In a state as big as Texas, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the achievements of the small private schools in the Southwest Prep Conference. It would be difficult, however, to overlook the accomplishments of Episcopal senior Adrienne Gehan, who ranks as one of the top middle hitters in the country.
In leading Episcopal of Dallas to a 20-8-1 record, Gehan has accumulated 478 kills for an average of 6.1 per game. That total ranks third in the state. She also ranks fourth in the state in aces at 1.3 per game. She also has 73 blocks and 259 digs to lead her team in those categories.
Adrienne Gehan, Episcopal of Dallas
Courtesy Photo
"I think my ball control is my biggest strength. A lot of girls can hit the ball harder than I can, but not many 6-(foot)-3 girls are playing in the back row," said Gehan.
As a junior, Gehan set a school record with 623 kills while also registering 84 aces, 111 blocks and 219 digs for a 28-6 team.
"Adrienne is by far the best player I have ever coached. She possesses physical abilities that I have only seen in juniors or seniors in college," said Episcopal coach Laura Gomez. "Adrienne has the ability to see the court very well and determine the exact shot for every situation. Not only does she have the ability to dominate the net, she also has an outstanding jump serve and plays tremendous defense."
Gehan’s skills have not gone unnoticed by opposing coaches and college scouts. She earned All-South Zone honors last year and was All-Southwest Prep Conference. She made the USA A1 Select High Performance team and she also earned a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley.
"It has been really fun being able to go to different colleges and try to picture yourself there in a few years," said Gehan. "Ever since I was a little, I have always wanted to go to a school in California, but it was still a little hard deciding on a college that was far away from home."
Gehan won’t be the first Division I athlete in her family. Her father Glenn swam at the University of Southern California in the 1980s while her older sister Lindsay played volleyball at the University of Georgia.
"When I was a freshman, my sister was a senior and the captain," said Adrienne. "I was nervous about playing in my first varsity match, but I was excited to play with my sister for the first time."
While making the varsity team as a freshman was an outstanding accomplishment, it was only a sign of things to come.
"I have been lucky enough to watch Adrienne develop as a player since seventh grade. She has always been a standout athlete in any sport she played from soccer, tennis, softball or volleyball," said Gomez. "Not only did she have a great role model to look up to in her sister Lindsay, but she was committed to being the best player possible. Adrienne led her team to an SPC Championship the next year as a sophomore, which was the first championship in school history."
Besides being a standout athlete on the court, Gehan gives back to the community. According to Gomez, Gehan sits on the Teen Board at both the Ronald McDonald House and Community Partners, which supports Dallas Child Protective Services. She has been the president or vice president of the student council the past three years and has had numerous academic and service awards during her high school career. She also spends time volunteering as a coach at volleyball camp.
"This year at volleyball camp Adrienne was one of the coaches for my fourth-grade teams. All of the campers were so excited to have Adrienne as their coach, but most of them didn’t even come up to her knee caps!" said Gomez. "I truly enjoyed watching Adrienne share her love for the sport with the young ladies and provide them with an excellent role model for years to come."
Episcopal currently leads the Southwest Prep Conference North division with a 6-0 record, and Gehan hopes that her team can win the SPC championship.
"Our team is athletic and works hard," said Gehan. "Although I am the only one who plays competitive volleyball outside of school, we still manage to beat teams by out-hustling them."
Episcopal still has two more weeks of conference play until the playoffs begin in November.
