Graber’s plan: kill it at Mount Mercy

WAYLAND - Morgan Graber was a force for the WACO volleyball team this season as it went places it had never been.

Graber is so passionate about volleyball that she was determined to continue playing after graduating from WACO this spring.

'I technically didn't get recruited,” Graber said. 'I reached out to a couple of schools that I was interested in and waited for responses. I looked into Grand View and Mount Mercy, but Mount Mercy was a better fit for me.”

She recently signed a letter of intent to play for the Mustangs and coach Deb Marlin, who has coached the Mustangs for eight years after serving as associate head coach at Mount Mercy since 2006. The Mustangs went 9-3 this past season. She guided the Mustangs to the first NAIA national tournament berth in school history in 2015. Marlin previously served as head volleyball coach at Kirkwood Community College, where she was named NJCAA Region V Coach of the Year while leading the Eagles to a top-five finish at the national tournament.

Graber, honorable mention all-state in Class 1A, is the WACO career kill leader with 843 and the season leader with 356. That total was first in the Super Conference and sixth in Class 1A.

The sport was not Graber's only consideration when choosing a college.

'I had to not only think about volleyball when I chose what college I wanted to attend, I also had to think about my future career,” Graber said. 'I am pursuing nursing and the Mount Mercy nursing program is one of the best in the state, so that caught my eye as well.”

Although she know what field of work she is interested in, she is not sure of a specific job, but whatever it is, it's a bet she will kill it.