WINONA, Minn. — Many times, the recruiting process takes coaches across the country — and sometimes across the world — in search of collegiate talent.
 
Saint Mary's University senior DeJaye Baab, however, is a testament that, sometimes, the best collegiate athletes can come from your own backyard.
 
The Cardinal volleyball team's starting libero grew up in Wabasha, Minn., just about 30 miles from Winona. She believes attending Saint Mary's was always her destiny.
 
"My siblings and cousins had attended Saint Mary's, so I was very familiar with it from the start," said Baab. "The small, community feeling was what I really wanted and needed to make my college experience the best it could be — and that is exactly what SMU has to offer. I also liked that it was close to home, but not too close."
           
Attending Saint Mary's seemed to be an easy decision for Baab, but it also made the recruiting process just a bit easier for Cardinal volleyball head coach Jackie Kiecker.
 
"I run a camp at Wabasha High School," said Kiecker. "So, I have known DeJaye since she was a sophomore in high school. I knew she wanted to play close to home, so it was a great fit for her."
 
She may be playing collegiate volleyball just 30 minutes from home, but Baab has made her name known across the conference and the entire Midwest.
 
Baab has led the team in digs in 16 of its 19 matches — including a season-high 29-dig effort in Saint Mary's 3-1 win over St. Scholastica last Friday. Baab enters this Friday's match against Hamline leading the team with 288 digs and has compiled a total of 1,436 career digs, ranking her fifth all-time — just 27 digs less than Leslie Nichols '02 for fourth.
 
"It means a lot knowing I am making an impact for my team," said Baab, whose 288 digs currently rank third in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. "I am happy I am hitting these milestones and feel overwhelmed with gratitude to everyone who talks so highly of me."
           
What is even better than her play on the court, however, is the impact her leadership and character have on the team.

"The best part about DeJaye is the fact that she could care less about all-time records," said Kiecker. "Her priority is always team-first, and what she can do for the team to make them successful."
 
"Every game, I go in giving my all for my teammates, and at the end of the day, I hope to say that I did everything I could for them," Baab said. "I don't see how well I passed or how many digs I got, I just see how my team did overall, no matter what the score or stats say."
 
Records and stats aside, Baab is most proud of simply being a Cardinal and representing Saint Mary's.
           
"Being an SMU athlete means being a part of a family," said Baab. "It means representing our school, respectively and proudly, to others who we come across every day."
 
Because of Baab's hard play, leadership, character, and monster statistics, Kiecker believes DeJaye will leave a legacy at Saint Mary's that will last for years to come.
 
"DeJaye has set a standard in the gym when it comes to defense," Kiecker said. "And I believe that standard will continue and live on long after she graduates."