Sara Carr signs with Emory University
She could no longer deflect the spotlight, because the moment was all about Sara Carr.
The two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year signed with Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, in a ceremony filled with family and friends at Mountain Brook High School.
“It is a special day,” Mountain Brook volleyball coach Haven O’Quinn said. “So much of what we do in our program is about the team, but today is really about an individual. I can’t put into words how hard this child has worked for this day.”
“Volleyball is obviously a really big deal to me and a big part of my life, and for y’all to be here it’s really important to me,” Carr said.
Carr helped lead the volleyball program to consecutive state championships in 2014 and 2015, winning MVP of the state tournament in both years. She also set program records on the basketball floor in career rebounds, points in a season, rebounds in a season, and points in a game.
Athletic director Benny Eaves said, “Spartan Nation couldn’t be any prouder for you to be part of our family.”
Emory boasts a rich volleyball tradition, winning a Division III national championship in 2008. Carr had options, but chose a school that best fit her all-around needs.
“She had a lot of choices. They are very lucky that they got Sara Carr,” O’Quinn said.
She continued, “She came in as a freshman and it was my first year. She had that one speed. She just wanted to hit the ever-loving mess out of the volleyball. And she did. She hit the mess out of the volleyball for four years.”
Off the court, Carr boasts a 4.24 GPA on top of being a star athlete, and is a member of the National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, and Mu Alpha Theta, among other things.
“She’s very well-respected by her teachers,” O’Quinn said. “That’s very impressive. It goes to show what type of person she is.”
Seeing Carr leave Mountain Brook will be sad for many, but there is one group that may not be so grief-stricken.
“There’s a lot of people that are really glad to see her go, and those are her opponents,” O’Quinn joked.