

“Her willingness to be coachable and elevate her own play has just been phenomenal,” said Neal

Utah State runs in the Peterson family. Her mother graduated from Utah State and her brother is a student at the university.

“I just really liked how the [Utah State environment] is,” said Peterson a junior. “I met the coaches up there … trained with them for a week. It’s a good environment to be in.”

Assistant coachJeff Grover said it’s his job and Neal’s job to prepare her for that next level.

Grover said the transition to college volleyball will be much different than high school.

“For a Division I athlete it becomes almost a job in college where they are paying you [with a scholarship] to play and so there’s a lifestyle change,” said Grover. “The volleyball world is your world. You are with those girls 24/7 with the coaches, traveling.”

The lifestyle change shouldn’t be difficult for Peterson. An A student, she participates in student council as the junior class secretary. She also plays club volleyball after the school season ends in October through the month of June.

Her hard work and passion infect her teammates.

“She has really good motivation,” said Kaelie Russel. “As a senior I look up to her a lot. She’s very passionate about what she does.”

“She’s a kid that I know who is really self-motivated,” said Neal. “She’s always one seeking to improve.”

Peterson started playing volleyball as a seventh grader and credits her older brother for her inspiriting her.

“He was always such a good basketball player and I just wanted to have a main sport like him,” said Peterson. “Volleyball I realized I [had] a talent for it, so I decided to keep training.”

Highland (4-7) looks to rejuvenate its season at Desert Vista Tuesday at 6 p.m.