Hoisington Cardinal seniors, Abi Rziha and Ashley Lockwood, have each signed letters of intent to play volleyball at Barton Community College. The senior pair were instrumental in leading the team to three consecutive Class 3A state tournament appearances for Hoisington with a second place state finish in 2011 and a fourth place finish in 2013.
Lady Cardinal Coach Jon Bingesser expects the pair to bring a lot to collegiate athletics.
“I think the expectations for both Abi and Ashley are very high.” he said. “I know they were very skilled players, not just in their own skill set but in their mentality as leaders and role models.”
Rziha and Lockwood boast top honors for their high school volleyball careers. Both were first team selections for the MCAA league as juniors and seniors. Lockwood lead the team in kills and was one of the leading contributors for digs and blocks as well. Rziha set a new school record her sophomore year for most assists in a season with 997 assists and now holds the school record for career assists at 3,174. Rziha was selected to the Class 3A All-Tournament Team and All-State Team her sophomore, junior and senior years.
Ranked in the top of their graduating class, Rziha and Lockwood excelled academically. Both were valedictorians. Lockwood plans to major in criminal justice, and Rziha will study dietetics.
“It will be nice to play with Abi another time before we go our separate ways with the rest of our college plans.” Lockwood said
“It’s exciting that we have been playing since sixth grade with each other and now have the opportunity to play at the college level together.” said Rziha.