Since the sixth grade, Harley Skibicki has wanted nothing more than to play volleyball.

Sure, the Butler senior dabbled in other activities. Nothing, though, captivated her quite like spiking a ball over a net.

“I tried other things,” Skibicki said. “I tried the clarinet. I tried cheerleading. I was actually on the swim team for like two seconds. Nothing was quite like volleyball.”

Skibicki is hoping volleyball will take her places.

It already has.

Last month, Skibicki traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, as part of a select team of players from Pennsylvania and North Carolina to take on teams from 19 other states in the 2012 No Ka ’Oi Volleyball Showcase.

Skibicki, who is a right outside hitter for the Golden Tornado, helped her Pennsylvania-North Carolina team win the Silver Bracket championship in the event.

Skibicki met two of her teammates in the airport waiting for her flight to Hawaii. She didn’t meet the rest of her team until she arrived.

With only a two-hour practice under their belt, the team was thrust into tournament play, winning three matches the first day and three more on the following day to win the bracket.

The rest of the time, she was free to take in the sites of Hawaii.

“Oh my gosh, yes, it is as beautiful as everyone says it is,” Skibicki said. “We got to see all those pretty places on all those postcards.”

The trip cost more than $3,000, but Skibicki’s parents, Walter and Beth, came up with the money for their daughter to make the journey.

“I am really, really lucky to have parents like that,” Skibicki said. “My goal is to get a college scholarship and this was a way to get seen and noticed.”

Once on the court, Skibicki said it was all business.

Point Park College women’s volleyball coach Mike Bruno was the coach of the Pennsylvania-North Carolina team.

“I was very fortunate to have a coach like Mike Bruno. I learned a lot about patience and teamwork,” Skibicki said. “I learned a lot about leadership.”

Leadership is something Skibicki is not lacking.

Butler girls volleyball coach Meghan Lucas is counting on Skibicki to have a big influence on and off the court this fall.

“She has a great attitude, a team-first attitude,” Lucas said. “She brings a lot of energy to the court and she has a lot of knowledge.”

Skibicki plays the sport year-round. When she is not attending volleyball camps with her Butler teammates or on her own, she is playing for traveling teams.

Several colleges have taken notice of her skills, including Bruno at Point Park.

“I want to major in graphic design and, of course, I want to go to a college that has my major,” she said. “A lot of schools that have my major are Division III, and they can’t offer scholarships. I want to go somewhere on scholarship, but a school that has my major is most important.”

Skibicki already is preparing for the high school season this fall. It will be a very pivotal one for her and the Golden Tornado.

“I’m just excited to be one of the leaders of the team,” Skibicki said. “We have a tough section. Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland have been very good, but so has Butler. I just want to get us to the playoffs.”