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Fort Recovery's Cali Wendel, seated center left, and Teigen Fortkamp, seated center right, signed national letters of intent to play volleyball at Edison State and Saint Francis, respectively, on Wednesday. Seated from left are Jodi Wendel and Susie Fortkamp, and standing are Jeff Wendel, Fort Recovery coach Travis Guggenbiller and Crew, Brian and Paige Fortkamp.
FORT RECOVERY - Seniors Teigen Fortkamp and Cali Wendel signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to play volleyball at the University of Saint Francis and Edison State, respectively.
Fortkamp, who plans to study nursing, has been familiar with Saint Francis since her freshman year, when her sister, Paige, signed with the Cougars.
"Ever since Paige signed, they've kind of been close friends and family," she said of the coaching staff.
As a senior, Teigen Fortkamp moved up to outside hitter after setting for her first three seasons and played all around for the first time. She thrived in the new role, averaging four kills and 3.3 digs per set to go with 50 aces.
She earned first-team All-Midwest Athletic Conference and All-District 8 honors, as well as a spot on the All-Ohio third team, as the Indians advanced to the district semifinals.
"I told her, 'We've got to do what's best for the team this year, and that's not setting for you,' " Fort Recovery coach Travis Guggenbiller said. " 'We need you as a hitter. What this team needs this year is, we need you on the court putting the ball away for us.' "
Fortkamp said her role with the Cougars is still to be determined, but would likely be a mix of front row and setting. As such, she said the coaches wanted her to focus on setting after taking a year off.
Fort Recovery won its first district title since 1991 in 2020 and has reached the district twice more in the last three years, losing to St. Henry both times. To Fortkamp, it was the run her freshman season that stood out.
"My proudest accomplishment was definitely going to districts my freshman year with my sister," she said with a smile. "That was the best experience I could've asked for."
Saint Francis, in Fort Wayne, is an NAIA school that competes in the Crossroads League under coach Scott Haddix. This past fall, the Cougars went 8-23 and 2-16 in the conference, but Paige Fortkamp, in her junior year, earned a spot on the all-conference first team after leading the team with 3.3 kills per set and 34 aces.
Taking over at libero, Wendel averaged 4.1 digs per set and recorded 31 aces. After the season, she was recognized with All-MAC and All-District 8 honorable mentions.
Wendel also played softball and basketball at Fort Recovery, but said she enjoyed volleyball the most. She also said that Edison State was her sole choice.
"This was the only school I had in mind," she said. "I first looked to go there for nursing, and then I talked to the coach, and she said they'd been looking at me as well and she made the offer."
Wendel ultimately settled on health science as a major. She will be a defensive specialist at Edison State and said the coaches wanted her to continue working on serve receive.
Looking back on her career with the Indians,
"Our senior season was a fun and exciting year with us seven seniors," she said. "Our team accomplished a lot."
Edison State went 26-8 in the fall and 9-3 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference in its sixth season under coach Julia Brandewie.
Guggenbiller said that Wendel and Fortkamp both grew in the mental side of the game, which the Indians emphasized this year. With Wendel in her first full year of varsity, Guggenbiller said she was able to step in as the leader in the back row.
"Cali really became a leader vocally, and her serve receive became a solid anchor for us," Guggenbiller said. "We relied on her, put her in the middle back quite a bit where she could take a little more."
