Stone’s Bennett Signs To Maryville College

Stone Memorial Volleyball Senior Adyson Bennett signed her letter of intent to commit to Maryville College and continue playing volleyball at the collegiate level.

Since she was a 9th grader, Bennett has been a regular in the Stone Memorial rotation and a starter since 10th grade. Head Coach Tori Permenter said the fact that opposing players, coaches, parents and referees comment on her play, speaks volumes.

“I could talk all day about Adyson and who she is as a player,” Permenter said. “You know, there’s just some things you can’t coach. You can’t coach that drive. You can’t coach that competitiveness. That’s just something you have to get as a player and she has it.”

Bennett has toured Maryville three separate times and said that the campus’ beauty and the school’s values were factors for her decision. But it was the volleyball program that she signed for, she said that it was clear that Maryville was the college for her.

“I’ve gone to camp two years and both times I went, the girls were just so welcoming,” Bennett said. “And it was really just the environment that I wanted to be in. Everyone wanted to be there and get better and I just loved that the most.”

Another factor in Bennett’s decision was due to Maryville’s head volleyball coach, Brienna Laskowski. Laskowski also serves as a club coach on a team that Bennett has played on and she said she is a big fan of Laswoski’s coaching style.

Bennett verbally committed to Maryville before her senior season, but now that the ink is dry, she said the emotions are starting to sink in.

“Now that it’s finally hit me, I’m actually really excited,” Bennett said. “It’s just going to be such a different atmosphere. I think it’s going to be a different level of being pushed than what I had been before. And I think being able to get that opportunity to play has honestly helped me step up in my senior season as well.”

Permenter said that she’s glad Maryville College is just over an hour away from Crossville because she plans on rooting on Bennett in her collegiate career. She also said that Bennett is a player that she feels lucky to have coached and that Maryville is getting a great player.

“Any culture would be lucky to have Adyson, because she adds to that culture,” Permenter said. “She adds to what you want as a program and she’s a model of that program. That’s what she brings to the table, not just her athletic ability, but that example that you want set for any girl coming through. So I’m really excited to see her play and do great things there.”