Simply the best.

If there were a Mount Rushmore for Notre Dame High School volleyball, Gabby Deery’s face would be the first one.

Deery’s legacy is etched in stone as the greatest volleyball player in school history.

The Notre Dame High School senior put the final exclamation point on her record-setting career Friday afternoon when she signed a national letter of intent to continue playing volleyball in the fall for the University of Iowa.

Deery helped the Nikes win back-to-back Class 1A state championships in 2020 and 2021, and was named Class 1A Player of the Year in 2021.

She realized her lifelong dream of playing for the Hawkeyes.

“This is definitely a milestone. I feel like all my hard work has paid off. It’s finally coming to life. It’s so surreal right now,” Deery said.

“It’s always been my dream to play for Iowa. Ever since I was a kid, I knew if I worked hard and I put the hours in, I could go far.”

Notre Dame coach Mike Davis is excited to see what Deery can do at Iowa.

“She’s got all the potential,” Davis said. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of an eye opener, coming from 1A to the biggest of the big with Big Ten volleyball, but she’s got the work ethic and mentality to give it everything she’s got.”

Deery was a four-time All-SEI Superconference South Division selection and earned first team all-district and all-state honors the last three seasons.

As a senior, the 6-foot-2 Deery averaged 4.5 kills, 0.5 blocks and 2.4 digs per set for the Nikes, who went 31-14 for the season. Her kill efficiency was .304 and she served 92.6 percent with 48 aces.

Deery finished with over 1,500 career kills and holds school records in career kills, career blocks, single season kills, single season blocks and single season aces.

Deery started her high school career as a middle hitter, but was moved to the left side when Katy Stephens suffered a knee injury.

“We missed her presence in the middle, but what she did on the outside was just phenomenal,” Davis said.

Deery originally was recruited to Iowa by former head coach Vicki Brown. But when Brown was abruptly dismissed in November of 2021, that threw Deery’s future in doubt.

But Deery followed her instincts, and her dream.

“There were a lot of changes. I had to restart the recruiting process. But my eyes have always been on Iowa. I knew if things were going to work out I was going to be in the right place. I’m happy to call Iowa home,” Deery said. “The new coach (Jim Barnes) is nice. He brings so much to the team. The team camaraderie is at the very top.

“It’s a rebuilding year and I think we’re going to have a lot of success with him.”

“I still think she’s got a lot to learn. I think when she gets up there they are going to blossom her into something even better than what we see now,” Davis said. “She’s taken everything I’ve given her, every task, and she’s handled it like a pro.”

Deery has played with the Iowa Rockets club volleyball team out of Iowa City for several years, but she knows she has her work cut out for her as she transitions to the NCAA Division I level and pursues a career in dentistry.

“I’ve put hard work in every single day at practice. You have to go in with the mindset that you’re going to get better every single day. If you don’t have that mindset, then you’re not going to get any better,” Deery said.

“I will be in the gym, lifting, keeping up on all that stuff. Hopefully, when I go to Iowa at the end of June I’ll be right up there with everybody else.”