PETTICOAT JUNCTION — The Silver Bluff volleyball team's win against rival Batesburg-Leesville back in October was big for Silver Bluff rivalry-wise. The Bulldogs wanted to make sure the Panthers didn't finish with an undefeated region record like Silver Bluff had done the year prior.
For Iyceiss Drayton, who finished the match with 16 kills and 11 digs, it had a bigger impact. The video of her performance in the game caught the eye of Columbia College's coach. That led to a scholarship offer from the Koalas.
"It made the win better," she said. "It was great to be able to show what I can do against one of the best teams in the region."
On Wednesday, Drayton signed a letter of intent to play for the Koalas.
"Just to see that all of my hard work and dedication is finally coming together," she said. "I'm just looking forward to experience at the next level and seeing where I can go from there."
Drayton led the Bulldogs in kills and was one of the senior leaders on the team. She is a multiple-sport athlete at Silver Bluff and the thought of playing softball at the next level has crossed her mind as well.
But for now the focus is solely on volleyball. Drayton is one of several area players that will be looking to bring success to Columbia, an in-state NAIA program.
Drayton has unique goals for the classroom in college as well, and plans to major in criminal justice. Since the age of 4 she wanted to be a firefighter, and she's currently a volunteer firefighter with the Beech Island Fire Department. She plans to become an arson investigator after college.
