Nov. 4, 2013
Sting Daily
By Jon Cooper
There is probably no greater feeling for a college player than the satisfaction of knowing he or she has finished his or her career on a high note.
Quinn Evans is finding that out in her final season as a middle blocker for Georgia Tech Volleyball. Going out with a bang — or a block — was something she had strong feelings about from the time she started training for the season during the summer and which has motivated her throughout the season.
“That’s definitely it. This is my last time being on a team sport and I wanted to make the most of it,” said Evans, one of four seniors on the Yellow Jackets roster. “But just having those years of experience behind me and pretty much being put in any position on the team and learning how to deal with it, you kind of grow in your four years. It’s finally all come together and I guess right at the right time.”
Evans is one of two Jackets to start all 24 matches this season — fellow middle blocker, sophomore Chanell Clark-Bibbs is the other — and ranks second on the team with 165 kills, while leading the team with 91 total blocks (16 blocked shots and 75 block assists), and averaging 2.60 points per set. Her 218.5 points rank third behind senior outside hitter Jennifer Percy (302.0) and Clark-Bibbs (220.0).
To show how grand Evans’ final act has been, she totaled 192 kills, 110 total blocks, and 267.5 points over her first three years — really two, as she played in one match as a freshman. Evans also has enjoyed her finest season hitting percentage-wise, as she’s putting shots away at .293 efficiency. That’s tops on the team and just short of ranking in the top 10 in the ACC, a place she resided as late as last weekend, when she was eighth. It’s also not far from her career-best .310 hitting that she recorded last season, and that came on nearly half the swings she’s taken heading into Friday’s match at NC State and Saturday’s tilt North Carolina (184 Total Attack attempts vs. this year’s 375).
Yet, possibly her biggest roll is in an area that can’t be tangibly measured. It’s in her demeanor and consistency.
“I think there are two things that this team has relied on Quinn to be this season — the person that keeps everything light, funny and the person that has been the most steady, consistent throughout this season,” said Coach Tonya Johnson. “I don’t think you ever have to question if she’s going to get the job done or not. This team relies on her to be the `Steady Eddie’ of the team and she has done a good job of that.”
The consistency with which she’s done her job hasn’t been lost on her.
“One of my huge goals all spring and summer coming into this season was just to be a steady player and just be somebody that the team can rely on or have confidence in when I’m given the ball,” she said. “That’s certainly been a huge goal for me going into every game, and to get above the .375 hitting percentage. I feel like on our team that’s kind of my job and if I’ve done that I’ve done my job.”
With that .375 still out there, Evans will be attacking the final eight matches of her career with the same fervor she’s showed all season. She’s as determined to get every last win she can for the Jackets.
But regardless of her final numbers, she realizes just how special her four years at Georgia Tech have been. That point was reinforced during Alumni Weekend, a couple of weekends back.
“That was really neat to see them and interact with them and just kind of understand the tradition of Georgia Tech Volleyball a little bit more,” Evans said. “It really puts in perspective how cool an opportunity it is that we have here.”
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