Pictured from left to right: Brandi Gay, Paige Hays, Coach Mary Turner, Kelsie Hochstetler, and Katie Eversole. Gay, Hays, and Hochstetler will be playing volleyball at Alice Lloyd College and Katie Eversole will be playing tennis.

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Four student-athletes from Hazard High School on Monday signed to play sports for Alice Lloyd College during the next school year.

Kelsie Hochstetler, Paige Hays, and Brandi Gay will all be playing volleyball for the Eagles in the fall, while Katie Eversole will be playing tennis.

Coach Mary Turner is the coach for both the tennis and volleyball teams at Alice Lloyd, and said it was easy for her to find the right girls to build her team because she is also the admissions officer.

“I am a girl that wears many hats, so I am also the admissions councilor,” said Turner. “I go to all of the schools anyway.”

Turner said that Alice Lloyd has a great communication between students, faculty and coaches and makes sure that if a student has an interest they are able to be connected to someone that can help them reach their goals.

“We have great communications with our students at Alice Lloyd,” said Turner. “Every time someone applies and they say they are interested in something, we plug them in with the couches. We give that feedback so we make sure that instantly someone is going to contact them.”

One of the students, Katie Eversole, got the chance to go and try out at Alice Lloyd for their new tennis team, which is in its second year. Eversole is one of the first students to be signed to the growing team this season.

“We currently have eight girls on the team, but we would like to add six or eight girls,” Turner said. “We would really like to double it.”

Eversole said that she did a campus visit and really liked the atmosphere at Alice Lloyd College.

“I like the fact that the teachers live on campus,” said Eversole. “If I ever did need anything, they would be there to help.”

Eversole said that she is planning on going into pre-pharmacy and going on to pharmacy school, possibly at the University of Kentucky.

Unlike tennis, the girls that are playing volleyball did not do a tryout, but were either scouted during the season or were hooked up with the coaches after expressing an interest. Kelsie Hochstetler has played volleyball for the last four years.

Hochstetler said that she has a friend at Alice Lloyd this year, and after going on a visit with her she realized she really liked the school.

“It is a really good fit for me,” said Hochstetler.

Paige Hays played volleyball her freshman and sophomore years at high school, and said she is looking forward to playing at Alice Lloyd, though she said that one of the main things she is most excited about it getting to leave home and start college. Hays said that she is going to major in physical therapy.

Brandi Gay said that she is excited to start school at Alice Lloyd because of its good programs. She is planning on majoring in biology.

Unlike the other girls this will be her first time playing volleyball, but she thinks that playing with girls that she has known for a while will a good experience.

“I have never really played volleyball before, but I think it will be fun,” said Gay.

All four of the girls said that they are happy to be going to a school close to home where they already know several of the students. Coach Turner said that she is excited to have them come play for her because of their stellar grades and reputations.

“Not only do they have what it takes to play collegiately, but academically,” said Turner. “A lot of students say ‘I want to play college sports, I want to be an NBA player,’ but do you have the grades to get in?”