Poindexter signs with Gonzaga

HESPERIA • Since eighth grade, her father had kept telling her she could play volleyball at a Division I college if she worked hard.

Terran Poindexter proved her father right.

The Sultana senior has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Gonzaga on a full-ride scholarship.

“It’s a very prestigious school both academically and athletically,” said Poindexter, who said she was also getting offers from Big East and Big West schools. “I liked the way they worked hard and the coaches. ... The coaches didn’t have to push them hard. The players were self-determined.”

The Bulldogs compete in the West Coast Conference, which includes nationally-ranked Pepperdine and the University of San Francisco.

“I like it,” Poindexter said about playing in the WCC. “I don’t have to get complacent and I feel that I have to get better.”

The four-year starter for the Sultans made the All-Mojave River League Team three times and was named to the Daily Press All-Area Team in 2007.

She also played on the Rancho Valley 18-1 club team that finished second in the 2008 Southern California Volleyball Association 18-and-under standings.

At 5-foot-10, Poindexter’s usually not the tallest player on the court. But she said the coaches at Gonzaga expect her to play outside hitter and libero.

“She always had goals and we set goals for her,” said Terrence Poindexter, Terran’s father. “She accomplished a lot of her goals.”