Beth Mihalik knows her way around Pennsylvania.

From Edinboro to Lock Haven to Clarion, Mihalik traveled, looking for that perfect spot to get her education and play volleyball, too.

But with each visit, she came up empty, until fate - and a friend's advice - brought her to the campus of Washington & Jefferson College.

She instantly became fond of the campus, its educational reputation and its volleyball team.

It was a kill, to borrow some volleyball vernacular.

"My friend Ashlee Shearer visited there," Mihalik said. "She wasn't going to go there, but she told me to check it out."

It was her last visit on a tour of schools.

"My mom asked me what if I didn't like it," Mihalik said. "I told her that wasn't an option.

"I feel really blessed. W&J is a great fit for me. I took an overnight trip, and I guess I knew it was the right school for me when I didn't want to leave."

Mihalik may be a good fit for Washington & Jefferson, too.

The tall, lanky senior set eight school records for Slippery Rock in her career.

She holds the record for kills in a match (23), kills in a season (329), kills in a career (more than 1,000), digs in a match (11), digs in a career (266), digs in a season (107), blocks in a season (94), and blocks in a career (208).

Yet Mihalik wondered if she was Division II material.

That was until some Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Schools came knocking on her door.

"That was definitely exciting," Mihalik said. "It was like, 'OK, maybe I am good enough to play in Division II.'"

Oddly, though, Slippery Rock University, where her father George coaches football, wasn't one of the suitors.

So Beth Mihalik will go where no other Mihalik has gone before - away from SRU.

"SRU never really called," Mihalik said. "I wish they would have. That was a weird situation. I really would have liked to wear the green and white like my dad, mom and sister."

Mihalik, though, likes where she has landed just fine.

W&J is coming off a 15-14 season under first-year coach Fred Wallace. Mihalik may be able to break into the lineup her freshman season.

But Mihalik realizes her eight Slippery Rock school records mean nothing now.

"I know I'll definitely have to compete for a position," Mihalik said. "I have to earn a spot. I have to prove I can do it all over again."

Mihalik was with the Rockets in the very lean years early in her career, and developed as the team developed into an 18-0 squad this season.

Four members of that team, including Mihalik, are going on to play college volleyball. Danielle Hogue will play at Westminster, Shearer at St. Vincent College and Danielle Morrow at Pitt-Greensburg.

Mihalik thinks back to the turmoil during her early years and shudders.

As the program struggled during her freshman and sophomore seasons, things were really bad for Mihalik.

"That's for sure," Mihalik said. "As an overall experience this year, you couldn't ask for anything else. It was just an awesome way to end things."

To Mihalik, the team success was an affirmation of her and her teammates' hard work and perseverance through the tough times.

It is one of the things she is most proud of.

"I think it could have gone one of two ways," Mihalik said. "We could have all quit, or worked harder. When I look back, we worked so hard to get where we ended up."

And now she is in the last place she thought she would be after all those miles and all those trips.

"Washington & Jefferson was never on my list," Mihalik said. "I'm so glad I waited. Clarion gave me an offer to sign early, but my dad said to wait and relax. That's the best piece of advice I got. I'm glad I listened to him."