Andee Nelson (4) racked up 303 kills, 193 digs, 35 aces and 15 blocks as a senior for Mossyrock in fall 2019.
MOSSYROCK — Andee Nelson, a two-time All-Area MVP, is keeping her volleyball onslaught local after signing to play with Centralia College.
Nelson, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, helped Mossyrock to a 19-2 record this past season while finishing third at the 2B state tournament. She led the Vikings to the Central 2B League title and their first district championship in school history.
She signed her National Letter of Intent last November and had a cluster of schools interested in signing her, along with Lower Columbia College and a few other Northwest Athletic Conference programs. She also had some Division-III teams from around the country contact her, but D-III schools cannot offer scholarships so those were out of the picture for Nelson.
Nelson also had a couple Division-II schools in California who contacted her too late and didn’t have enough scholarships this season. Nelson does plan to keep in contact with one of the California schools with the hope of transferring there and continuing her volleyball career once she graduates from Centralia College.
What made the Trailblazers commitment easy for Nelson was the fact that she’s developed a relationship with Trailblazers volleyball coach Susan Gordon over the years after having attended open gyms at Centralia College since eighth grade and even playing on Gordon’s select team.
“I knew for sure if I was going to a community college I was going to go to Susan,” Nelson said.
What also helped her decision-making was at the senior volleyball all-star game this past winter where Nelson, along with Vikings teammate Faith Mulligan and Onalaska’s Eryn Duryea all decided they wanted to sign together with Centralia College. Mulligan and Duryea are both All-Area selections, as well.
Not only will she be playing with her friends, but the scholarship from Centralia College means almost all of her AA degree will be paid for.
“I really like playing for Susan, and being around all my friends just sounded like a lot of fun for me,” Nelson said.
Nelson, a four-year starter, rose to the forefront of Lewis County volleyball her junior year while leading the Vikings to their third-consecutive state title appearance and second-place finish. She was named first-team all-state and The Chronicle’s All-Area MVP after compiling 228 kills, 243 digs, 29 aces and 37 assists.
She followed that up her senior season by guiding the Vikings to a third-place finish at state, while being named the State 2B co-Player of the Year by the Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association. She also earned the Central 2B League MVP honor, a second-straight All-Area MVP nod and The Chronicle’s Volleyball Player of the Year award. It was fitting honors for Nelson who racked up 303 kills, 193 digs, 35 aces and 15 blocks on the year.
Nelson credits her success to her teammates, her mom, Alex Nelson, who is Mossyrock’s volleyball coach, and her older sister by two years, Ava Nelson.
Andee and Ava would spend each fall after school hanging out at their mom’s volleyball practices in the gym, and when Ava began playing herself in third grade, Andee soon followed.
“I always wanted to copy her,” Andee said. “She started to really like volleyball so, naturally, I started to really like volleyball.”
Andee joined her first select team in fifth grade, and it didn’t take long before she and her teammates began pushing each other to be better. Everything turned into a competition and it helped fuel Nelson’s rise in the sport.
She also was a starter on the Vikings’ basketball team, helping them to a 21-6 record, along with a district championship appearance and a state tournament appearance. Nelson scored a game-high 20 points in their season-ending loss in Spokane in March. She also was a state javelin thrower for the track and field team as a junior.
Andee is now tasked with helping rejuvenate a Centralia College team looking to work its way back into contention in the NWAC West Region. The Trailblazers went 8-32 overall and 1-11 in league play in 2019, finishing the season on a six-game losing streak. Andee is confident she can aid the rebuilding process to bring the Trailblazers back to glory in the West Region.
“I’m most excited about playing with my friends and getting better,” Nelson said. “Susan is a super hard coach. She really makes you better and almost uncomfortable, and pushes you like you’ve never been pushed before. I know she’s going to make me a lot better.”
