By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Charli Dietz has helped Radford High School win two state titles in volleyball, and now she will take her game to Randolph-Macon College. This week she confirmed her commitment to the school.
“I chose Macon because I did not want to go to a large or Division I school, so I looked at smaller schools known for both their academics and their volleyball program,” she said.
A senior, Dietz had an amazing career for RHS volleyball. She was honored earlier in the year for her 1000th career kill. This season, she had 262 kills and 234 digs and was named to the Class 2 All-State First Team by the Virginia High School League.
Randolph–Macon College is a private liberal arts college in Ashland, Va. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of more than 1,500 students and is a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
The Randolph-Macon volleyball team won its second straight conference tournament championship after winning the regular season title. The Yellow Jackets advanced to NCAA play and lost to Marymount College. Seven seniors will graduate.
Dietz said her goals at Randolph-Macon include helping the team duplicate its recent success of conference titles and NCAA-tournament play. During Dietz’ four years of high school, the Bobcats won four straight regional championships and two state championships.
Dietz said the key to the success of her high-school team lay in the close friendships the teammates developed with each other. “Attending a small school helped our team’s chemistry on and off the court and pushed us to play for our teammates and friends during post season,” she said.
At Randolph-Macon, Dietz plans to major in biochemistry.
She is unsure of her career goals, but always wants to be involved in volleyball somehow. “Coaching would be the ultimate goal,” she said.