Photo by Joshua Lawton

Amber Sutherland has racked up a team-best 431 kills this season for CU.

While she was growing up on Colorado's Western Slope, Amber Sutherland went the extra mile to make sure she could compete in the Big 12. In fact, she wanted it so badly she went the extra 440 miles.

During her senior year at Glenwood Springs High School, Sutherland would make the 440-mile round trip to Colorado Springs twice weekly to play club volleyball. That's about seven hours of driving. She would do homework by the glow of the family car's overhead light. By the time the trip was over the family would walk in the front door about 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.

She wasn't doing it to get a scholarship. She had already committed to the University of Colorado by the time she was criss-crossing the state. The sacrifices by her — and her parents — were made to make Sutherland a better player.

That type of dedication has paid off. Yeah, Sutherland can compete in the Big 12. The junior outside hitter leads CU with 431 kills and was named honorable mention All-Big 12 this season. And it doesn't seem like it was even that big of a deal to make like a long-haul trucker to spike a few balls.

"It was about 31/2 hours, but we only did it twice a week," Sutherland said. "And sometimes I practiced twice on Sunday because I had to balance it with basketball and track."

It isn't easy to get exposure on the Western Slope. Glenwood Springs is a Class 4A school, but major college volleyball is heavily based on scouting club teams. High-level club teams in Colorado are generally located on the Front Range. Sutherland played club volleyball in Glenwood Springs but didn't get a chance to play with and against the best players in the state and nation until she was a senior.

Volleyball wasn't her life, though. She was a star in basketball and ran track at Glenwood. She won the state title in the discus and was the leading scorer for the basketball team. So she wasn't worried about concentrating completely on volleyball.

"Sports are my life. My life revolves around that," the 5-11 Sutherland said. "It makes up my daily life and it's what I love doing."

The Buffs benefited from Sutherland being hidden in central Colorado. She didn't receive much attention until she went to a camp at CU. That's where CU coach Pi'i Aiu noticed her. He went to Glenwood Springs to visit Sutherland and her parents and sealed the deal.

Then Sutherland began playing with the Colorado Juniors club team in Colorado Springs. She was practicing with the team periodically until an injury opened a spot for Sutherland. Without that, she may not have even been on the team. But she was, and she finally gained that recognition when she began playing in national tournaments. Major college coaches began asking about playing for their schools. They were too late.

"Had she not signed with CU some other schools may have offered her," said her mom, Debby, who teamed with dad Mike to ferry their daughter. "But I wanted her to stay in-state so I could go and watch her play. She had already committed to play with them so it was good."

It took a considerable amount of stars aligning for Sutherland to get to Boulder, and eventually she starred in one of the best statistical nights in CU history. She had 35 kills in a five-game win over No. 17 Missouri on Sept. 14. It was the third-best single-game total in program history. In case there was any question before, that verified she could compete in the Big 12.

"Honestly, the coaches tell us to not look at the score, so I didn't know how many I had," she said. "Then I looked at the stats and I was like, 'Wow, really?' It was a great feeling."

Those trips the Sutherland family took to Colorado Springs have helped create another trip to the Front Range. The Buffs are hosting the NCAA Tournament today for the first time since 1997 and play New Mexico State at 7 p.m. The weather is supposed to be a little better by then, so the family is hoping it can make the drive.

Plus, this one is only about 2 1/2 hours.