Lee set to play beach volleyball at EKU
There have been quite a few uniquely talented volleyball players come through the Gordon Lee program, but few are as unique and talented as Arilyn Lee.
Blessed with an eclectic mix of hobbies and interests off the court, and with power and skill on it, the 5-foot10 Gordon Lee senior, with a love of the outdoors and a love for the beach, became the newest member of the Eastern Kentucky University beach volleyball team after signing with the Colonels last week.
“I think it’s a great fit for her,” said Gordon Lee coach Kelli Payne. “I think she’ll be an asset to their team, not just because she’s a hard worker, but because she does the little things. She stays after practice to make sure everything is picked up and she makes sure that everybody feels like they are part of the team. She’s a great player, a great teammate and a great person.”
Lee’s signing also continued what has become a “family tradition” of NCAA Division I athletics for her family. Her older sister, Madelyn, signed to be on the track team at Mississippi State in 2015, while her oldest sister, Katelyn, signed to play basketball at Grand Canyon University in Arizona in 2013.
“I remember sitting there and getting
to experience this day with them and it was really exciting,” she explained. “I wanted to be like them, pursuing something and working hard for it.”
A four-year starter and a rock for the Lady Trojans, she finished her career with 829 kills, 446 digs, 206 blocks and 177 aces. She was a fourtime Dream Team selection and three times a first teamer, a two-time AllRegion 7-AA/A selection, and AllState her sophomore year.
She was also part of a standout senior class whose legacy includes four region titles, four state semifinal appearances, and consecutive Class AA/A Public state championship matches in 2020 and 2021.
A volleyball player since the third grade, Lee said that even though her primary focus was on the indoor game, she and her Gordon Lee and club ball
teammate, M.K. Roberts, would play in sand tournaments during the summer “just for fun”.
However, it was in the middle of her junior year, when she said she felt that God was leading her toward the sand version of the game in college, even as she continued to play indoor in the offseason.
“I wanted to switch over, but I didn’t know what it was going to be like to fully commit to playing sand volleyball,” she explained. “I had been playing indoor (with A5 Chattanooga) for four years and loved it, but I just felt in my heart that I needed to change. I told my parents that I need to be playing beach, but it was tough to finally realize that.”
But fully commit she finally did. Today, she commutes two hours to the metro-Atlanta area to hone her game with Southern Select Sand (S3) Volleyball.
“Beach and indoor are so different, but I just felt relieved and happy when I made the (beach) team,” she added.
Lee said she played in beach tournaments most of this past summer and constantly talked to coaches, trying to catch up. Those efforts included playing in a national tournament in California where she said she was first seen by EKU.
From there, she said it was one of S3’s lead coaches, Nicole Christner, who put her in contact with the EKU coach. That led to a couple months of communication and, eventually, an official visit.
“I did a tour of the campus and just fell in love. It felt like it was home,” she added. “They offered me right after that and I just felt so relieved. I knew all this hard work would finally pay off and it’s just so exciting.
“Plus, it’s a fairly new program and I’m looking forward to seeing how I can make it grow and see where it goes. I just want to work my hardest, be there for my team and be an awesome person for everybody.”
Tricia Goodwin, who has also coached Lee at GLHS the last four years, and who also played and coached the sport at the collegiate level, said she believes Lee will thrive in college.
“She listens and she’s one of the most coachable players I’ve ever had,” Goodwin explained. “She asks the right questions to figure out what she needs to be doing and then she goes out and executes it.
“And she’s the sweetest kid. Everybody loves Arilyn and I think (beach volleyball) is who she is. Plus, she’s phenomenal at beach volleyball. She’s just so good at it and I think she’s going to dominate.”
Lee, who was also voted GL’s Homecoming Queen this past fall, is considering business, nursing and horticulture as majors, but says she has a unique longterm goal of one day combining two of her passions and opening a combination flower shop/taqueria.