Phoenixville’s Quinn signs on at Old Dominion after historic senior season
A season for the record books now has a storybook ending as Phoenixville’s Bailey Quinn signed a National Letter of Intent to play field hockey at Old Dominion University, two weeks removed from guiding her team to its first state playoff appearance in 13 years.
“Old Dominion was in a really good location,’ the senior 2014 Mercury All-Area Player of the Year said. “There’s a beach a half hour away and it has a real good program. They seemed welcoming and they had my major, that was key.
“When I went to the clinics, the players were real nice. They talked to me a lot about the campus. The coaches were really nice to me when I went down for my first visit. I was nervous in the beginning but they made me feel comfortable being down there.’
Quinn, who also was considering Temple, Delaware, Monmouth and Liberty, ultimately decided on Old Dominion because the way the school recruited her. She will go into college with an undecided major, but plans to take special education once she gets her feet wet in her new surroundings.
“They recruited me the hardest,’ the two-time All-Area first teamer said. “They put forth the effort and made sure I was at showcases and NITs. They showed that they wanted me to be a part of their team and their community.’
What Old Dominion receives is a player that scored 90 goals throughout her high school career, including a record shattering senior season.
Quinn erupted in her final campaign for the Phantoms at attack, breaking Miranda Peto’s single-season scoring mark of 28 as she registered 41 goals and eight assists, leading her team to a 12-1 PAC-10 record and a district berth in the team’s first season at the Class AAA level since the late 90s.
Quinn’s consistent play was evident throughout districts as she scored five goals in four games, including two penalty stroke markers in a 5-4 victory against Quakertown in the District 1-AAA opener before she rose to the occasion with another two goals via penalty stroke in a do-or-die clash against Perkiomen Valley in a 2-1 victory in the playback round.
And despite bowing out in the first round of the PIAA-AAA round to perennial contender Lower Dauphin, Quinn admired the memories she made with her teammates throughout her career.
“I loved playing with the girls,’ Quinn said. “I’ve been playing with them since eighth grade. It was nice to end the season going to states and having just a great year. Coach (John) Tornetta was really supportive throughout my career and that helped me a lot.
“Coach Tornetta was always on me my freshman and sophomore year just trying to get me better,’ Quinn said. “He taught me so much during my time there and it really helped me become a better player.’
Quinn’s freshman campaign started out promising as she poured in eight goals before she found the back of the cage 22 times in her sophomore season, leading the Phantoms to the PAC-10 semifinals while also earning Mercury All-Area First Team honors.
Her junior season spelled much of the same as she tallied 19 goals and two assists as the Phantoms once again made the PAC-10 semifinals, falling to Owen J. Roberts.
Now, her travels are to Norfolk, Virgina where she will hope to replicate the same career at Old Dominion, a team that finished 11-8 before bowing out in the Big East tournament in 2014.
“Well I definitely want to try and play and get a position on the team. It starts now. I’m going to start working really hard on my stick skills because that’s something I lack.
“I have to start working harder to get to their level, the level that I need to be at. I think that I’m close to that level but I want to be at a higher level than they’ll expect me coming in.’
