News Photo by James Andersen Alpena High senior Kate Skiba (seated) signed her Letter of Intent on Monday to join the Alpena Community College volleyball program. Pictured with Skiba left to right are ACC volleyball coach Sarah Parsons, her father Randy, her brother Nick, her mother Kelly and ACC assistant coach Eric Precord.

ALPENA — When it comes to recruiting, Kate Skiba fits the player profile Sarah Parsons is looking for:

A team leader.

A versatile player

An athlete who’s ready to compete against competition.

Skiba checks all those boxes and on Monday, the Alpena High senior became the newest member of Parsons’ Alpena Community College volleyball program, signing her Letter of Intent to join the Lumberjacks in the fall.

“I’m really excited. I’m excited to meet new people from around the area,” Skiba said. “I think that it will be a lot different from high school, the competition, and I think I’m ready for the next level.”

By signing with ACC, Skiba will be reunited with her teammate and cousin, Allie DeRocher, who signed her own letter of intent with the Lumberjacks last month.

The duo was part of a talented, senior-laden front row in Alpena’s lineup last fall and led the Wildcats in several categories. Though she was an important part of Alpena’s offense, Skiba also displayed her versatility, leading Alpena in digs, aces and serve reception.

After her senior season, Skiba was honored with Alpena’s Top Defensive Player Award.

For her career, Skiba finished among Alpena’s all-time leaders in career aces and single-season aces.

“That’s going to be a lot of fun,” Skiba said of playing with DeRocher. “It’s nice to know someone else on the team and we have good team chemistry already, so that will be helpful throughout the season.”

Parsons has gotten to watch Skiba up close over the last several seasons and knows exactly what she can bring to the Lumberjacks.

“She’s going to bring a lot to our program,” Parsons said. “She’s very versatile; she can set, she can hit, she can dig, she can play all around, so it’s great to be able to have someone who’s able to do everything that she’s able to do.”

In fact, Parsons is counting on Skiba adjusting to the speed of the college game quickly and being a team leader right away.

“I’m looking for her to be more of a team leader based on how well she’s played and where she’s played,” Parsons said. “It’s a big difference (the speed of the college game), it’s amazing how much it can change from one year to the next. I think she’ll be up for the challenge.”

Parsons said adjusting to the faster pace of college volleyball is one of the biggest challenges freshmen often face, but it’s a challenge Skiba said she’s ready for.

“I’m hoping to continue to be a team leader in certain ways on this team as well,” Skiba said. “It was fun to get to know everybody through high school and be a leader on that team as well.”