Destination:
Deep South
Salem's Merget verbally commits to play volleyball for Jacksonville State

BY ED WRIGHT
April 24, 2010, 4:55 p.m.

  A few years ago, if you would have told Nicole Merget she would be one day making a verbal commitment to a Division 1 athletic program, she probably wouldn't have believed you.

  "When I was young, I tried sports, but I wasn't very good at them,"  the Salem junior said, smiling.  "A few years ago, one of my neighbors, who was a club volleyball coach, asked me if I wanted to  try it."

  And the rest is history.

  Earlier this week, Merget gave a verbal commitment to Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala., where she will play volleyball for the Division 1 school beginning in the fall of 2011.

  This past fall, Jacksonville State completed  its most successful season in the school's history, winning the Ohio Valley Conference title and advancing to the second round of the Division 1 NCAA tournament.

  "I love everything about the school," said Merget, who was an all-around force for Salem  in the fall. "Jacksonville State has a really good nursing program, one of the best in the southeast, which appealed to me, plus they have a very good volleyball program.

  "The only  hard part about my decision was moving so far away from my family. But they'll be able to visit me and they can watch my matches on the school's website."

  Merget was blown away by her visit to Jacksonville State over Spring Break.

  "The campus is beautiful," said Merget. There's green everywhere and the  buildings are an older-style dark brick, but on the inside they're like new."

  Among the college programs that had Merget on their radar were DePaul and Ohio State.