Nov. 19, 2002
Sarah Hale (Athens, Ga.), a 6-3 middle blocker and Abby Showers (Vandalia, Ohio), a 6-0 setter and outside hitter signed national letters of intent to attend Georgia Tech, head volleyball coach Bond Shymansky announced on Tuesday.
They join a squad which will return all six starters in the 2003 season and is currently No. 20 in the nation.
“We are extremely excited about the ability level of both signees in this class,” said Shymansky. “It is important that we keep adding height and power to our team to keep our tradition of success alive in the future. This class will certainly be ranked amongst the top in the country and both Abby and Sarah will make significant contributions in the immediate future.”
Hale, the 2002 Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association Class A/AA Player of the Year and Tech’s most high profile signee from the state of Georgia, led Athens Academy to the A/AA state championship this season. She holds state records for the highest hitting percentage in a season (.497) and for the most kills in a single match (32) and was featured as the No. 20 college prospect in the Student Sports Magazine 2002 Hot 100 College Prospect list. A member of the Atlanta Juniors club team, Hale was named the Athens Banner-Herald/Pepsi Northeast Georgia Player of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2002. An excellent athlete, Hale is the defending state champion in the discus and set a new record for Class A with a throw of 136’4″.
“We are proud and excited to have a recruit from the state of Georgia join our program next season,” said Shymansky. “Sarah is an elite level athlete with an approach touch of 10 feet. There were a number of top 25 schools interested in Sarah, but we were the right fit for what she was looking for in a program. Sarah is very long and lean and will do some damage in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a middle blocker with her attack and her block. We are proud and excited to have a recruit from the state of Georgia join our program next season.”
Showers, the 2002 Greater Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year, is an accomplished player who was featured as the No. 70 college prospect in the Student Sports Magazine 2002 Hot 100 College Prospect list. Showers earned first-team all-district 15-honors and was named the District 15 Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. A talented and versatile athlete who plays for the Dayton Juniors club team, Showers is expected to play as both an outside hitter and setter for the Jackets next season.
“Abby is a very experienced player who can do it all on the court and she has a great personality for leadership and teamwork. She is the type of player who will be tough to keep off the court because she has so many skills and such great athleticism. The combination of those two traits is why she was named to the top 100 recruits list. She will be training in a dual role as a setter and a hitter and I believe she will be successful at the Division I level at both positions.”
“I’m very pleased with this recruiting class,” said Shymansky. “We’ve signed athletes who are athletically gifted and have a passion for the game which is a fantastic combination. They will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to them being a part of our volleyball family.”
