Sports
Rakes is rare player
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ASHLAND
Division I volleyball recruits from eastern
That makes Corie Rakes a notable exception.
While Rakes tends to be soft-spoken, her skills come through loud and clear. She
averaged 13 kills as a senior and was named Area Player of the Year for the
second consecutive season.
“Obviously, Corie is a dominant player in the front row,'' said
Several Division I
schools took notice. Among the others were
“Austin Peay came into the picture and Corie made a visit and fell in love with
the campus,'' Shirley said. “I think it will be a perfect fit for her both
academically and athletically.''
Austin Peay, located in
“I think it's the right size for me,'' said Rakes, who has a 3.3 grade point
average. “To get this kind of opportunity, it's awesome.''
“To earn a full Division I scholarship is a testament to her talent and work
ethic,'' said Swift, who is in his eighth year overseeing
Shirley said Rakes has the personality and drive to continue to make winning
plays on the court.
“She's a very special player in that regard,'' he said.
Slender yet powerful, Rakes also averaged three blocks and three aces last
season.
Not bad for somebody who didn't discover volleyball until high school. Prior to
that, Rakes was a cheerleader for nine years.
“It's pretty amazing how all this happened,'' said the All-State player. “I've
had really good coaches on my high school and club teams that made me a lot
better.''
Austin Peay's 2006 recruiting class is off to a flying start.
The Governors began by signing Kirstin Distler, a 5-9 outside hitter from
Louisville Assumption, the nation's top team according to PrepVolleyball.com.
Assumption went 43-0 last season and Distler was an All-State Tournament
selection.
Rakes and Distler will be roommates this fall.
“We've been e-mailing each other and becoming friends,'' Rakes said. “Both of us
are looking forward to playing together.''
Shirley believes Rakes' best volleyball is yet to come.
“Corie has made a significant amount of progress each year, and I still feel she
has a long way to go,'' said
Austin Peay, coached by Corey Carlin, was 10-21 last season and finished sixth
in the 11-team OVC.
“They are kind of a mid-grade team in the conference at this point,'' Shirley
said. “With strong recruiting the last two years, I look for Austin Peay to make
a significant push toward the top.''
Shirley said Rakes set a standard for excellence at
“Although we have a lot of talented players coming back, those will be big shoes
to fill,'' he said. “Corie has been the most dominant player in the region for a
while.''
ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at
rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606)
326-2671.