Elizabethton senior Sydney Goodsell has big dreams for the future.

And last week, the Lady Cyclone learned one of those dreams was coming true.

While at a T.A. Dugger volleyball match, Goodsell, who is a standout volleyball player at Elizabethton High, learned that she had been accepted into the University of Tennessee, where Goodsell plans on studying to be a veterinarian, a dream she has had since she was a little girl.

“My friend and I have always wanted to go to UT,” said Goodsell. “So we worked on our applications together. I found out over Snapchat that someone else had got in, so I immediately looked. I was with some of my teammates, and I opened it up, and we all just started celebrating.”

Goodsell, wanting to take steps toward her goals, worked an internship at the Veterinarian Medical Center in Johnson City over the summer. While there, Goodsell learned under Dr. Shelley Brouillette.

“It always interested me as a kid,” said Goodsell about wanting to become a veterinarian. “Every kid wants to be a vet. I just acted on it this summer.”

“I just had so much fun, and learned so much,” added Goodsell about her internship.

Over the past four years, Goodsell has played under head volleyball coach Leslee Bradley, who said it was no surprise to her that Goodsell had been accepted into the University of Tennessee.

“She is a wonderful student on top of being a wonderful athlete,” said Bradley. “She is a well-rounded, do-it-all kind of young lady. I had her in class as a freshman in Honors Chemistry, and she was a great student. She has got it all, and she does it all, and her huge aspirations do not surprise me at all.”

While getting things done in the classroom, Goodsell has played a vital role, both defensively and offensively, for the Lady Cyclones on the court. Goodsell is currently the program’s all-time leader in career kills with 917, topping former Lady Cyclone standouts Michaela Pietrowski and Mariah Pietrowski who had 752 and 702 kills, respectively. Goodsell is also fourth in career digs at 1,303 and fourth in career aces at 176.

“She has been a vital part to our success,” said Bradley. “To bring an athlete of Sydney’s caliber to your program brings you up a notch. When you practice with that kind of caliber player day in and day out, it just helps everybody else improve so much.

“Sydney is the smartest volleyball player that I have ever coached,” added Bradley. “She reads things well. She knows how to move. She knows what to do with the ball. She has really been a coach on the court also, so she has meant a tremendous deal to our program.”

Anyone who has watched a Lady Cyclones volleyball match has more than likely noticed Goodsell’s quick reflexes as she makes numerous diving one-handed saves on balls that seem to have hit the ground.

“She is lightning quick, and you have no time to react at all,” said Bradley. “All of the sudden, Sydney is under the ball. You think it is on the ground, and then she is there under it. All of the one-handed saves and the diving to the right, she is just good at that. She is just really fun to watch play.”

The Lady Cyclones program has seen a lot of growth and success over the past few years with multiple sub-state visits and big victories at the region and district tournaments.

“It has meant so much to me,” said Goodsell about Lady Cyclones volleyball and its successes. “I have gotten to create so many relationships with coach Bradley, coach Townsend, and coach Roberts. I have made so many good friends. I still talk to seniors from last year who still come to watch the games.”

As Sydney, who has played volleyball since she was 9 years old, looks toward graduation and her future at UT, she said even though she isn’t going to play volleyball at the college level that she plans on keeping the sport in her life.

“I hope to play intramural volleyball while at UT, and plan on coming back here and watching matches when I have a chance,” said Goodsell.

Anytime a program loses a player like Goodsell to graduation, it can be a big hit to a team. Bradley said that while she is sad to see Goodsell move one, she is also happy to see her go on to bigger things.

“You want success on the court, but you also want success in life,” said Bradley. “It is fun to watch them mature for the four years that they are here, and you want them making good decisions for their future. Even though Sydney doesn’t have volleyball in her future, she is making good choices and will be a big success.”

Goodsell is the daughter of Brian and Jamie Goodsell. She has an older sister, Shelby.

Elizabethton hosts Sullivan South at John Treadway Gym tonight for senior night before starting up play in the district tournament next week.