Felipe signs with Lees-mcrae
Lafayette senior volleyball player Daisy Felipe is no stranger to hard work, and that hard work paid off with first team All-region and All-state selections this past season.
It recently paid off with something else, however — a ticket to college.
The defensive standout, who has given her heart and soul to the Lafayette program for the past four seasons, will be heading a few hours east to suit up for the Bobcats of Lees-mcrae College in the North Carolina mountain town of Banner Elk.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it,” she said of Signing Day. “It took me seven years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get here, so it’s an honor to make everyone proud, especially everyone who’s helped me, like my friends and my dad. I just want to make them proud.”
Lafayette was certainly proud of the effort and the results of Felipe’s fearless play over the past few years. After getting some court time with the varsity club as a freshman, she became part of the rotation over the next two seasons, mostly as a defensive specialist.
However, it was her senior year when she shined the brightest.
Taking over at the libero spot for the Orange-andBlack, the 5-foot-4 dynamo tied for the team lead in sets played with 110 and ranked first on the roster in aces (68), serve percentage (95.6), digs (462) and serve receptions (61). She was third on the team in assists (96) and recorded 55 kills.
For her career, Felipe had 900 digs to go with 70 kills, 160 assists, 737 serve receptions (all in the last two seasons) and 173 aces with a 95.4 serve percentage.
She was a part of three straight region championship teams and helped guide the Lady Ramblers to one Sweet 16 appearance, two Elite Eight appearances, one trip to the Final Four, and a 173-30 overall record.
“She’s the type of player who never gets down,” LaFayette head coach Chris Logan said. “And everybody just loves Daisy, especially with the energy she brought to practice every day. It was hard to match that.”
Felipe said the beauty of the Lees-mcrae campus, the highest elevation of any American college or university east of the Mississippi River (3,720 feet above sea level), was hard to beat.
“It’s really a wildlife
reservation, but they have other programs there at the college too,” she explained. “The classes are a lot smaller and that’s one thing that really stood out to me. All the classes are individualized for the students instead of being just big lectures, so I was intrigued by that.
“It’s just a beautiful place. Whenever I took my visit, it reminded me a lot of Lafayette and Gatlinburg combined, so I was like, this is my home.”
The Bobcats play in the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas. They were 9-17 overall last year and 7-11 in conference play.
“When I talked to their coach, she talked about the need to hustle and that’s something that I’ve always thought I’ve had, the hustle and the drive,” Felipe continued. “I think that’s something that really stood out to them, that I’m willing to give them my everything.”
Logan said that Felipe’s
hustle is what first made her a team leader.
“But it also got to the point where you knew she was just going to make the right pass,” he added. “And if Colby (Charland) had to dive and get on the floor for something, Daisy was going to step right in and find a hitter. She was like having a second setter on the floor. As good as Colby is, I think Daisy’s the second-best setter in North Georgia.
“She can also hit. She played some outside hitter with her club team. She won’t do it in college, but if there were times when we needed another outside hitter in the middle of a game, she go in there. She can really do anything, volleyball-wise. She’s definitely one we’re going to miss.”
Felipe wants to study physical therapy and minor in business with long-term plans to one day own a physical therapy business.