Quinn Makes Her Mark at Amherst

By KEVIN GRABER Special to the Palisadian-Post Kristin Quinn is no stranger to volleyball fame. She’s trained with Olympic-level coaches whose names have an almost mythical ring in volleyball circles and after a stellar start to her career at Amherst College in Massachusetts, the name ‘Quinn’ has a ring of its own. ”The Palisadian’s name is appearing on countless lists, often at the top. As a freshman last year she earned both New England Women’s Volleyball Association (NEWVA) and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Rookie of the Year honors and was a NEWVA Second-Team All-New England selection. She also claimed All-Tournament honors at both the Western New England College and Wesleyan University Invitationals and finished 10th in the nation in hitting percentage (.420) and 13th in blocks per game (1.52)’stats that landed her in first and second in the NESCAC, respectively. ”This season, while the Jeffs have jumped out to a 21-5 start, Quinnis among the conference and national leaders in a bevy of statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.428), kills (3.71/gm) and blocks (1.51 gm). She also earned NESCAC Volleyball Player of the Week honors with a combined 42 kills and 11 blocks in a trio of conference wins over Bowdoin, Bates and Colby Colleges. ”Quinn hails from a family of swimmers and took to the water early on, twice earning NISCA (National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association) All-America honors, and she fully intended to swim at the collegiate level. Starting in seventh grade, though, volleyball became her sport of choice. She played club volleyball while attending Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood and was coached by two very prominent figures in the sport’Pepperdine men’s volleyball coach Marv Dunphy and beach volleyball legend Gene Selznick. ”At Amherst Quinn’s teammates quickly became her best friends, helping ease the transition to college life. It wasn’t an unfamiliar environment, either; teammates Nikki Davidson and Annie Hoeksma, now seniors, were fellow graduates of Harvard-Westlake and close friends of Quinn’s older sister. ”Although she’s only a sophomore, Quinn is a well-recognized threat to anyone on the other side of the net. ‘She’s the player other teams key on, but Kristin handles the pressure tremendously,’ Hoeksma says. ‘I know that if I set Kristin, the ball will more than likely hit the floor.’