Sign us up
Benton Smith
Tonganoxie High seniors Abby Eisman and Lauren Hall grin before signing their letters of intent Wednesday afternoon at THS. Eisman signed to play volleyball at Ottawa University and Hall signed to play basketball at Manhattan Christian College. Seated behind them are OU volleyball coach Tom Symons and MCC women's basketball coach Larry Olson.
Abby Eisman and Lauren Hall aren’t going to the same college. They’re not even playing the same sport. But the Tonganoxie High seniors wanted to share the spotlight at a signing ceremony on Wednesday at THS.
Eisman is headed to Ottawa University to play volleyball. Hall will join the basketball team at Manhattan Christian College. What brought them together for the ceremony was their friendship and the timing of their decisions.
They both finalized their post-high school plans in the past couple weeks and when THS athletics director Brandon Parker asked them to pick out days for their special events, they thought it best to do one together.
Eisman said she and Hall hang out all the time — on and off the court.
“We played together in multiple sports all four years, so it’s kind of like we have that bond,” she said.
Hall said the two spent so much time working together for this moment — in the weight room, in the gym, on the track — that it made sense for them to team up once again.
“We’ve both been involved in most of the same activities throughout high school, and to be able to sign for our colleges together, it was awesome that we’re both going to get to play,” Hall said.
Another thing Eisman and Hall have in common, as Parker joked about in their pre-signing introduction, is their relatively small statures for their sports of choice.
As Eisman pointed out: “I’m only 5-7 and Lauren’s 5-1, so it’s kind of different that we’re playing in college.”
The future Ottawa Brave said when she thinks about college-level volleyball players, she associates them with being at least 5-foot-10. The 2009 OU roster had nine players listed at 5-7 or taller.
Hall will be even more undersized as a 5-1 college guard. All 12 Lady Crusaders on the MCC ’09-’10 roster were listed taller than 5-foot-1.
But being a smaller, defensive-minded player won’t be anything new for Hall. She has played that role throughout her prep career, often guarding players eight or nine inches taller. She said taking on that challenge and succeeding helped her become a better player.
“That’s a real confidence booster,” she said of earning tough defensive assignments against larger girls.
Neither Hall nor Eisman is going to let lack of height get in the way of success, though, as they head in different directions next fall.
“I don’t think it’s really how tall you are,” Eisman said. “You’ve just got to go out and get it.”
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- Tonganoxie High seniors Abby Eisman and Lauren Hall grin before signing their letters of intent Wednesday afternoon at THS. Eisman signed to play volleyball at Ottawa University and Hall signed to play basketball at Manhattan Christian College. Seated behind them are OU volleyball coach Tom Symons and MCC women’s basketball coach Larry Olson.