Kelsey Williams, a two-time first-team All-State selection at Helena High School in Montana, has signed a letter-of-intent to play volleyball at Lewis-Clark State College this fall, LCSC assistant coach Burdette Greeny has announced.
Williams, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, is an all-around athlete at Helena High. She started on the volleyball and basketball teams for four seasons and has lettered in track three years as she placed at state in javelin twice. She will participate in track this spring and could become the first male or female athlete to letter 12 times at Helena High, she says.
Williams earned second-team all-conference honors in the sport as a freshman and then was a first-team all-conference selection her final three seasons. She also earned first-team all-state honors her final two seasons. In addition, she was selected the Montana Gatorade Player of the year and the Wendy’s Heisman Award winner from Helena High School this past season. Williams is the all-time kills leader at Helena High.
“We are thrilled to have Kelsey join our family,” Greeny said. “She is a highly decorated athlete, not just a volleyball player, who has been granted the wonderful opportunity to have been coached by a well-respected volleyball mind, in her mother, Sheila Williams. Kelsey comes to us with a high volleyball IQ and an outstanding feel for the game. She is a solid passer, possesses a good serve, and is an adept shotmaker. We don’t think Kelsey’s game has reached its potential yet and are excited to get the chance to work with her every day.”Williams earned first-team all-conference in basketball during her sophomore and junior seasons and also placed eighth in the javelin during her sophomore year and fifth as a junior. Her basketball team will take part in the Montana Class AA Tournament this week in Billings. Also on the team is Kelsey’s sister, sophomore Kyndal Williams.
“I chose to attend Lewis-Clark because it just had a good feel when I came on my visit," Williams said. “I also loved the coaching staff. They seemed to really get along with all the girls great and they all seemed to really love it. After practicing with the team, then talking to Jen and Burdette I knew that it was the place I wanted to go to.”
Williams becomes the second player to sign with LCSC for next season. Junior College All American Nichole Graybeal of Spokane signed with LCSC and enrolled at the school for the spring semester.
“Here is another athlete like Nicole Graybeal, who is very coachable, and this quality will lend quite nicely to her development,” Greeny said of Williams. “Kelsey is a winner in every sense of the word – the kind of person who makes a difference on a team, on a campus, and in a community. These are the kind of players we as coaches seek to join our program. It took some persistent coaxing to get Kelsey to visit, as her father Marvin would attest to, but once she did she felt the fit that she had desired. Our team is glad she did. We feel blessed to be able to spend our days surrounded by people like Kelsey Williams.”
Williams, who has a 3.5 GPA at Helena High and is a member of the National Honor Society, said she intends to major in Education at LCSC.
The Warriors tied for the FC regular-season title last year, the third straight season the Warriors have finished in first place. LCSC also won the conference tournament title for the third straight year and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament. LCSC posted a 25-9 record last year and lost four seniors from the squad.
