Concord Christian School’s first Division I athletic signee is about to start her college volleyball career, and a second Division I commitment will start her career in 2019-20.
Recent graduate Abby Collins signed to play for the Air Force Academy of the Mountain West Conference, and rising senior Sidney Sherrill committed to play for East Tennessee State University of the Southern Conference.
Collins is a 5-foot-9 setter and Sherrill is a 6-0 outside hitter. Darby Flickinger, a setter/right-side hitter and recent graduate of Concord Christian, signed to play for Kentucky ChristianUniversity, an NCCAA Division II program.
Concord Christian coach Carmen Hochevar said Collins’ acceptance of appointment into the Air Force Academy is a rare achievement.
“She’s a 4.4 student, and the percentages of getting into the Air Force Academy are very low,” Hochevar said Monday. “Her community service, all the upper-level classes she’s taken, her GPA, she had all of them covered.”
Collins, who just completed her first season at Knoxville’s K2 Volleyball, plans to follow her father Jason’s career path and become a family physician, but first will compete at a high level of college volleyball.
“It’s a huge deal for her,” Hochevar said. “She’s a left-handed setter. She’s the real deal.”
Collins was Concord Christian’s Salutatorian of her class thispast school year.
Sherril, who committed to ETSU a couple of weeks ago, hopes to lead Concord Christian to its fourth consecutive berth in the Division II-A state final four this fall.
She will join two other volleyball players from the 5 Star Preps coverage area on the ETSU roster in the next couple of years. Farragut rising senior Sydney Cherney and William Blount rising junior Jenna Forster have committed to ETSU.
“(Sherrill’s) a tough player,” Hochevar said. “She will do a great job for (ETSU). She wanted to stay close to home and play Division I volleyball. It was the perfect fit for her.”