By Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
The Edgewood Academy Volleyball team has won six straight AISA AA championships. During that streak, the Wildcats have had several athletes continue their careers to play at the college level. Ayden Claire Kelley, a 6’0 middle blocker, will continue that tradition after recently committing to play at Bevill State.
Kelley visited the Fayette campus of Bevill State on May 6, and committed shortly after. “Coming from a smaller school like Edgewood, I think it is the best fit for me to get a start in college. Everyone on campus was so nice and very welcoming,” said Kelley.
Kelley, a rising senior, met with Bevill State Volleyball Coach Bobby Daniels at a tournament in April. Coach Daniels has coached the sport for over 20 years and has more than 1000 career wins, according to the Bevill State website.
“After discussions with him I realized how great of an opportunity it would be to play for such a great coach in college,” said Kelley. “Coach Daniels has worked hard getting a good 2026 recruiting class. After meeting some of the players and seeing Coach Daniels’ plans for the Bevill State volleyball program, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Kelley just completed her junior season at Edgewood and has one more season to add to an impressive statistical career. In addition to being on the Wildcat’s AISA AA championship teams in 2023 and 2024, she was also named 2023 2nd team All County by the Wetumpka Herald as sophomore, 2024 AVCA Phenom to Watch List for the Class of 2026, and 2024 AISA 1st Team All-State by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as a junior.
“My goals for my senior year at Edgewood are to improve as much as I can before graduating. I feel like the overall team goal is to win state but my individual goal is to continue to grow on and off the court in preparation for college. My athletic goals for college are to step my game up so I can compete at the collegiate level and be pushed and challenged to grow mentally and physically. I would love to use the two years to experience the college level and see where it takes me.”
Kelley has played the sport since she was 13 years old. She has played school ball at Edgewood for the last two years, but she has played club ball for Mana Toa for four seasons. She is considering a major of communications and journalism in hopes of working in sports journalism and broadcasting.
