Jenkins joins volleyball recruiting class for Chatt. State

The Chattanooga State volleyball team will have a decided northwest Georgia feel to it next season.

Just a week after signing Ringgold standout Zoie Metcalf, and a day after Lafayette standout Gracie Stier joined the Lady Tiger fold, the Blueand-orange dipped into the top left corner of the Peach State for another big-time talent as Ridgeland senior Jayda Jenkins signed her letter of intent with the school on Friday.

“It feels great (to sign),” Jenkins said. “I’m super excited and I’m going to bring 100 percent to every game and every practice.

“I just like the environment and the players (at Chattanooga State) and I really like the school and where it’s located. It’s close to home.”

Jenkins was a two-time Allregion (6-AAAA) first teamer and has been on the past three Catoosa-walker Dream Team first teams.

As a sophomore, she had a team-best 212 kills to go with 82 digs and 57 aces. She increased those numbers to 267 kills, 206 digs and 68 aces as a junior, while she made it three straight years of leading the Lady Panthers in kills after 290 more this past season. She also had 211 digs and 51 aces as a senior to help get Ridgeland back to the state tournament.

“Where do I begin?” Ridgeland head coach April Lemonds asked. “She’s just good all the way around. She’s a great kid. She has a great attitude and a great work ethic. She’s a very good hitter, she serves the ball well and she’s a great defensive player. She’s just the total package.”

Chattanooga State assistant coach Robin Moore, who was among those on hand for the signing ceremony, quickly agreed.

“That’s the same thing we saw,” Moore explained. “She can play all the way around and she can hit. She’s got an impeccable work ethic and, like Coach Lemonds said, she’s a great kid. Everybody we checked with said nothing but wonderful things about her. She’s going to be a good fit for Chattanooga State.”

Moore said her program is drawing more talent out of northwest Georgia now than just about anywhere else they recruit.

“The programs down here have just gotten better and better,” she continued. “They’re stronger and more competitive and I also think with some of the (college) volleyball programs here locally having to shut down recently, like at Dalton State and at Georgia Northwestern, that is helping us draw more from north Georgia than we’ve probably gotten before.”

Jenkins said she was still undecided on a major.