Lyndsi Hughes is 5-foot-4 - not the height usually associated with a volleyball player with a potent net presence.

But there she is in each contest for Mercyhurst College, spiking with regularity and tallying more kills than Rambo.

Her diminutive stature helped Mercyhurst volleyball coach Missy Soboleski swoop in and recruit Hughes from Grove City High School four years ago.

"I was actually her club (volleyball) coach and I had to reluctantly help her look for other colleges," Soboleski said.

The coach didn't think Hughes would opt to play for the Lakers because the school didn't offer the engineering major Hughes had wanted.

Soboleski also thought larger schools would be more interested in Hughes because of her standout play for Grove City High.

"Finally one day, I tossed her a course catalogue and told her to find a major," Soboleski said. "Not a lot of people were interested in her."

Hughes has made everyone who passed her up because of her height regret doing so. Her accolades in her three-plus years at Mercyhurst illustrate that.

The senior middle hitter set the Lakers' record for kills in a career recently with 1,091. She set the single-season kills record as a sophomore with 441 and the single-season digs record with 464 last season.

She also had 44 digs in a single-match for another school record.

This season, she leads the 5-18 Lakers in kills (295), digs (373) and service aces (23).

The team's struggles have been the biggest disappointment for Hughes in her final season.

"It's kind of a downer," Hughes said. "I really wanted to have a good season and finish on a good note.

"I've come a long way in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to confidence in myself," she added.

Soboleski has seen the change in Hughes, who always had the physical skills to excel.

The coach said it didn't take long for Hughes to translate those physical skills to the college level, despite Hughes' initial doubts.

One thing Hughes always had was intensity.

"We tweaked a couple of things from the beginning," Soboleski said. "She's always had tenacity. She has the attitude, 'You're not going to outwork me.'"

Hughes had that tenacity at Grove City High, too, where she left as one of the best ever to play volleyball there.

She was also a standout softball player, but volleyball was always her first choice.

Now everyone who plays Mercyhurst knows about Hughes.

"The scouting report is always don't hit it to No. 10," Soboleski said. "Don't serve it to No. 10, don't even hit it anywhere near No. 10."

Perhaps more impressive than her kills record is her penchant for recording a large number of digs - a defensive statistic.

"She is as good a defensive player as she is an offensive weapon," Soboleski said. "She's a great, great athlete. I'm cringing at the thought of not having her back."

Hughes might explore the possibility of extending her playing career overseas in a professional league. Soboleski is spearheading that pursuit.

"We've talked about it," the coach said. "I think she has the talent to play overseas."

For now, though, Hughes is focused on closing out her college career with the same vigor as she began it.

And she's looking forward to adding a few more kills to her record.

"It's starting to hit me that it is almost over," Hughes said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do without volleyball. I think I'll be bored."