It's been, quite literally, a long road to success for Marelle Lepmets.
In 2005, the Garden City Community College setter made a giant leap of faith, moving 5,041 miles west from her hometown of Tallinn, Estonia, to play volleyball for a group of coaches she'd never even met in person.
"You just have to have connections, and they have to find you somehow," Lepmets said of the international recruiting process. "I just wanted to experience America. I'm not really sure how I ended up in Garden City, but I'm really glad I did."
The Lady Busters are no doubt happy to have her.
Lepmets currently ranks seventh in the nation in assists-per-game with 11.81 and 11th in overall assists with 1,420 on the season. On top of all that, the sophomore ranks third on the team in digs with 274, fourth in kills with 165 and has been an integral part of Garden City's 23-10 record this season.
"She's changed her perspective on volleyball," Lady Busters coach Nikola Petrovic said. "If you look at her stats and everything else, they've just upgraded so much. She's moving up so quick. Almost every other match she has a triple double."
The sophomore setter has thrived under Petrovic who, like Lepmets, hails from Eastern Europe. Although Petrovic arrived after Lepmets had already enrolled, the Estonia native was thrilled to have a coach familiar with her background.
"Right away, when he came in, I was really glad because he was from Europe," Lepmets said. "I played in Europe and he's exactly like my high school coach was. He's really straight and he tells your exactly what he thinks. He never says good job if it's not a good job."
Before coming to Garden City, Lepmets played with the professional volleyball club associated with her high school. From 2002-2004, she played in the Tallinn League before making the move to the United States in 2005. With the arrival of Petrovic only a few months later, Lepmets thrived under his familiar style of coaching. Still, she says, there is something different about the style of play in America that she can't quite put her finger on.
"It's not much different on this team now since Coach Nikola is from Europe, but a lot of things are different," Lepmets said. "I don't really know exactly, but there are for sure some differences. Everyone plays different types of volleyball, but on this team it's pretty much the same over here."
Whatever her unfamiliarities are, a number of Division I schools have taken notice of Lepmets masterful adjustments. The University of Georgia, Michigan State University, the University of Texas Pan-American and the University of Hilo-Hawaii have all shown interest in the international setter.
"I just like her approach to the game. She's a really passionate player. That's something you don't get a lot of," Petrovic said. "I'm really sorry that I'm losing her and its going to be really, really hard to replace a player like that."
Lepmets, meanwhile, still has two months to sort out the interested schools and sign her letter-of-intent. While she's still undecided, the sophomore does have a few ideal places in mind.
"I just want to go somewhere warm," Lepmets said with a laugh. "Somewhere nice and warm."
Lepmets and the Lady Busters will be back in action in the first round of the Region VI playoffs on Tuesday against Colby at Perryman Athletic Complex. A win would put Garden City in the Region VI tournament in Hutchinson.
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