White Oak Volleyball Standout Dorothy Swanson Commits to Abilene Christian

White Oak senior volleyball player Dorothy Swanson committed to Abilene Christian University on Thursday.

Swanson, who has helped the Ladynecks to state tournament appearances in each of her first three seasons on varsity, chose Abilene Christian over Texas Woman's University in Denton and Newberry College in South Carolina.

"It's one of the few schools where I can play volleyball and do nursing," Swanson said early Friday afternoon. "They talked to me about how I'm not going to major in volleyball, I'm going to major in nursing. They're more concerned about my education than they are about my volleyball."

Swanson has 384 kills, 64 blocks, 178 digs, and 45 aces in 31 matches this season. That's an average of 12.4 kills per match.

Swanson accumulated almost 450 kills as a junior, when White Oak reached the state semifinals for the third consecutive season. Swanson had almost 200 kills during a sophomore season that saw the Ladynecks win the Class 2A state championship.

The 5-foot-10 Swanson acknowledged that she won't be the tallest or most powerful player for her NCAA Division II college program, but pointed out that she does have a couple of traits that will serve her well when she makes the transition in competition.

"I can jump pretty high," Swanson said. "And being able to play smart."

Swanson said defense and "back row in general" are the parts of her game she needs to work on the most to prepare for college volleyball.

Swanson's White Oak Ladynecks (29-4, 7-0) are ranked seventh in 2A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association entering Saturday's match at Tatum. White Oak swept New Diana on Tuesday.