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Tooloose signs with Lincoln Trail
During her childhood, Clay City’s Faith Tooloose fell in love with the game of volleyball, and that continued throughout her high school career as she served as the libero for the Lady Eels.
So, when the possibility of playing her favorite sport at the collegiate level was brought to her attention, she was excited about finding the school that fit her best.
Ultimately, after visiting multiple out-of-state schools, all of which offered her the chance to play at their university, Tooloose decided the chance to play close to home was too hard to pass up, leading her to Lincoln Trail College.
“I chose Lincoln Trail College because it was the best fit for me,” said Tooloose. “I had offers and visited a few out of state four-year colleges, but I ultimately decided I wanted to stay closer to home for my first couple of years. Lincoln Trail College offers me the ability to have my friends and family close by but still have some independence.”
And on Tuesday afternoon inside the Eel Dome with her family, friends, teammates and coaches surrounding her, Tooloose signed her letter of intent to officially become a member of the Statesmen program. It was also the completion of a lifelong dream she’d always hoped to achieve.
“I love to play volleyball, so it is a huge blessing to get to continue at the collegiate level,” said Tooloose.
When Tooloosee arrives on the Robinson, Illinois campus at the end of the summer, she’ll begin a journey with new teammates and coaches. Whether she’ll play libero like she did for the vast majority of her high school career remains to be seen, but the experiences she had with Clay City, as well as during the travel season with COA will be instrumental in her adjusting to the college level, she said.
“I have had many collegiate-level coaches and teammates in my eight years with COA Volleyball Club that have been great influences and helped me to get to this level,” said Tooloose.
As Tooloose signed her name on the dotted line during Tuesday’s ceremony, it closed another chapter in her volleyball story. And with graduation just around the corner, the memories that she made while wearing the purple and white at Clay City have popped up quite often. Tooloose said there are several that immediately came to her mind when asked about it, and they’re ones that she’ll hold close to her forever.
“There are so many great memories over the years, some of which include getting over 1,000 digs in three years playing varsity volleyball, playing for Coach K and Coach G, mentoring underclassmen, beating Bloomfield in sectionals two years in a row, beating Shakamak on Senior Night, the supportive student sections, my dad line judging at home games and really getting into it, the mom’s great meals before away games and the many friendships along the way,” said Tooloose. “There have been many lessons I’ve learned from playing in high school that I will take with me to the next level.”