Jasmine Eatmon: From West Coast to East Courts
August 27, 2015 | Volleyball
By Brooke McCoy
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., to Athens, Ga. That's approximately 2,205 miles and a one-way ticket, coast to coast.
That was the long journey redshirt senior Jasmine Eatmon faced five years ago. At the time, she had no idea how bright her future as a middle blocker on the Georgia Volleyball team would be.
"Five years is a long time, but it has been a great ride this far," Eatmon said. "I am so ready to go out with a bang my last year."
After redshirting during the 2011 season, Eatmon appeared in all 30 matches as a freshman. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, finishing with 155 kills and an attack percentage of .253.
Her success would only continue over the next two seasons as a Bulldog. Last season, Eatmon ranked 19th in the nation and fifth in the SEC in hitting percentage. In addition, she averaged 2.05 kills per set with an attack percentage of .396. That followed a strong sophomore year when Eatmon hit a team-best .333 clip and recorded 15 aces.
This weekend, Eatmon will take the court for her last season opener as a Georgia Bulldog.
"It's a bittersweet feeling knowing this is my senior year," Eatmon said. "However, I am really looking forward to the season, and I am excited to show everyone what we have. "
Although the senior has made a name for herself here at UGA, she claims that she could not have made this 2,205 miles a successful journey without her family.
"My family is actually the reason I came this far from home," Eatmon said. "They have always been super supportive of my dreams and always encouraged me to follow them."
Despite that distance, her family makes it to almost every game, home or away. Eatmon said they have already planned their road trips for the last two games during Thanksgiving Break.
"They told me they would be there no matter what," Eatmon said.
With her family in the stands and her teammates by her side, Eatmon is ready to complete the last adventure on her journey.
"I am very excited about this season and this team," she said. "We are getting better and stronger every day. Being able to show off what we are made of to everyone is going to be awesome."
Eatmon and the rest of the Bulldogs take the court on Friday, August 28, at 7 p.m., as they open their season with Wofford at the Ramsey Student Center. That's the first of three home matches for Georgia this weekend as part of the Benson Hospitality Invitational. Georgia will play twice on Saturday, taking on High Point at 1 p.m. and Memphis at 7 p.m.
Brooke McCoy is a senior from Rome, Ga., who will graduate with a degree in Sport Management following the fall semester. McCoy is in her fourth year as a student assistant in the UGA Sports Communications office and will remain on staff as she begins working on her master's in Sport Management in January 2016.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend.
