Churchville-Chili senior Jaycee Karelus has been tapped by D’Youville College to compete on their women’s volleyball team for the 2021-22 season. She signed her Letter of Intent to play for the Division II D’Youville Saints on May 14.
“I have seen Jaycee grow as a player over the last several years,” said C-C Athletic Director Michael Murray. “She has worked extremely hard to become not only one of our best players, but one of the best all-around players in Section V. She helped lead our team to our first ever Section V title in girls volleyball and was then named to the Section V All-Tournament team. That alone shows how well she has played and the talent level she has. I am proud of Jaycee for all the hard work she put in to get to the place she is today.”
Karelus has been an anchor player on her high school varsity volleyball team for the past four years. She was named to 2nd Team All-County in 2019. In 2021, she helped lead the C-C Saints girls volleyball team to their first varsity Section V title in school history, and was chosen for the year’s Section V All-Tournament team.
C-C Volleyball Head Coach Shelby Gear said, “Jaycee has been an exemplary player throughout her career at Churchville-Chili. Her work ethic and dedication have helped her develop into a fantastic athlete and it will continue to carry her far. I feel very privileged to have been able to work with her this year and look forward to what she will bring in the future.”
Karelus has an outstanding academic record in addition to her athletic achievements, and will be graduating Churchville-Chili High School cum laude (with honor: GPA of 90-94.99) in June. She is excited about beginning D’Youville’s prestigious, student-centered nursing program in the fall. Her volleyball talent runs in the family: Her mother Kristie Karelus is a D’Youville alumna and ex-middle blocker for the college; her father Christopher Karelus played volleyball for the University of Buffalo. Sister Camryn, a sophomore at Churchville-Chili, is an up-and-coming varsity team member, and younger brother Lucas plays volleyball as well.
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