SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Claire Barbe has dreamed of playing volleyball at Gonzaga since she was a little girl. Next month, her dream will come true when she signs with the Zags.

“It has been my dream since I started playing sports,” said Barbe, who is one of two captains on the team. “I never imagined myself getting to this point. I am amazed I got there.”

Barbe grew up visiting her grandparents’ home in Spokane, Wash., and visiting the Zags campus bookstore.

“Gonzaga has always been a dream school of mine and my grandparents live 10 minutes from campus,” said Barbe, who plans to study communications and minor in political science. “I have always loved going to the campus to visit and going to the bookstore to get shirts. Since I have been playing volleyball, I have always wanted to play at Gonzaga and they have been my No. 1. I could never imagine myself wearing another jersey.”

Gonzaga is coached by Diane Nelson, who is in her first season as the head coach and in her fifth overall with the program. The Zags are coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1989-90. Nelson has helped shape the Zags’ offense into one of the top-ranked attacks in the West Coast Conference. In 2015, the Zags finished second in the West Coast Conference with a .251 hitting percentage and third with 1,607 kills, and the year before they were among the nation’s Top 20 in kills, assists, kills per set, and assists per set. She also took over recruiting coordinator duties during the 2015 season.

“I started talking to them my sophomore year,” said Barbe. “They were the first school to contact me. It was funny because I love them so much. I talked to them for the last year and half and in March they offered me a position.”

Barbe was impressed by the recruiting efforts of the Gonzaga staff.

“They were different from the other schools I talked to,” said Barbe. “They were interested in getting to know me and who I was as a person and my work ethic. Other schools just watch you at tournaments and offer a spot without getting to know you.”

The Loomis product ranks third on the team in kills this season and second in blocks. Barbe and the rest of the senior class will be recognized in the final regular season hme game against Franklin on Monday.

“She is doing a great job leading this year and is one of the team captains,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “Her court presence is really good and I am really pleased with the improvement of her overall game with her back row. She has the ability to put up a good block and her improvement hitting down the line which has added more shots to her game.”

With her early commitment, Barbe has been able to focus on her senior season.

 “It relieves a lot of stress but it was a lot of work getting to it,” said Barbe. “I felt like the recruiting process was like another class I took. I was spending two hours a day sending emails and videos to coaches.”

Barbe will participate in the St. Francis Signing Day event on November 9.