Even though she was one of the country's top volleyball recruits, Viewmont High's Airial Salvo really didn't spend much time trying to figure out where she might want to play college volleyball.
"She was born with a 'U' on her forehead," said her father, Bruce Salvo.
Airial's mother played basketball and volleyball at the University of Utah, and two of Airial's cousins played at the U. She didn't even have a home visit from University of Utah coaches and committed in her junior year before taking any other campus visits. When several of her club team friends said they were going to the U., it made her decision to go there that much easier.
"I didn't really even consider anything else," said Airial Salvo, who was the 2006 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and the Freshman of the Year in 2005.
Which is why the sophomore's decision to leave the U. has been stunning to most everyone who knows her.
Last week, Salvo and freshman setter Sydney Anderson, who earned MWC Setter of the Year honors this season, shocked their coaches and the program's fans when they both announced they were leaving the U.
Immediately rumors surfaced that the pair, who both made the U.S. National Team's A2 team, wanted to play in more highly regarded conferences. Salvo said neither the conference nor participation on the National Team had anything to do with her decision.
"I love my teammates," she said. "It was the hardest decision I've had to make, but I feel good about it. I hope they can understand that I have to do what is best for me. If they can't understand, that's OK. It was something that wasn't right for me personally."
Salvo said she has struggled for two years to feel like the U. is her home. She feels she chose the school for the wrong reasons and that she can't finish her college volleyball career at Utah.
"I wasn't happy," she said. "I felt like it was time for me to move on and go."
Her parents were surprised when she first started talking about wanting to leave the U., but as time wore on, they worried more about her losing her love for volleyball.
"I asked her to write down all of the positives and all of the negatives," said Bruce Salvo. "Our philosophy has always been, 'Work hard and do what the coach says and good things will happen.' But it got to the point where we said, 'If you're totally unhappy, we'll deal with the fallout."'
Airial said she has plans to play in the Olympics someday and being a part of a program that she didn't feel comfortable in was sapping her passion for a sport that's consumed nearly all of her free time.
"For the first time in my life, I really didn't want to go to practice," she said.
Her confidence is shaken, but not her resolve.
"I know I can reach my goals," she said. "I have grown up in the past two years. Moving away (from home) will be just another good experience for me."
She is already talking to coaches and hopes to find a program that she can help and move on with her volleyball career.
"I feel good about my decision," she said.
And as for dealing with the recruiting process as a 20-year-old, she said she's actually looking forward to it.
"I'm enjoying it," she said. "I've never talked on the phone so much, though. I just want to finish this semester and find a school that fits me. My ultimate goal is to be happy. I know what I want, and I want to achieve my goals."
Both athletes will have to sit out a year because the U. didn't grant them the one-time exception available to student-athletes in all sports except basketball and football. The women do have a redshirt year to use, and Salvo said she's just focusing on improving her game.
"I just want to work hard and get better," she said.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com