Jayda PerrySale Creek all-state setter Jayda Perry and East Hamilton all-region player Emma Mitchell signed recently to continue their volleyball careers at area NAIA colleges - Perry at Tennessee Wesleyan and Mitchell at Bryan, where she expects to be an outside hitter and defensive specialist.
"We are very excited about Emma becoming a part of our volleyball family at Bryan College," Lady Lions coach Jessica Day said. "I have been able to watch her for the past several months, and she continues to get better each time I see her. She is a team player that works extremely hard, and we can't wait to see her reach her full potential."
Mitchell plays for the 31-3 C4 Explosive club team coached by Cleveland State's Alizabeth Atnip, who said her "presence on and off the court is contagious. We can count on her to be cheering on her teammates at all times. Bryan College is gaining a player who will contribute wherever and whenever she is needed."
Perry, a Best of Preps selection as well as all-state, had 1,357 assists and 239 digs for the 39-8 Class A state runners-up last season - and nearly 3,000 assists for her four years as the Lady Panthers' setter. The secretary for the National Honor Society at Sale Creek, she also is involved in the Student Council, the Renaissance Program and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Perry called TWU her "dream school."
"I love every single staff member I have met, along with the other players when I had a chance to practice with the team," she said. "I can't wait to further my education and my athletic career at the same time at a school that feels like home. I'm blessed."
Mitchell similarly liked Bryan's "smaller college atmosphere" and "outstanding academics."