NMMI Sports Press

 Bronco volleyball coach Shelby Forchtner has coached two Landreth sisters, and after their seasons and seasonings at NMMI, both advanced to play at the next level.

After helping her team to a 31-12 overall mark, a Region V West conference tournament championship, and a third place finish at the NJCAA D-I national championships in 2017, younger sister McKayla Landreth was signed earlier this month by Montana State University in Bozeman.

 "I liked the coaching staff, and the girls, I felt like I knew them already," the 6-foot-1 sophomore said of her decision. "I felt comfortable around them and around the coaching staff."

 So while the weather might be a big change for the South Carolina native with family in Fort Sumner — she's ready to step onto the floor with the Bobcats, and that's something Forchtner is proud of.

 "I remember the day that McKayla came on a recruiting visit here," she said. "She talked a lot about making the decision to come here and wanting to play at the next level, especially the Division I level. I'm just really proud of her that she's done everything we asked her to do so she can accomplish her goals and her dreams. It's cool when you have somebody who openly says what she wants and then it happens for them."

 Landreth will play middle for the 'Cats, and when she's not on the court in Bozeman, Landreth will be studying broadcast journalism.

 "She started every game as a freshman and a sophomore," Forchtner said. "She was an all-conference player both years. She was the No. 4 blocker in the nation as a freshman. She made the all-tournament team at this year's national championships. She had numerous player-of-the-week honors for the WJCAC. She's just a person who constantly gets out there and works hard and does what you ask her to do."

 Her stats show why she earned so many honors.

 In 81 career games with NMMI, she had 645 kills, 2.16 per set, picking up double figures in 12 games last season, including a season-high 13 in two matches. She hit .230 from the field and tallied 366 blocks during her Bronco career, leading NMMI to the No.-1 spot in the nation last fall with a 1.22 average per contest.

 Landreth, who competed in two national tournaments, said the record-setting season was exciting.

 "Just to experience going undefeated in conference was cool, but we still had more to accomplish," she said. "And then going to nationals, at first, when we went there and lost the first set, I was kind of nervous. Because I didn't want to do what we did last year. But after that, it was kind of like, 'OK. This is where we're going to pick up and just finish like we always did."

 And she's ready to continue that success at MSU.

 "I'm really excited to go. I'm ready to get there already," she said.

 "I have a really good feeling, after talking to this coaching staff as much as I have the past few months, that she's going to be able to go in there and do exactly what she did for NMMI for them," Forchtner said.

 And second-year Bobcat head coach Daniel Jones sounds just as excited.

 "We are over the moon to have McKayla joining us," he said. "We are going to look to her to provide maturity and leadership. She's a quick, explosive athlete who is going to contribute both offensively and defensively."

 And to live up to those expectations, Forchtner said, all Landreth needs to do is believe in her abilities.

 "They hand-picked her over a lot of other people. They made the choice not to recruit any other junior college middles after they saw her play," the coach said. "They put a lot of emphasis on trying to get her to that school, so that says a lot. There were a lot of really good middles at the national tournament, so for them to see her and say, 'That's the kid we want,' she should have confidence that she can step in there and do what they need her to do."