Rammel to play for Bucs

Playing volleyball has been her passion since she was a child.

While her prep career ended earlier than she would have hoped, Whitley Rammel has another four years ahead of her.

Rammel, a Fort Recovery High School senior, signed her national letter of intent Wednesday to play volleyball for East Tennessee State University.

“I’m just excited to have the college decision out of the way,” she said this morning. “Really excited to start the next chapter of my life.”

The 6-foot, 2-inch, middle hitter was the main focus of the Fort Recovery volleyball team’s offense this season. A dominant attacker, she led the squad with 322 kills, nearly 120 more than her next closest teammate. She was also the team leader in blocks with 85, and added 31 aces from the service line.

In terms of her performance among the rest of the Midwest Athletic Conference, Rammel was fourth in kills and led all her rivals in blocks.

“This is a great thing for Whitley,” Fort Recovery coach Travis Guggenbiller said. “It’s always neat to see a girl from a small community to make it to a big school. It’s good for Whit as well as the program. She’s done so much in her four years.”

Rammel is a four-year letter-winner. She was first team All-MAC three years, and was a District 8 first team honoree this year after being named to the second team as a junior.

She was third team All-Ohio as a sophomore and junior before becoming a second team member this year.

“She’s got all kinds of credentials behind her,” Guggenbiller said. “She’s put in a lot of work.”

Rammel credits those close to her aiding in her achieving her goal of playing in college, including mother Diana, a former Fort Recovery coach, father Curtis and older sister Madison, who played volleyball at Tiffin.

“Everyone around me has been really helpful,” she said. “My family, my friends, this community has helped me a lot to get to this point.”

ETSU, home of the Buccaneers, is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, a city with a 2019 population of more than 66,000.

The campus of about 14,000 students is 106 miles northeast of Knoxville, 151 miles northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, and 440 miles away from FRHS.

“I didn’t want to be way too far away, but I didn’t want to stay in state,” said Rammel, who mentioned she was also considering University of Maryland Baltimore County, but once ETSU offered her a scholarship she knew that was the place for her.

“Just the atmosphere,” she said. “The campus was really nice and I really like Tennessee.”

Guggenbiller sees a successful four years for Rammel as a Buccaneer.

“I think she’s got a big future,” he said. “She’s a big powerhouse. I think she’ll be a big blocker. I think she’s going to have a good future.”