Rachel Shaughnessy

Neely-Merrill Award

Outstanding Achievement in volleyball

Rachel Shaughnessy

Soddy-Daisy High School, Senior

Why she won

Sparked by Shaughnessy's play, particularly at the net, Soddy-Daisy made a strong run at bringing home the school's first volleyball state championship but came up a little short. A five-set loss in the Class AAA losers-bracket final left the Lady Trojans with a third-place finish. Soddy-Daisy finished 53-11, winning the Region 3 championship and earning both the District 5 tournament and regular season titles. Shaughnessy led them in kills (665), blocks (151) and aces (106) and also contributed 140 digs.

"As far as my senior year, I'll remember us getting to state this year. Tonight I'll remember meeting Eli Manning and getting our plaques. "