Matthew Cox didn’t know much about Kylie Goodman a few years ago when he was early in his tenure as the varsity coach for the Grand Ledge volleyball program.
But he quickly got an idea of her capabilities back in 2020 when his program was conducting open gyms outdoors due to COVID-19.
Goodman was just going into eighth grade then and attending those open gyms with the high schoolers. And Cox remembers being impressed at what he witnessed then.
“She was an eighth grader jumping at what felt like three feet out of the sand and swinging harder than some of the seniors that were returning that year,” Cox said. “I just knew she was coming up and ready.”
That has been the case as Goodman has been a big factor for Grand Ledge the last several years and was an all-league selection as a sophomore and junior. The senior outside hitter and fourth-year varsity player is now trying to write a strong ending to her high school career and aims to help the Comets capture a league title.
Goodman’s play and leadership has helped keep Grand Ledge in the mix for a CAAC Blue championship. The Northwood commit and latest LSJ high school athlete of the week winner played a big role in sweeps last week over reigning Blue champion Holt and Waverly and then contributed to a five-set victory over Okemos on Tuesday.