The list of colleges Ella May Powell considered before making her commitment to Washington features some of the most decorated women’s volleyball programs in NCAA history: Stanford, UCLA, Florida, and Nebraska.

But one would expect nothing different from a player who was named Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore, just a few months after winning a USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships title with her Ozark Juniors club team.

Ella May Powell

Position: Setter

Height: 6-foot-0

High School: Fayetteville (Fayetteville, AR)

Club: Ozark Juniors

College Commitment: Washington

In her four-year career at Fayetteville High School, Powell racked up more than 3,000 assists and won three state titles. The two-time reigning Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year was a member of the U.S. youth national team that won silver at the 2016 NORCECA Continental Championships.

“With two pretty special setters departing, finding a player that could contribute right away was the number one goal of this class, and Ella May was our top target from the very beginning," Washington head coach Keegan Cook said. “On paper she has the skills and athleticism to be one of the best setters we've ever recruited. She can really affect the game with all of her skillset — serving, digging, blocking, attacking . . . she wins points in a variety of ways.”

Despite being a full-time setter on her Fayetteville team, Powell ranked second behind Florida-commit and Second-Team Under Armour All-American Haley Warner with 309 kills. Her 270 digs was only bested by Fayetteville libero Carley Galloway.

An all-around excellent athlete, Powell also placed fourth in the high jump at the 2017 7A state track and field championships, helping the team win the state title for the second year in a row.

See Powell and the other First Teamers in action at the Under Armour All-America Match on December 15, 2017, LIVE only on FloVolleyball.