Hannah Lee headed to Truett-McConnell
Like a point guard in basketball or a catcher in baseball or softball, the libero position in volleyball doesn’t get a whole lot of fanfare.
Liberos don’t get a lot of chances for spikes or big blocks at the net. They spend their time directing traffic on the floor, setting up teammates and diving for digs to keep plays alive.
But like point guards and catchers, a volleyball team wouldn’t be the same without liberos, and it’s safe to say that Gordon Lee’s volleyball team wouldn’t have been the same the past four seasons without theirs.
Hannah Lee, who held down the position for the Lady Trojans for the better part of the last four years, will trade in the navy for a bit lighter shade of blue next season as she joins former Lady Trojan AllState player Julianna Spradlin on the court for the Lady Bears of Truett-McConnell University.
“This day means a lot,” Lee said, shortly before signing her papers. “It’s really an answered prayer. I didn’t know if I even wanted to play in college, but I just left it all up to God and put myself out there to let Him handle it.
“I had looked at a couple of other places that I really liked, but as soon as I went and visited TruettMcConnell, I knew that’s where He wanted me to be and that it was His plan for my life. Volleyball is the sport I love and I get to continue to do it for four more years. That’s really awesome.”
She said she got a nice, “homey” feeling when she visited the Cleveland, Georgia campus.
“When I went to go workout with the team, I just felt welcomed,” she explained. “I thought my skills would be a match for them.”
Lee was a part of a Lady Trojan program that won 121 matches in a fouryear span, including four consecutive state playoff berths, two appearances in the Class AA Elite Eight and a berth in the Class A Sweet Sixteen this past season.
She put up a mindboggling 2,164 digs in just the past three seasons to cement herself in Gordon Lee volleyball history. Her 960 total digs this past fall was the most of any player in Georgia and the second-most nationally. She also finished with a nearlyperfect career serving percentage of 97.4.
“I never thought I would play in college or have any kind of (stats) like that,” she said. “I actually started out my freshman year as a hitter, but (Gordon Lee coach) Tricia (Goodwin) came in and turned me into a libero. I cried because I wanted to be a hitter, but she was right and I turned out to be very wrong. Apparently passing is what I’m supposed to do.”
Goodwin said it took just a few minutes of
scrimmaging to realize what she had on her hands.
“When I first came here, I let the girls kind of play so I could watch,” Goodwin said. “I went up to Hannah and asked her where she had played in the past. She told me she was a hitter and had usually played on the left side. I looked at her and said ‘Nope, you’ll never be a hitter again. You’re a libero.’ and she looked mortified at the time, but I think she knows now that I was right.
“She just has this innate way of seeing and reading the court from the back row and you can’t teach that. I’ve coached for many, many years now. I’ve had passers and liberos that went on to play in college and some are still playing in college, and as far as seeing the court, she’s the best libero I’ve ever seen. Her passing is natural and she just does all the things you can’t teach.”
Lee’s skills as a server proved well for her even before she became a high school player as Tammy Harkleroad, Lee’s former middle school coach, recalled.
“Hannah was in the sixth grade and on the varsity team, although she rarely got to play,” Harkleroad said. “We were in the NGAC championship, in a tight game, and all of our players kept serving the ball into the net. I was getting mad and I looked and saw Hannah sitting on the end of the bench and I knew she had developed into a good little server.
“So I yelled at her to get in there and serve. She looked at me and her eyes got huge and I told her again to get in there. I knew she was nervous, but she didn’t say no. She checked into the game and just started serving ball after ball. She never let the jitters get to her.”
“Being here at Gordon Lee for a few years now, in my opinion, she’s has to be one of the best players to walk out of here as far as being prepared (to play in college),” added Goodwin, herself a former college coach. She’s ready.”
Lee said she is currently undecided on a major.