Amber Pribyl signs to play volleyball at Midland University surrounded by her parents Tim and Mary Kay Pribyl and Midland Coach Paul Giesselmann and Exeter-Milligan Coach Darcy White.
Midland University is where Exeter-Milligan senior Amber
Pribyl will step onto the collegiate volleyball scene.
She isn’t the first Pribyl to do so and will follow her
sister, Heather, a Midland graduating senior who helped lead the volleyball
team to two back to back NAIA National Championship Tournament appearances.
Midland Coach Paul Giesselmann has no doubt that Amber is a
great fit for Midland, “I think one of things we always look for when we
are for recruiting student athletes for Midland for volleyball is we want
to look at high character young women and Amber fits that obviously.
We want great students and she fits that category. For us we want a
well-rounded athlete, not necessarily the young girl who her whole life all she
did was volleyball. We want kids that are multi-sport athletes so we feel like
they have a lot of potential left in them. That is what we see in Amber,
we see that multi-sport athlete, high character, good student.”
Pribyl is comfortable with the campus and the program at Midland,
“I love their campus and their volleyball program. I am familiar with
them and the way they do things.”
Part of what Giesselmann sees in Pribyl is her
athleticism. “We aren’t 100 percent sure where we are going to play her
yet . . .in the middle or on the right side. The thing is we know what we
are getting with her and her family because her older sister obviously was a
great player and a great role model for the program and we see Amber being that
same type of player.”
Exeter-Milligan Coach White noted that Pribyl will make an
immediate impact, “Amber has the ability to control the net with her defensive
skills. She has great jumping ability and moves from pin to pin with
ease. She will contribute immediately to their team because she will
provide their varsity with quality competition in practice.“
Pribyl attributes a lot of her success in volleyball to
White. “We have always gone hard with Coach White. We have always
lifted hard in the summers and gone even harder in the preseason conditioning
and then the beginning practices of the season.”
Coach White sees a bright future for Pribyl, “Amber
continues to grow as a player. She certainly hasn't reached her
potential, and I am excited to see her take her skills to the next level.
Amber is a great all-around student and athlete. She is just a very
well-rounded individual and I am sure she will thrive in a college setting.”
Gieselmann appreciated where White has taken the program at
Exeter-Milligan, “Darcy does a great job obviously with the program down
here. I thought it was outstanding to have Amber being able to finish her
career at the state tournament because that is one of the things we look for
when we are looking at kids we want student athletes who have been playing in
pressure situations and I will tell you what there is no more of a pressure
situation than playing at a district final and if you don’t win you aren’t
going to state.”
“Darcy has done a nice job here over the years getting to
state tournaments so it puts them in those situations so we know how they are
going to react once they get to college.”
Pribyl noted the difference that the state tournaments have
made in her career, “Going to state makes volleyball more fun. State gets you
playing at a higher level. It’s the best of the best you’re playing
with. We’ve been successful and hope to continue the success in
college. Hopefully we can do that at nationals, again.“
White was confident in Pribyl’s success at the college
level, “I feel that any athlete or individual who has the ability (and gets the
chance) to continue playing their sport in college has the benefit of enhancing
their college experience because it provides them with a "ready-made"
family in their team, it gives them the opportunity to compete, travel, and meet
new people. It requires commitment, desire, and hard work. College
athletes learn how to manage their time and tend to be very responsible
individuals.”
Pribyl has received accolades in all three sports at
Exeter-Milligan in addition to her success in the classroom. Her senior
year Amber was named on the CRC All-Conference First Team, the Omaha World
Herald First Team, the Lincoln Journal Star First team and the York News Times
All Area Team. As Giesselmann noted Pribyl is a multi-talented athlete
also garnering recognition for her talents on the basketball court this
year. Pribyl was an honorable mention for the CRC All-Conference team
along with one from the Nebraska Prep Zone All-Nebraska team. The York
News Times chose her as a member on their all-area team. Her junior year she
topped the York News Times lists in rebounds - total/AVG per game and was third
in the area for steals. Pribyl has consistently qualified for the State track
meet for Exeter-Milligan on both a relay team and in high jump and will
most likely this year as well. She was chosen as the Exeter-Milligan
Senior Female Athlete of the Year.
Pribyl has shined off the playing field as well. She
has participated in one-act and spring play and FCCLA. She is a member of
the National Honor Society, a member of the Exeter-Milligan Band and
participates in 4-H. She maintains the highest GPA for a senior at
Exeter-Milligan.
