SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Anna Donald considers herself a late bloomer on the volleyball court. After recently committing to play at UC Davis in 2015, she is blossoming with energy and excitement entering her senior season at St. Francis.

“It is such a relief,” said Donald of making her choice. “I have been considering it since the beginning of my freshmen year, especially since I was a late bloomer. I was not that good but had potential. It was hard to say I could play in college. I knew I wanted to but it was whether or not I would be able to. I remember the tears trying to figure it out.”

Now there are tears of joy as she gets to continue the family legacy at UC Davis.

“All of my family has gone to UC Davis, including both of my parents and all of my aunts and uncles,” said Donald. “Originally I thought it would be way too close to home. But I did the campus tour and fell in love with the campus.”

She also considered UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount among her academic choices.

Donald joins former Troubadour Ali Wegener on the Aggies roster next year. The UC Davis volleyball program went 14-15 overall and 6-10 in the Big West last fall, highlighting the season with upsets over California and then-No. 8 Hawai’i.

“They have a really good volleyball team,” said Donald who played with her club team at the USAV Junior Nationals in Minneapolis, Minn., June 27-July 1. “I am really excited to play there. They have several NCVC alums and I have got to play with some of my future teammates.”

Donald was part of a St. Francis team as a junior that went 34-9 on the season. The Troubadours advanced to both the CIF State Volleyball Nor Cal and Sac-Joaquin Section Finals before losing to eventual state champion Granite Bay in each match.

“It was the right school for me,” said Donald, who is considering both law and sports medicine as potential areas of study. “I really liked how it was a good college town and good volleyball program with great academics. It fit everything I wanted. And I wanted to stay in California and be close to home.  I was just not expecting to be this close.”

While her college choice is close, the Sacramento native is not afraid to step outside of her comfort level. She recently traveled with several of her classmates on the week-long Bronx Service Trip coordinated by the school to New York.

“It was a really great experience,” said Donald. “It was out of my comfort zone and we did not fit in. It was really cool because we met some really cool people. We worked at two different places and I had a really good time.”

Donald saw action off the bench last season and is looking forward to a more active role on the team as a senior.

 “I am really excited,” said Donald, who played basketball and softball growing up. “It is going to be different.”

Under the direction of Head Coach Alynn Wright, the volleyball program has produced 16 college players over the last two seasons, including eight from the 2014 senior class. Donald joins the tradition with her commitment to UC Davis.

Wright is looking forward to having Donald more involved in 2014.

“Anna has developed a lot of confidence,” said Wright. “Her net play has got a lot stronger and her leadership skills are going to be very important this year for us. It is her time to shine. She knows it and she feels it. I am excited for her because I think this is the year she has been waiting for.”

Donald and her teammates open the season at the High Sierra Invitational on Aug. 29.

“We have a really good athletic program and it is very competitive,” said Donald. “I feel at St. Francis, we give it 100 percent every day and we practice hard. Everyone gives 110 percent and it is what it takes to be a winning team.”