November 13, 2010
By Robert Stocks
The Winchester Star


WINCHESTER- James Wood High School seniors Emily Shannon and Hannah Tierney have played volleyball together since the seventh grade with the hopes of someday playing at the collegiate level.

On Friday, Shannon and Tierney made those dreams a reality, signing national letters of intent together in the James Wood High School library.

Shannon signed with Division I University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Tierney signed with Division II University of South Carolina-Aiken.

The two first-team All-Northwestern District selections signed their letters surrounded by their parents, a few teammates and Colonels coach Jill Lester.

"I think it's a proud moment for our team, and I'm very proud of them," Lester said. "They brought a really strong work ethic and incredible leadership to the team."

Shannon, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, joins a Maryland-Eastern Shore team that's currently 19-11, heading into the MEAC Tournament next week at Coppin State.

Shannon said she first met UMES coach Don Metil when she was a sophomore, and she really liked the team and the campus located in Princess Anne, Md.

"I absolutely love the campus and the school is amazing," said Shannon, the daughter of Cary and Virginia Shannon. "I like [coach Metil] and how he coaches. I just really like the school, and it's by the beach, too."

Tierney, a 6-foot middle hitter, joins a USC-Aiken, a school in the Peach Belt Conference. The Pacers are 14-15 and the No. 4 seed in their conference tournament.
Tierney said she considered Frances Marion and a few other schools in Virginia, but ultimately decided USC-Aiken was the best fit.

"I definitely like the coach, and I went down on a visit to see the campus and met a lot of the girls that I'll be playing with," said Tierney, the daughter of Jane and Kris Tierney. "They were all really nice and the campus is really nice. It was warm down there, and I really like warm weather."

Shannon and Tierney led the Colonels to a 16-8 record this season, finishing as the Northwestern District runner-up. The Colonels also reached the Region II tournament for the first time in three years.

"I felt really good about this season," said Tierney, who led the Colonels with 82 blocks and 54 aces. "I've had tons of fun, and I love my teammates and coach. Making it to regionals definitely fulfilled my high school volleyball goals. Making it there was amazing. I was upset that it was over so soon, but I was happy with the season and how we played."

In the final game of the season, Shannon became the first James Wood player to eclipse 1,000 kills for her career. She led Wood with 344 kills this season, finishing with 1,013.

"One of our goals was to be one of the top two teams in the district and to make it out of the district and we did that," Shannon said. "Unfortunately we didn't like the outcome of regionals, but I'm just really happy that we made it to regionals because the last time we made it was my freshman year so it was really good for us."

Lester said both Shannon and Tierney possess the type of traits that should help them excel at the next level.

"With their work ethic, if anyone is going to step in and takeover a position from a freshman standpoint you have to be a strong worker," Lester said. "These kids are definitely hard workers. Coach Metil from UMES is looking for a six-rotation player, and Emily is that for us - she plays all six rotations. She's got great technique as a passer, and she can put the ball away on offense.

"In Hannah's case, middles are a highly recruitable position, so it was just a matter of time for when she was going to get picked up. She had a lot of choices. As a middle, if you're a good middle, you have the luxury of deciding where you want to go."

Tierney and Shannon have known each other since they started school, and signing letters of itent together on the same day made it even more special.

"We've been friends since kindergarten and started playing volleyball in the seventh grade," Tierney said. "We were known as the Twin Towers back in middle school. Being able to play volleyball together for this long and now knowing that we're each taking it to the next level officially feels amazing."

"It's really sad when you think about how we're going separate ways but it's also great knowing that we're doing something really big," Shannon added. "It's really special for the both us. I'm really proud that we're going on to the collegiate level."

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