BUTLER TWP — Maddy McAninch thought her life was going to take a certain path.

She ended up steering onto a completely different road.

The Freeport graduate was all set to leave volleyball in her rearview. She had made the decision before her senior year in high school to move on from the game.

She had no regrets at the time.

“It was one of the better decisions I've made,” McAninch said.

Enrolled at Slippery Rock University, McAninch toyed with playing club volleyball there, but decided that wasn't for her.

And neither was The Rock.

She withdrew a week before classes started and enrolled at Butler County Community College. It didn't take long for her to reach out to Pioneer volleyball coach Rob Snyder.

Her itch to play had returned.

“When I got to BC3, it was a quick decision,” McAninch said. “Rob was looking for players and I knew the program was successful and Rob was a great coach.”

McAninch's impact has been profound for BC3, even after a radical switch from outside hitter to libero — a position she had never played before in her volleyball career.

“She turned our whole season around,” Snyder said of McAninch. “It was a huge deal for us. We were struggling this year to find players to fill some positions. It was a down year for us number-wise.

“She's helped us turn what could have been a down season into a great one so far.”

McAninch, a freshman, leads the National Junior College Athletic Association in digs with 7.47 per set.

She's been a key cog in the Pioneers' fifth straight Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship.

It's also been a thrill for McAninch to see her name atop the national leaders in digs.

“It's kind of crazy,” McAninch said. “One of our coaches, Autumn Rodgers, does the stats for us and a couple of weeks ago she told me I was No. 2. I said to her, 'No way am I No. 2,' then she showed me.

“Now I'm No. 1 and I'm really excited. All my friends are excited for me.”

Snyder said McAninch spent her first week with the Pioneers as an outside hitter before he saw something in her that led him to believe she could be a standout libero.

Snyder has had a knack over the years of discovering what players do the best and putting them in a position that accentuates those skills.

McAninch is the latest example.

“She comes from a good program; that's the first part of it,” Snyder said. “She's well-trained. Here, we don't have the luxury of letting people do what they want to do. Passing is what she did the best.”

Snyder said McAninch's transition to libero was so impactful because of her volleyball IQ.

“She has a good feel for the game,” Snyder said. “She knows where to be and has good touch. That's not easy. A lot of players can get a line, but lack the touch. She has both.”

McAninch is one of four BC3 players who were named to the WPCC All-Conference team, joining Mars graduate Kaylee Ebbert and Knoch graduates Abby Kopac and Makenzie McDowell.

BC3 (16-3) plays in the Region XX tourney at 6 p.m. Friday at the BC3 Field House.

“We've already played all the teams in this tournament and beat them all,” McAninch said. “We're pretty excited to see how far we can go.”

McAninch isn't sure if she wants to parlay her experience with the Pioneers into a spot on a volleyball team at a four-year college.

She's hoping to get into the nursing program at BC3, which will profoundly affect her future plans.

Whatever happens, McAninch is happy with the road she has taken.

“I'm just going to keep taking things as they come,” she said. “I'm enjoying the experience.”