Danielle Hogue got the news in the most peculiar way.

Hogue, a senior volleyball standout for Slippery Rock High School, received a letter from the volleyball coach at Geneva College.

It was a normal, run-of-the-mill recruiting letter on the surface. But within it was a strange sentence.

"Congratulations on making the all-state team," it read.

All-state team? It was the first Hogue had heard of that honor.

"I thought maybe they messed up," Hogue said.

But after a thorough investigation on the Internet, Hogue discovered there was no mess up. She was named honorable mention all-state.

"I was shocked," Hogue said. "It was kind of a big surprise, but a nice surprise."

This season was full of pleasant surprises for Hogue, both on the volleyball court and the basketball court.

Hogue emerged this season as a dominant force for the Rockets' volleyball team.

She led Slippery Rock, which finished the regular season with a spotless 18-0 record, in service points (248) and passes (189) and was second on the team in kills with 243 - nearly half of her career total of 526.

An offseason playing Junior Olympic volleyball helped Hogue develop markedly in one short season.

Her biggest improvement came in the power of her spikes. Suddenly, she was a force at the net as well as away from it.

"My hitting definitely improved," Hogue said. "I worked on it all offseason."

Hogue was also named the Mercer County Athletic Conference MVP after the season.

As fast as the accolades came her way, Hogue was more pleased with the plethora of victories that rained down on her and the team.

Hogue had been through the very worst that team sports had top offer. Losing, upheaval and negativity dominated the program until Greg Dugan took over three seasons ago.

"Basically, having been undefeated as a team in the regular season was more satisfying to me," Hogue said.

Dugan said early in the season no player put in as much time as Hogue did to improve.

"I think Dan just put in that little extra effort," Dugan said. "She excelled in every part of the game."

Even though Geneva College was the bearer of good news, Hogue has opted to go to Westminster to continue her academic and volleyball careers.

To Hogue, choosing Westminster was a no-brainer. It's close to home without being too close and it has an excellent reputation in the field of elementary education.

Hogue also hit it off instantly with players on the team during an overnight visit.

"I got to meet with them," Hogue said. "I liked the team and I liked the coach. It's a good school. It was a nice fit."

Hogue is unsure how quickly she will be able to make an impact at Westminster, which is coming off a 12-21 season with a roster that is shrinking.

Hogue thinks she can contribute right away. She said she also realizes she has more improving to do, especially with her speed.

"I have to work on my quickness," Hogue said.

That may mean lots of running. Hogue chuckles at that thought.

"After basketball, I'm used to running," she said.

Hogue also enjoyed a solid season on the basketball court. As the only senior, Hogue was a mentor for a young team that went 18-6 and made the playoffs.

It was just as satisfying as the turnaround on the volleyball court for Hogue, who had been through dark days on the hardwood as well.

"It just showed all that hard work was paying off," Hogue said. "It's been a great senior year so far. I couldn't have asked for a better one."