SWEEPS TO START BIG EAST PLAY NORA WORKS AS EVERY OPPONENT’S WORST NIGHTMARE THE SIX FOOT FOUR JUNIOR MIDDLE BLOCKER CONTINUES TO PRODUCE IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY, WEST AND MAKE HISTORY IN THE PROCESS ELLIE FRENCH IS MORE ON HOW THESE SMALL SCHOOL PRODUCT IS TAKING THE FALCONS TO NEW HEIGHTS ON THE VOLLEYBALL COURT. WHEN YOU WALK INTO A ROOM, IT’S EASY TO SPOT NOR A WORD SPAN. THERE’S A FOUR GIRL THAT WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO HOW HARD YOU’RE GOING TO HIT THIS ONE. HER SIZE ALONE IS INTIMIDATING, BUT ONCE SHE STEPS ONTO THE VOLLEYBALL COURT, SHE BECOMES EVEN MORE FEARED. IT DEFINITELY IS AN ADVANTAGE, BUT SIZE ISN’T THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES WORDS STICK OUT. HER STATISTICS ALSO DO. AS OF SEPTEMBER 21ST, THE DOUGLAS COUNTY WEST JUNIOR LED ALL CLASSES WITH A HITTING PERCENTAGE OF 503. AND IN C-1, SHE’S RANKED SIXTH IN BLOCKS AND EIGHTH AND HILLS. THIS IS HER THIRD YEAR STARTING, AND SHE’S JUST GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER EACH YEAR. AND YOU CAN SEE HER CONFIDENCE BUILDING SOMETHING ELSE, THOUGH, TO WORSE, A CONFIDENCE BOOST IS RECEIVING AN OFFER FROM CREIGHTON HEAD COACH KIERSTEN BERNTHAL BOOTHE IN JULY. SO I ACTUALLY CALLED HER AND TOLD HER THAT I LOVED EVERYTHING AND SO SHE OFFERED ME ON THAT CALL AND IT WAS VERY SURREAL. WIRTZ IS THE FIRST VOLLEYBALL PLAYER FROM D.C. WEST TO PLAY DIVISION ONE, AN HONOR SHE’S PROUD OF, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM A SMALLER SCHOOL. IT MEANS A LOT, I, I’M HAPPY I GET TO REPRESENT IT, BUT I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ALL MY TEAMMATES AND COACHES AND MY PARENTS WHO HAVE HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY. WE’RE ALL HAPPY FOR HER AS COACHES AND JUST THE STUFF THAT SHE’S DONE FOR OUR PROGRAM OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. THAT’S FOUR WORDS MESSAGE TO OTHER SMALL SCHOOL ATHLETES. DON’T THINK BECAUSE YOU GO TO A SMALL SCHOOL, YOU CAN’T DREAM AND PLAY AT THE D1 LEVEL IF YOU WANT TO DO IT, YOU JUST TO WORK HARD NO MATTER HOW OF A SCHOOL YOU COME FROM AND IF YOU WORK HARD, THEN YOU CANNOT DO THAT. BUT BEFORE SHE LEAVES FOR CREIGHTON, WHERE GOAL IS TO HELP LEAD D.C. WEST TO ITS FIRST TOURNAMENT IN PROGRAM HISTORY, AT