Lake Catholic senior Abby Detering has made a tough decision.
The University of Florida volleyball recruit decided to graduate early from high school.
She will graduate after fall semester and leave for Florida after Christmas break.
She plans to arrive in Florida in January so she can meet her coaches and start training with her team.
There is a good chance the standout setter can start as a freshman, that is why she wants to get a head start.
While Detering is excited about her decision, she is upset over a decision Lake Catholic has made.
Because she is graduating early, Detering has been told by Lake Catholic officials she can not walk with her class to receive her diploma next spring.
My question is, why punish Detering because she wants to graduate early?
What difference does it make if an exception is made to allow Detering to receive her diploma with her classmates?
She has brought so much positive publicity to the school through her volleyball skills. She has earned a Division I scholarship and is a positive role model in the school.
She deserves to receive her diploma with her class.
I went to Lorain Catholic High School and I am very aware of the strict standards private schools hold their student athletes to. Very little is tolerated and that is one reason why parents send their children to schools that have such high standards.
Detering has met those standards.
She is a talented teenager who has a big future ahead of her.
Why not allow her to leave Lake Catholic with a positive memory of graduating with her class?
Why does she have to leave with a bad memory of not being able to join her friends for one of the most important moments of their lives?
I would like to ask Lake Catholic to reconsider its decision.
It's the right thing to do.

-Theresa Neuhoff Audia

As a newcomer to The News-Herald volleyball beat, I was curious to check out a preseason practice at Lake Catholic High School.
What struck me as I walked into the gym was how many girls were actually at the practice 30 minutes before it was set to begin. In various sports at some schools, athletes stroll into practice about five minutes before its scheduled start.
Not the Cougars.
This group was ready to roll.
One explanation could be the success the program has had during Rich Severino's 23 years as head coach. Over the past four years alone, the Cougars have won a Division II state championship (2010), finished as the state runner-up (2009) and been one trip away from state twice, losing in the regional final game (2008, 2011).
The Cougars have set the bar high and this year is no exception.
With two Division I players on their roster, the team is poised to make another run to state.
Leading the way will be 6-foot-1, junior setter/right side hitter Abby Detering, who has verbally committed to Florida, and 5-5 senior libero Sammy Kline who has committed to Duquesne.
When you have two Division I players on your squad, it's got to set the tone for the rest of the players.
It's got to give them a lot of confidence going into games in which opponents will be gunning for them, just because they are Lake Catholic.
What a great atmosphere to compete in.
Of course it makes the players want to come to practice early. It's also got to make the players want to dream big and think this could be their year, just like it was for the players who came before them.
The sky is the limit for the experienced Cougars who are proven winners.
It will be fun to see what they can accomplish this year.

-Theresa Neuhoff Audia