Three days before beginning her final Red Bank volleyball season, Kalyn Helton added another accomplishment to her already impressive resume.

Besides being a state champion and an all-state outside hitter, the 6-foot-1 senior is now an NCAA Division I volleyball commitment. On Saturday, Helton called University of Tennessee head coach Rob Patrick to tell him she would accept his scholarship offer to play for the Lady Vols next season.

"They had watched me play at some club tournaments," Helton said, "and invited me to come to their camp in July. Coach Patrick told me he liked what he saw and that I could play at their level. I went to Knoxville to visit (Saturday) and I really loved it, so I made the decision and called him."

Helton helped Red Bank earn the Class AA state championship last year, concluding a season in which she led the Chattanooga area with an impressive 778 kills. Her all-around play contributed to her totals of 560 digs, 153 aces and 34 blocks, and her mother and high school coach Christel Brooks said Helton is working to keep improving every aspect of her game.

Helton helped coach Mike Pittman's Choo-Choo City club volleyball team reach the AAU national tournament this summer, and after putting in work at Chattanooga’s Fury Performance Training, the hard-hitting, high-jumping Helton increased her vertical leap to 10 feet. Reaching that standard helped her catch the attention of even more college coaches.

"That sparked interest from some bigger schools," Brooks said. "She's worked hard, and she knows she has to keep working hard to improve her game. As her coach, I know she's very talented, but I've also watched her work and improve. The Tennessee coaches asked me what I thought was her strength, and I told them it's her discipline and work ethic. She's determined to get better, and always has been. She has a passion for volleyball, and that's the reason she's been able to accomplish everything that she's done.

"As a parent, to have been able to watch her accomplish all those things, I really can't describe it. I'm just so proud of her, and trying to sit back and take it all in with her."

Helton said the high level of competition at Tennessee, which recently was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Southeastern Conference championship and will begin the season with a No. 19 national ranking, was a key factor in her choice to commit to the Lady Vols. She also said the school's location, campus, academics and her connection with the team's players and coaches helped her decision.

The player was also eager to have her college plans set before this week so that she could turn her full attention to her senior season with the Lady Lions.

"I didn't want to keep prolonging it," Helton said. "I'm definitely glad I got this out of the way so now I can focus on my senior year and defending our state title. It's just an awesome feeling."

When Red Bank begins the season at home Tuesday night against Cleveland, the Lady Lions will be without six players who were key to last year's state-title run. But with Helton and her classmates leading a talented group of newcomers, Brooks and her players believe another trip to Murfreesboro could be in store this season.

"The girls are excited," she said. "The preseason has been very encouraging. They all want to get back there and do it again. The six girls who graduated set the bar high, but our goal is to keep improving and be there in October."

(E-mail Jaime Lackey at jaimenlackey@yahoo.com)