Justin Martinez/MDN Kyley Lauf (right) signs a letter of intent to join Valley City State volleyball as DLB head coach Tara Hysjulien (left) watches on Tuesday.

DES LACS — Kyley Lauf started playing volleyball in the seventh grade on a whim. Now, six years later, she’s going to be a college athlete.

The Des Lacs-Burlington senior put pen to paper Wednesday morning, signing a letter of intent with Valley City State volleyball. The decision comes after a four-year varsity run with the Lakers, which was capped off this past October with a District 12 tournament title and a District 12 Senior Athlete of the Year award.

Now Lauf is traveling 200 miles east to join the Vikings and continue her volleyball career.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Lauf said. “(DLB) is my happy place, and I had a lot of success here. I’m excited to continue that in college.”

Lauf began playing volleyball in the seventh grade, which was the first year she was able to join her school’s team. It didn’t take long for the then-12-year-old to realize she had a passion for the sport and, from that point on, Lauf made a conscious effort to work tirelessly on her new craft.

“Ever since (the seventh grade) I’ve just developed a love for volleyball,” Lauf said. “I’ve just kept working and working to get to the point where I’m at now. I don’t want to quit working because it’s so fun for me.”

One person who has been there every step of the way for Lauf is DLB head coach Tara Hysjulien.

Hysjulien helped Lauf in the early stages as she built her volleyball skills from the ground up, and their bond grew stronger as she coached Lauf for all four of her varsity seasons.

“I’ve had (Hysjulien) as a coach throughout my whole career,” Lauf said. “She’s taught me so much, and I appreciate her because I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done without her.”

From a seventh-grader learning the fundamentals of the sports to where she is now, Lauf has not only made strides in her game but has also been a key part in the strides DLB’s volleyball program has made as well.

Now, as she hangs up her Laker jersey, Lauf walks away from a DLB program that’s established itself as one of the best the region has to offer.

“We’ve been contenders to reach the state tournament, and Kyley is a big reason for that,” Hysjulien said. “She’s done a great job of encouraging the younger girls to get excited about the program too, so her positive nature and enthusiasm has been such a bonus for us.”

Lauf’s dominance on the hardwood hasn’t been limited to just volleyball during her high school career. The senior is also a standout basketball player who has led the Lakers to a 14-4 (6-1 District 12) record this season and a second seed in the upcoming district tournament.

Despite being one of the more consistent scorers in the region, the choice of which sport to pursue in college was clear come signing day on Wednesday.

“I’ve gotten the opportunity to go to other colleges for other sports, but I decided that volleyball is the sport that I have the most untapped potential in,” Lauf said. “I just want to keep growing and keep succeeding at it.”

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.