Elizabeth Forward’s McCall to play at West Virginia Wesleyan

By Dean  Dellamalva Jr.
MVI Sports

Choosing a college is typically the first big decision a young person makes.
Add in the caveat of being recruited during a pandemic with a dead recruiting period, it makes that decision a little tougher.
Fortunately for Elizabeth Forward volleyball setter Sarah McCall, the stars aligned after a coach saw her play while refereeing a Warriors match this past season.
“I started my recruiting process in the beginning of February right before COVID hit and everything was shut down,” McCall said. “It really did affect me because the NCAA imposed a dead period and none of the coaches were really talking about opportunities to players until they were actually able to see them play in person. Luckily for me the West Virginia Wesleyan coach was actually the referee at one of my games and got to watch me play in person.”
That chance encounter led to McCall signing with West Virginia Wesleyan, a liberal arts, NCAA Division II school in Buckhannon, W.Va.
The Bobcats play in the Mountain East Conference against schools in West Virginia and southern Ohio such as West Liberty, West Virginia State, Fairmont State and Notre Dame College (OH).
There was more than one draw for McCall, a Section 3-3A first-team selection, to head south down I-79 to further her education and academic opportunities. The prominent reason was team culture.
“What led me to West Virginia Wesleyan is the small campus size, the various academic programs that they have to offer and the culture that the coaches bring to the team, which was most important to me,” she said.
The Bobcats are coached by Nancy Wheeler, who is a native of Uniontown and former head coach at Penn State Fayette where she had tremendous success over her nine years there.
Wheeler said there is much to like about McCall.
“I like her consistent ball delivery; she stays calm and confident under pressure, she puts academics first and is a great fit for us,” Wheeler said. “She plays club ball for Pitt Elite and I know she has great training in both high school and club. I have a great relationship with her high school coach (Lindsay Lesofsky) who speaks very highly of Sarah’s work ethic on the court and in the classroom.”

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