BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – Elaina Vaughan has towered over the competition as a standout volleyball player at Sullivan Central.
Her next stop on the court will take place amid towers of a different kind.
Vaughan, who led the Cougars to the substate portion of the postseason last month for the first time in 14 years, signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play volleyball and pursue a career in the fashion industry at St. Francis College, a Division I school located in Brooklyn, New York.
“The area around it is so cool and it has a perfect view of Brooklyn across the bridge,” said Vaughan, who has visited the city three times since deciding on the Terriers back in January. “I am so excited to be part of this team. It is really like a family and the coach is amazing.”
That coach, Amable Martinez, has never actually seen Vaughan play in person, but movies have been said to be the next best thing. He liked what he saw.
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“They didn’t come to find me here, they found me on a recruiting site and we just really nurtured that relationship,” Vaughan said. “I sent them a lot of video and they really liked what they saw and it just went on from there.”
“Being able to see your athletes moving on to the next level is always special, but being able to see them go Division I, that adds a little bit to it,” said Sullivan Central volleyball coach Logan Kemp.
Kemp has spoken with members of the St. Francis staff, and is excited to see how his prized pupil will perform at the collegiate level.
“Just being able to see the passion that she brings to the court, both offensively and defensively, and just being able to capitalize on that and to have the frame, that volleyball build that she has,” he added, “that is something they feel like they can really work with and I am excited to see what they do.”
The 6-foot-1 Vaughan has been a force at the net, earning Three Rivers District player of the year honors after recording 166 kills, 64 blocks, 61 digs and 34 aces for the Cougars in the season that ended last month, the final year of the program with the school closing its doors at the end of this school year.
“The coaches have really done a good job in just telling me what I do wrong and how I can fix things,” said Vaughan, who was the most valuable player in the TRD tournament and was part of the Region 1AA all-tournament team. “They have really molded me into the player that I am today. They have really made it an enjoyable experience too.”
Vaughan had other options, including Middle Tennessee State and Lander College in South Carolina, but St. Francis was the choice, securing a dream that began a few years ago.
“I think around my sophomore year I finally started getting into it and thought ‘Man, I think I could make a career out of this,’” she said. “It was so fun and I really enjoyed everything about the process and just playing.”
Kemp saw the potential even sooner than Vaughan may have realized.
“It was her eighth grade year in middle school whenever I first really got to watch her play,” he said. “I knew early on that she was going to have what it takes to bring a lot of power and a lot of effort to the team.”
She will look to do the same for the Terriers, who were 14-17 in 2019, including a sixth place finish in the nine-school Northeast Conference. Vaughan joins what was a 19-woman squad last year that included players from nine states, along with three apiece from Puerto Rico and Serbia.
Kemp is confident Vaughan will adjust just fine to the college level where other women will be just as tall and as athletic as she is.
“I think she has the passion and she has the drive to be able to push herself no matter what the level of play is,” Kemp said. “I am excited to see how the coaches are able to shape that energy that she has and get her performing at a D-I level.”
Vaughan, who said she doesn’t feel any pressure having to perform at the next level, will be ready for the challenge that awaits.
“Coach said I don’t have to prove myself, he has seen all he needs to see,” Vaughan said. “There will definitely be some competition, but everything is just going to be part of the team and we will all be competing for the same position all together so everybody is going to be the same.”
Sullivan Central volleyball is no more, with the school closing after this school year, with the Cougars becoming part of West Ridge High School.
What a way to finish though.
“We made it to substate, first time in 14 years. The first district championship in 14 years, first time going to region in 14 years so being able to bring the program to a close the way we did was definitely a very fun journey,” Kemp said. “If I had to choose a way to go out, being able to have the season that we did, especially with all the unknowns we had surrounding the season, it was a definitely a good way to finish out the program.”
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