Not Done Yet! Jayci Bowers signs with SW VA Community College

Published 8:08 am Monday, May 8, 2023

As the calendar moved on and graduation loomed, the all-time assist leader in Volleyball at Elizabethton High School Jayci Bowers became more and more sure of one thing, she was not ready to put her knee pads in storage quite yet.

In front of family, coaches, friends and teammates Bowers signed her national letter of intent to continue her volleyball career next year at Southwest Community College of Virginia. When you talk to her coaches one thing became clear, SWCC will be getting a team-first, all-out, tough as nails player. Bowers natural position is setter, the player who runs the offense in volleyball and sets up other teammates to succeed, she very well may have been tailor-made for that spot. “Jayci is a tough nosed, player that will let nothing stand in her way. She will do what it takes for her team to win; she has that never die attitude,” Former EHS Head Volleyball Coach Leslie Bradly shared. “She is the perfect teammate; she simply makes others better, she finds those things her teammates do well and she builds on it, always positive,” Bradley added.

With 678 assists and her high school playing days behind her, Bowers was close to calling it a career having already put a deposit down on a dorm at ETSU; but as spring rolled around, she knew she wasn’t done yet and knew she would miss playing way too much. However, Autumn Meade Head Volleyball Coach at SWCC knew a good thing when she sees it and reached out multiple times to Jayci to encourage her to at least come visit. Bowers took one look and just knew she had found a home. “The campus and environment and my future teammates were just amazing, I feel in love with it the moment I walked on the campus, Coach Meade has big ambitions for the program and I just wanted to be a part of that vision she has” Bowers shared.

Coach Meade couldn’t be happier with the choice “Jayci is a talented young lady; she is outgoing and communicates very well, simply put she checks all the boxes we are excited to be part of her journey” Meade exclaimed. Coach Meade is aware of the value she is getting from Bowers her list of accolades is a long one. She was a 3 -year starter at EHS, an All-Conference and All-Academic player with a 3.98 GPA; she was the 2022 3-Rivers Co-Setter of the Year. In addition, in her four years, Jayci accumulated over 1500 assists.

Now that Bowers has made the choice to continue playing, she has already expanded her horizons thinking about her two years after junior college.” I’m thankful I choose the JUCO route; the transfer portal in college is crazy right now; once I transfer to a four-year college it will give me a lot more opportunities,” Bowers shared. Coach Meade agreed with her thought process, “we know she will do well while she here but she will be a JUCO transfer to be on the look for.” Everyone involved with Jayci is confident that with Jayci’s attitude and disposition whatever is over the horizon she will succeed at.