SLIPPERY ROCK — Cursty McClure is no jet setter.

The farthest she has been from home to play volleyball has been State College.

That's about to change.

McClure, a SlipperyRock HighSchool sophomore, was selected to play for Team Pennsylvania in the King Kamehameha Classic volleyball tournament in Hawaii, which begins July 11.

She is one of 19 players who will represent two teams from Pennsylvania at the classic.

There will be 32 teams in the tournament from all over the country.

When Team Pennsylvania and SaintVincent College coach SusanHozak called McClure to tell her she made the team, McClure was floored.

"I didn't know if she was for real," McClure said. "I thought, 'Oh, my gosh. I'm going to Hawaii.'"

Elite Sports International, the trip's sponsor, picks the team and McClure was selected in part because of her stellar play with the Rockets last season.

McClure, a middle hitter, led the team in blocks with 48 and was one of the more consistent hitters in the region.

McClure also excelled in Junior Olympic volleyball, which garnered her even more attention.

Hozak hadn't seen any of her 10 players until a practice at SaintVincent College Saturday.

"I did like (McClure's) effort and attitude," Hozak said.

McClure was a basketball player at heart until the seventh grade, when she gave volleyball a try.

"I never thought I would be good at volleyball," McClure said, laughing. "I was a basketball player. But my cousin played volleyball and I thought if my cousin could do it, so could I."

She was instantly hooked.

"I haven't stopped playing since," she said.

McClure said she plays volleyball year round and has dedicated herself completely to the sport.

At 5-foot-10, she is developing into a force at the net.

"I'm a pretty good passer for my height," McClure said. "I play the whole game, each position."

She expects this summer to be a big one in her development process.

"(SlipperyRock HighSchool coach Greg Dugan) said the biggest improvement comes between the sophomore and junior years," McClure said. "He kind of saw talent in me, and told me I haven't reached my full talent yet.

"This is the year that counts," she added. "I want to play volleyball in college someday."

McClure said events like the King Kamehameha Classic will help her reach that goal.

To get there, though, she had to raise enough money for the trip. McClure sold candy and King Kamehameha Classic T-shirts and received donations from area businesses. Her mother, Robin Johnston, made up the difference.

McClure will be inHawaii for seven days. Only two of those days will be spent playing volleyball. The rest of the time will be spent taking in the sights.

"I owe a lot to my family," McClure said. "It gets kind of hectic for them. They've been very supportive."