Today is the day to get out and see the most highly-recruited athlete in all of area fall sports -- perhaps in any sport for the entire year. Since it's Tuesday, you've probably guessed you won’t be going to a football game.

She plays volleyball.

Major college coaches from here to California have had St. Paul’s senior Bailey Webster on their wish lists for more than two years. At the summer national tournament when she was just a sophomore, she already had college coaches crowding around her court to have a look.

Now 6-foot-3, she’s still growing into her potential, but her future appears so bright that PrepVolleyball.com recently named her the No. 1 recruit in the country from the Class of 2009.

Last fall, Bailey raked in the accolades after leading the Gators to the IAAM A Conference championship. She was The Sun’s All-Metro Player of the Year and the Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. Over the summer, she helped the United States win the gold medal at the junior world championships in Mexico.

As for those college offers, Alabama, Florida, Texas and Stanford remain in the running after she declined thos from Penn State and UCLA.

So if you have some time this evening, go see her play.

The No. 3 Gators play host to No. 2 Mount de Sales at 5:15 p.m. The Sailors, led by junior hitter Katy Buck, are much deeper than the Gators, so Bailey and the largely new cast she has around her could have their hands full.

But it will be worth the trip, because you'll see great high school volleyball and you’re always likely to see something spectacular from the nation’s top recruit.

--Katherine Dunn