Central York's Emily Poole commits to Lehigh volleyball

A senior middle blocker on the Central York girls' volleyball team, Emily Poole still thinks her college destination is surreal.

The 6-foot-2 Poole picked Lehigh of the Patriot League in March over La Salle University and Youngstown State. She will be the second area player on the Mountain Hawks by the fall 2016 season. New Oxford graduate Bonaire Berry will be a sophomore setter this fall.

Poole said she didn't realize the coincidence until she met Berry on her visit to the school, where she plans to pursue a business major.

In addition to Berry, Poole has another Pennsylvania player in her recruiting class: Fox Chapel's 6-1 right-side hitter Ana Spangenberg, whom Poole met this month at a Lehigh camp.

That's when Poole's future began to set in.

"It just hit us," she said. "I think it will set in slowly as the year goes on."

Lehigh finished 22-10, including a second-best 14-2 mark in the Patriot League, during the 2014 season.

Poole and the Panthers will aim to defend their YAIAA Division I title this fall with Poole and Allison Rife back to anchor the front line for coach Nate Ocasio's squad. While Poole said she was recruited to play middle blocker at Lehigh, she hinted that might not be her only role this fall.

Contact Matt Goul at 771-2045.

Click here for more photos from this story.