Before even stepping on the court for their junior seasons, Stephanie Campbell and Melanie Crowe have already taken the next step in their volleyball careers.

The two hitters recently gave verbal commitments to play Division I volleyball in the Southeastern Conference, with Campbell heading to Auburn and Crowe going to the University of Mississippi. Those committments cannot become official until they are seniors.

The two chose their respective schools not only for their volleyball programs, but for the academic opportunities that they provide.

“I want to be a vet and they have a vet school, so it’s perfect…Everything is just perfect,” Campbell said.

“I really, really like the coaches and I can relate to them and I bonded with girls, like I chat with them over Facebook and text them all the time,” Crowe said.

Their decisions mean that the two will see each other often, but as a part of competing teams.

“I’m excited, I’ll just be like, ‘Hey Mel,’” Campbell said.

“We’ll still get to see each other so it’ll be fun to play against an old teammate,” Crowe added.

Both players contributed to the varsity team as freshmen, especially Crowe who racked up 192 kills. As sophomores last season, Campbell was second on the team with 200 kills while Crowe ranked third with 135 despite playing in five fewer games.

Campbell and Crowes say they now have less pressure to impress colleges, which will allow them to focus on leading the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s third-ranked Lancers this season. The team starts play on Aug. 30 with a match against second-ranked St. Joseph’s Academy.