ALL-TIME RECIPIENTS
2018 — Kayleigh Hames, Webb; Kailey Keeble, Heritage
2019 — Cassie Kuerschen, Catholic
2020 — Cassie Kuerschen, Catholic
2021 — Devyn Dunn, Catholic
2022 — Devyn Dunn, Catholic
2023 — Kiernan Stamey, Maryville; Tinsley Brown, Hardin Valley
BY DAVE LINK
Kiernan Stamey and Tinsley Brown have played club volleyball together since the sixth grade, yet they found themselves on opposite sides of the net the past four years in high school.
Stamey is a senior outside hitter at Maryville and Brown is a senior outside hitter/libero at Hardin Valley Academy.
And they’ve remained good friends, even competing against each other.
“We kind of know what to expect out of each other because we’ve played with each other for so long,” Brown said. “We love playing against each other in high school because then we can just be competitive and have fun playing against each other.”
Brown and Stamey, Co-Players of the Year in District 4-AAA, are the 5Star Preps Volleyball Co-Players of the Year for 2023.
They are currently playing together for K2 Volleyball’s “18 Jota,” with the season running until next June. Then, they head off to play Division I college volleyball – Brown at Morehead (Ky.) State of the Ohio Valley Conference and Stamey at Kennesaw (Ga.) State of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
As for playing against each other, that’s pretty much history, unless Morehead State plays Kennesaw State in the next few years.
“I think it was really fun just because she’s such a high-level player and the competition is so much fun between us,” Stamey said.
Kiernan Stamey of the Maryville Lady Rebels. (Photo by Danny Parker)
STAMEY’S CHANGE PROVES FRUITFUL
Stamey, who stands 6-foot, made the move from middle blocker/hitter to outside hitter before her junior season at Maryville.
It was a move that strengthened Maryville’s offense, and one often praised by Lady Rebels coach Chris Hames throughout the season.
And it’s not a simple position change.
“I think it is (difficult) just because the tempo of the set’s different and you have to have more skills as an outside, so I think it was a pretty big transition,” Stamey said. “I think it helped my overall game, and definitely my defense.”
It proved beneficial not just for Stamey but for Maryville, which went 38-13 and advanced to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
The Lady Rebels, who went 6-1 against HVA during the season, were 0-2 at the state tournament.
“I’m pretty proud with how the season went,” Stamey said. “Obviously I wish it had gone a little bit better, but I think the girls will do well next year.”
Stamey will use the club season to hone her skills.
“I’m really just trying to work on my defense so I can play all the way around and be more versatile as a player,” she said.
Stamey, born in Atlanta, made several moves with her family before they settled in Maryville.
One reason she likes Kennesaw State is the location near Atlanta, but the primary reason is the coaching staff.
“I originally wanted to go to Georgia, but then Kennesaw State ended up reaching out to me,” Stamey said. “It was really the coaches who did it for me. They’re such amazing people and they really care about their players. They put their players first before anything else.”
Tinsley Brown and the Hardin Valley Hawks visited the Farragut Admirals for a TSSAA District 4-AAA match on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hardin Valley won 25-12, 25-16, 25-17. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BROWN: “REALLY PROUD”
Brown and the Lady Hawks fell one victory short of their goal of reaching the Class AAA state tournament.
After losing to Maryville in the Region 2-AAA final, HVA traveled to Blountville to play West Ridge in a sectional match.
West Ridge (37-11) earned a state bid with a five-set victory, winning 15-12 in the fifth.
The Lady Hawks finished 25-12 with half of their losses to Maryville.
“Even though we didn’t accomplish our goal of making it to state, I was still really proud of the work that we did this year,” Brown said. “We all set goals individually and as a team and were constantly working hard towards those goals in practice, and I think it was evident in how we were playing all season that we all wanted to reach those goals.
“It was upsetting when we lost that final game, but the memories that we made this season together and the hard work we put into it was worth it, even though we didn’t reach that initial goal.”
Brown played outside hitter for HVA, and like Stamey, was a six-rotation player.
However, Brown is a defensive specialist/libero in club volleyball and will play those positions at Morehead State.
It required a quick transition between the high school and club seasons.
“It’s definitely different (playing libero) because I’m not getting set all the time and I’m not playing in the front row,” Brown said. “But I really enjoy just playing DS/libero because I feel passing is my strong suit and I feel most comfortable there.
“I know in club season at K2 I can rely on my hitters because they have been trained to do that and they are pursuing careers in those positions in college, so I rely on them to do most of the heavy lifting with that.”
Morehead State started recruiting Brown early in the process and stayed with her throughout.
Once Brown visited the campus in eastern Kentucky, she knew Morehead State was the right fit.
“It was really evident that they had a great culture in their program in that the coaches were very interested in seeing their players succeed on and off the court,” Brown said. “Once I started to get to know the coaches and the players better, I just knew that it was the place that would help me succeed in my collegiate volleyball career and just moving to college and everything that comes with that.”