Gillette College Signs Superstar Setter out of St. George

GILLETTE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS  

Julia Machin | Head Women's Volleyball Coach 

Tatum Gardner is a 5'6, highly decorated setter from St. George, Utah. The future pronghorn has earned herself three varsity letters for volleyball and one varsity letter for softball! As a setter, Tatum was a leader on and her leadership helped drive the Desert Hills volleyball team to be successful throughout her high school career. Gardner led the DHHS team to be 2021 Region Champs, 2021 Utah State Champion Runner-Ups, 2022 Utah State Champion Runner-Ups, 2023 Region Champs, and the 3rd place finishers in the Utah State Volleyball Tournament. Not only was the DHHS team successful as a whole during her career there, but Gardner was successful as an individual as well. Over the years, Tatum earned numerous titles and accolades including 2021 All-Region Honorable Mention, 2022 All-Region Second Team, 2022 All-State Honorable Mention, 2022 Ace Leader for 4A, 2023 All-Region First Team, 2023 All-State Second Team, 2023 Assist Leader for 4A, and 2023 Ace Leader for the Region. Gardner was the team captain for the Desert Hills team from 2022-2023, she also broke over 13 School Records including Most Career Aces and Most Career Assists. These accolades come as no surprise when looking at Tatum's senior year stats where she added a staggering 1,003 assists, 9.5 assists per set, 71 aces, a 94.5% service accuracy, 278 digs, and 20 kills! Needless to say, the Utah native was an absolute rockstar on the court for not only Desert Hills High School, but also for Red Rock Heat Club Volleyball and the Aces Volleyball Club team. 

Tatum Gardner has had a hugely successful volleyball career at Desert Hills, but she also has an impressive resume when it comes to her academics! Gardner put in a lot of time when it came to academics, she boasted a 4.0 GPA throughout all four years of high school and was named to the Utah Academic All-State team. Along with being a member of the volleyball team, Tatum was also a member of numerous clubs and academic organizations. She was a leader for Especially For Athletes (E4A), a member of the Hope Squad, a Sand Volleyball Club Member, and a member of the Spikeball Club! On top of all that, Gardner was also named Student of the Month for Desert Hills. The Utah student-athlete plans on studying Secondary Education during her time at Gillette College!

Tatum shared with us the reason that she chose Gillette College, she said "I chose Gillette College for a variety of reasons, it's hard to just name a few. When I first went out for my visit, I loved the atmosphere, emphasis on academics, and the support from the town. Coach Machin is amazing, she is everything I was looking for in a coach - she is someone that will push me and want the best for me. I also loved all of the people I met, everyone was so nice and welcoming!"