For many, college can be a crossroads. For Dacey Baker, a freshman volleyball player at Bevill State Community College in Fayette, Ala., college has become a cross-road. That’s because the Addison native has placed a priority on spiritual growth and made church attendance a mainstay on her weekly calendar after a local church ministered to the Bears’ athletic teams.
“(Southside Baptist) reached out to us and fed the baseball and volleyball teams one night, and we just kept going back,” Dacey says. “So, we go there on Wednesday nights and it’s an open conversation amongst all of our teammates, and I just feel like we are going to keep that going throughout the season.”
While searching for a college, Dacey wanted to find a place that was close to home but also where her faith could grow. She found both at Bevill State. She also liked the hometown atmosphere and the cozy feel of a small town.
“I like how close everybody is,” she says. “It’s a small school. I came from a small school, so there’s a lot of comfort in knowing a bunch of people and it being small. It’s not super overwhelming,” Dacey says.
As providence had it, she also found a coach in Bobby Daniels who was going to push her to excel, both on and off the court. A two-time state champion who has collected over 1,000 wins across a 30-year coaching career, Daniels is in his first year at Bevill State. His last stop prior to becoming the coach of the Lady Bears was at Vinemont High School, where he led the team to a school record 49 wins and secured the first area championship in school history.
“I’m super excited about (Coach Daniels),” Dacey says. “He’s so knowledgeable of the game…and we are already getting so much better. He’s an awesome guy. He’s a great coach.”
Daniels will build a winning culture and set high expectations for his program, but that’s something to which Dacey has become accustomed. She arrived at Bevill from Addison High School, which boasts a volleyball program that has won 14 state titles in its own right—three alone while she was a student at AHS.
Dacey adds veteran experience and leadership to the Bears’ program. She began playing volleyball at the local park & rec when she was only in the third grade and began playing high school volleyball when she was in the seventh grade. Dacey’s high school coach, Kaydi Woodard, continued the winning tradition her predecessors set and led the Lady Bulldogs to state titles in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Woodard recently accepted the head volleyball job at Vinemont, where Daniels previously coached.
In addition to volleyball, Dacey played softball for the Bulldogs, participated in a number of school clubs and activities, and was involved in her church’s youth group.
After her time at Bevill State, Dacey has plans to attend a four-year school and get a degree in elementary education. She says she wants to eventually teach and coach.
Placing a high premium on her studies, Dacey carries a 3.8 GPA in the classroom at BSCC and is involved in Phi Theta Kappa. Her hobbies include playing pickleball and corn hole.
“Dacey represents Bevill State volleyball in a first-class manner!” says Coach Daniels. “Her desire to excel in the classroom as well as on the court is so admirable! Dacey is a servant leader always putting the needs of our team first!”
Because Dacey is an only child, she makes friends easily and deeply values building relationships with others. Being a student-athlete at Bevill State has afforded her that opportunity.
“It’s whole new experience,” she says. “I just feel like at Bevill, we’re all super close. I’m making friends who are going to stay with me throughout my life.” TG
Photos by Al Blanton. A special thanks to our sponsor, Carbon Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
