Where are they now?

[coachjohnson]

Trivia question: Where are they currently playing?

I would love to see the names of former high school players that are currently playing college volleyball.

I watched East Tennessee State, UTC, and Tennessee Tech play earlier today and saw 3 former Dobyns-Bennett players.

Jamie Rutledge, Megan Devine, and Merredith Hardy all play for ETSU and all 3 contributed greatly for ETSU, as their team topped UTC.

ETSU, Tech, and UTC are all division 1 schools. Tennessee Tech had 4 former Tennessee players; Kelsey Smith (Sullivan South),

Hayli Raines, (Soddy Daisy), Courtney Smith (Karns), and Lauren Stiles (Knox Cathlic).

UTC has 4 former Tennessee high school players; Heather Parman (GPS), Chritina Teter (Red Bank), Andrea Johnson (Soddy Daisy),

and Julie Barnes (Franklin High).

I'm looking for former Tennessee high schoolers that are currently playing.

[play4keeps]

Here's what I know:

 

Nicole Smith (Page) : Notre Dame

Madelyn Hutson (Ravenwood): University of Texas

Chelsea Ferron (Wilson Central): Lincoln Memorial University

Meredith Richardson (Ravenwood): North Carolina State

Kristin Sharp (Father Ryan): Maryville College

Ellen Mullins (Father Ryan): University of Tennessee

Kristin Cantrell (Siegel): Lincoln Memorial University

Natalie Brown (Brentwood): King College

Alesha Humphrey (Franklin): LeMoyne-Owen College

Amanda Wiseman (Wilson Central): Cumberland University

Jenna Pavan (Wilson Central): Cumberland University

Cali Crosslin (Mt Juliet): Cumberland University

Angela Conners (Centennial): Palm Beach State

Brittany Eller (Stone Memorial): Trevecca

Maddie Burford (Centennial): Trevecca

Taylor Mense (Blackman): West Georgia University

Mary K Kreuger (Stone Memorial): West Georgia University

Lydia Wright (Ravenwood): Union University (TN)

 

Oh gosh, I could go on but these are the girls that I can name off the top of my head.

Edited September 13, 2011 by play4keeps

[mwtfan]

Here's what I know:

 

Nicole Smith (Page) : Notre Dame

Madelyn Hutson (Ravenwood): University of Texas

Chelsea Ferron (Wilson Central): Lincoln Memorial University

Meredith Richardson (Ravenwood): North Carolina State

Kristin Sharp (Father Ryan): Maryville College

Ellen Mullins (Father Ryan): University of Tennessee

Kristin Cantrell (Siegel): Lincoln Memorial University

Natalie Brown (Brentwood): King College

Alesha Humphrey (Franklin): LeMoyne-Owen College

Amanda Wiseman (Wilson Central): Cumberland University

Jenna Pavan (Wilson Central): Cumberland University

Cali Crosslin (Mt Juliet): Cumberland University

Angela Conners (Centennial): Palm Beach State

Brittany Eller (Stone Memorial): Trevecca

Maddie Burford (Centennial): Trevecca

Taylor Mense (Blackman): West Georgia University

Mary K Kreuger (Stone Memorial): West Georgia University

Lydia Wright (Ravenwood): Union University (TN)

 

Oh gosh, I could go on but these are the girls that I can name off the top of my head.

 

Halie Vannoy (Morristown East): Middle Tennessee State

Rachael Bowlin (Morristown West): Carson Newman

 

Both are Juniors

[volleydad]

Trivia question: Where are they currently playing?

I would love to see the names of former high school players that are currently playing college volleyball.

I watched East Tennessee State, UTC, and Tennessee Tech play earlier today and saw 3 former Dobyns-Bennett players.

Jamie Rutledge, Megan Devine, and Merredith Hardy all play for ETSU and all 3 contributed greatly for ETSU, as their team topped UTC.

ETSU, Tech, and UTC are all division 1 schools. Tennessee Tech had 4 former Tennessee players; Kelsey Smith (Sullivan South),

Hayli Raines, (Soddy Daisy), Courtney Smith (Karns), and Lauren Stiles (Knox Cathlic).

UTC has 4 former Tennessee high school players; Heather Parman (GPS), Chritina Teter (Red Bank), Andrea Johnson (Soddy Daisy),

and Julie Barnes (Franklin High).

I'm looking for former Tennessee high schoolers that are currently playing.

 

 

Three other Karns players:

 

Wingate University - Kelsey Handel

 

Carson Newman - Ashley Ferris

 

Maryville College - Lauren and Mallory Bonee

[thecoachk]

Cheyanne Kyle (Columbia Central) - Bethel University

[coachjohnson]

Cheyanne Kyle (Columbia Central) - Bethel University

Great stuff. Red Bank has Courtney Lawson playing at Carson Newman and Kaitlyn Helton playing at Hardin College in Arkansas.

Boyd Buchanan's Rachel Harper playing at Carson Newman. Alex Martin from Ooltewah is at Belmont.

East Ridge has at least 2 girls playing college ball.

