Coral Gables Senior High volleyball co-captain Natasha Macau has committed to play Division I volleyball at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

Macau, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter, earned what CavsConnect, the school's student news outlet, described as a full-ride scholarship. She is expected to play setter for the Mountain Hawks after playing outside hitter, middle and setter across four years at Coral Gables, according to the Miami Herald.

Her junior season made the case. Macau finished with 460 kills, 43 aces and 246 digs, earning Miami Herald Girls' Volleyball Player of the Year honors for Miami-Dade.

"… I could have gone to another school, but I love the culture here and I didn't want to risk it," Macau told the Miami Herald in a Sept. 1 season preview. "Other schools might have good environments, but I didn't want to risk losing what I have here."

Macau chose to stay at Coral Gables rather than transfer to a more established program. That loyalty has coincided with a program surge. Last season the Cavaliers went 18-9 and reached the Class 7A regional semifinals before falling in five sets to Weston Cypress Bay. It was the farthest the program had advanced in the playoffs in nearly four decades.

Volleyball runs in the family. Her father, Gaston, played at Rutgers and competed on the AVP Tour. Her uncle, Marcos, also plays. Her younger sister, Gianna, a freshman, joined the Coral Gables roster this season.

Off the court, Macau is enrolled in the school's International Baccalaureate program.

Head coach Angela Brown, who has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, told the Miami Herald in a Sept. 1 season preview that the program's growth has come from within. Coral Gables was the first Miami-Dade public school to add beach volleyball four years ago, and both the indoor and beach programs have expanded since.

The Cavaliers are 10-5 this season with a five-game winning streak, according to MaxPreps. They open district play Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7:15 p.m. at Miami Palmetto. FHSAA district tournaments begin Oct. 12.