Teams at Georgia Northwestern have signed athletes from Dade County High School in previous years for basketball, golf, and cheerleading.
Now they have completed the full set as the Lady Bobcats have their first-ever volleyball player from the Trenton school.
Senior Gracie Goode became the newest member of the GNTC spike squad after recently signing her letter of intent in a ceremony at DCHS.
“It’s kind of crazy because nobody else has done this at Dade County High School,” Goode said.
“It’s a little overwhelming.”
Goode is not just the first Dade County volleyball player to sign to play at GNTC. She is the first Dade County volleyball player to sign to play at any college since the program was restarted two years ago. The school briefly had girls’ volleyball in the early 1960s.
“She’s a very good teammate and she works very hard,” said Amanda Sigler, who coached Goode the past two seasons. “Above all, she’s very coachable and she’s willing to put in the extra hours. There were times when she would come in alone to do workouts and work on things and she would constantly ask questions. Her hard work and coachability will take her a long way.”
A friend of current Lady Bobcat Kayleigh Goff, Goode contacted GNTC head coach Amber Weaver to see about the possibility of playing for the Navy-and-Silver this fall.
“She is super sweet and she’s eager to learn,” Weaver said. “We’ve had her in the front row and the back row (at open gym workouts). I know she played front row (at Dade County), but she does great at either position. We’ll just have to see where we need her.”
Goode said she has already enjoyed getting to know her future teammates.
“The team is amazing,” she said. “They’re very easy to get along with and they all work together. If you mess up, they just pick you right back up. I think the school is easy to work with too, because they will work with you on your grades and it’s not as expensive, so it’s easier on your finances.”
Goode added that she knew how to endure.
“I know I’ll play hard for them,” she added. “I’m just going to work as hard as I can to be there for the team.”
She plans to go through the dental assistant program and go on to the dental hygiene program.
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