Bertke heading south

CELINA - It seemed appropriate that cold snap hit the area that Payton Bertke announced she would continue her education and volleyball career somewhere warm.

The Celina senior will head to Miami Gardens, Florida, next fall to attend St. Thomas University and join a strong Bobcats squad.

Bertke chose the NAIA school for the location as well as being a perfect venue to major in business with emphasis on sports management.

"It's far from home, but the coaches and players make (the program) feel like family," said Bertke. "As soon as I stepped on campus, it felt right. The coaches are a great fit for me with their fun and competitive atmosphere they bring to the gym."

The Bobcats are a power in the Sun Conference, finishing this past season 19-6 overall and 12-2 in conference in winning the Sun Conference's tournament and earning a spot in the NAIA postseason, losing to Cornerstone University (Michigan) in the opening round.

Bertke entered the varsity lineup at Celina as sophomore and has been the spark plug of the Bulldogs' attack at the setter position. The Bulldogs won its second Western Buckeye League title in a row in running the table at 9-0 while finishing 20-5 overall and reaching the district semifinals for a second straight season. Bertke recorded 796 assists in 79 sets this season (10.1 per set) and averaged 3.3 digs per set. Bertke also had the ability to spike the ball in averaging 1.2 kills per set and also served up 39 aces.

The WBL coaches selected to the second team on the all-league honors as a sophomore before she moved up to first team the past two seasons. Bertke also earned first team District honors in Divisions I-II-III and a selection to play for the West team in the annual District 8 Senior All-Star March.

"I want to thank my coaches, my family and everyone that's brought me to this point," said Bertke.