The numbers have gone "way up" for Tennessee high school volleyball players being able to play

college volleyball. It wasn't that many years ago that college coaches couldn't get much out of

Tennessee.

Playing "club" volleyball makes a big difference.

[PHargis]

Great stuff. Red Bank has Courtney Lawson playing at Carson Newman and Kaitlyn Helton playing at Hardin College in Arkansas.

Boyd Buchanan's Rachel Harper playing at Carson Newman. Alex Martin from Ooltewah is at Belmont.

East Ridge has at least 2 girls playing college ball.

The numbers have gone "way up" for Tennessee high school volleyball players being able to play

college volleyball. It wasn't that many years ago that college coaches couldn't get much out of

Tennessee.

Playing "club" volleyball makes a big difference.

Thats true about club but High school Coaches have gotten better and a wave of University graduates from Tennessee High Schools became interested in coaching in the past 8 years along with University Play has gotten better and University graduates from out of state are coaching also. Some are also Directing Clubs. And the world goes on. I can remember a post on this site by someone which said all of this increase in play would only dilute the quality of play and would not make it significantly better and cast doubt as to increasing interest. I have thought about that comment within the past 4 years when Middle School play has swelled and brought with it Club acceptance in that age range with multiple age group teams. And the world continues to go on again. And we are now awaiting the next group of Coaches from University graduates which will inevidently come and their contribution to the Game who are Teachers and are from other fields. This has been a very productive 8 years as far as this sport is concerned. And then I can also remember another quote on this site from a football or basketball thread by a coach of a school. Volleyball is not even a sport and will never exhibit an interest to any type or size of a crowd. Well, we have a little way to go there but we've come a long way and its been done by being better business wise and finding and attracting better athletes and putting a better product on the floor and promoting the daylights out of the female athlete. And of course, along that time some 8 years ago Title 9 showed up and when it did, it changed the whole scene in womens athletics and opportunities so this was a "sweet spot" in a time frame of history and it was the right time for something to happen.

If this ocassion of this thread has to do with the part Club has been in this uplift of the sport, there is no doubt that being the case. It has helped. I'm not sure in a lot of cases, progress could not have been done as rapidly. No one could have made the progress that quickly without the help. Its like having an assistant coach to consult with. However, can it be done otherwise? Yep but not without a great deal of organization. Seasoned coaches can do it. An active booster club has to know what they are doing. But in most schools that available.

If the issue of a club is just to make money, its not a good investment but if it has to do with doing something a person knows a lot about and helping student athletes, its a great way to make some money, not get rich, but make some money. Colleges and Universities for the most part, do not pay help on tuition as they should. So the ROI needs to be looked at to see the value of Club play with what has to be paid out as opposed to the help on tuition that is given by a school. Volleyball at a University is a part time job for tuition. Scholarships evidently are getting some better. So if clubs can sell there value thru an area of getting part of their tuition paid, its a good deal but the expense is an up front expense with no promise.

So with some going on right now and this thread showing up, a school who has better than average Volleyball team really needs some club help or some experienced help to set up a program. The club help is in the summer and the coach is during school and the two should not clash or overstep each other because they are two different programs and people. The schools should recommend summer training but the Club has to stay out of meddling in school play unless asked.

Edited September 13, 2011 by PHargis

[clubonlyforus]

I agree that playing "club" makes a big difference. Unfortunately, all high school coaches are not on the same level. Some know how to teach basic fundamentals, and some do not. Some know how to get each player to give her best, and some do not. Some high school coaches know how to play the best 6 girls at that given time, and some are too worried about playing the upper classmen.

 

I know that there are high school volleyball coaches out there that can teach a good athelete how to play well enough to get to play in college without any "travel ball". But, I feel they are the minority. The only way some girls will ever be seen by a college coach or scout is at a club tournament. Unfortunately, many parents can not afford this, even when they sometimes have one of the best "coachable" players.

 

Our middle school was too involved with basketball, and used volleyball as a conditioning sport for it. Nobody thought that volleyball was a "serious" enough sport to be committed to it. So we end up with players that are just learning to pass the ball in high school!

 

I am so excited to see how volleyball has been improving in Tennessee, especially East Tennessee. I only hope that the clubs in town can get to the level where they are able to have "non travel" teams and keep the costs down for some of the parents, but still allow more than 3 months of play time per year.

[clifford20]

Katie Horenkamp--Maryville College (siegel HS)

[OHS80]

Kristen Pickett playing for Carson-Newman from Cleveland High School

Kayla Sewell playing for Sewanee from Walker Valley High School. amazin Kayla signed to paly three sports

Volley Ball, Basketball and Softball

[bratman]

Anderson County has Kelsey Leffew starting setter at Lee; Ashley Pittman starting at King; Emily Dupree at Covenant; Alex Sain at Austin Peay; Kelsey Dew at the University of the Cumberlands and three girls who played last year (don't know the names, I was gone by the time they came up) who are playing for a total of 8 players CURRENTLY playing. I think only 1 of them played club.

 

Is that the most?

[PHargis]

Katie Horenkamp--Maryville College (siegel HS)

For those familiar with Katie, had another ACL, still playing injured and will have surgery after season, great player and person.