White Announced As EJCHS Volleyball Coach

East Jackson Comprehensive High School has announced Mary White as the school’s new varsity volleyball coach. White is a special education teacher at East Jackson Elementary School and has extensive coaching experience from the middle school, high school, college and club level.

White was introduced to current middle and high school players, along with the community, during a ceremony on Thursday night at East Jackson. White will begin her duties with offseason training this spring and summer, preparing for her first season as the varsity coach this upcoming fall. 

“I feel like now is such an exciting time here in Jackson County because we are growing so fast and volleyball is very rapidly growing,” White said. “I feel like right now is a great time to get my hands on some young talent and really work with them on how I would want them taught, how I would want my daughter taught, and really get the program booming.”

White graduated from Oconee County High School, where she was named All-State in volleyball. She played collegiate volleyball and finished her senior season at Maryville College. During her time in college, White coached club volleyball and was the head junior varsity coach at Lenoir City High School, along with being an assistant on the varsity staff. On the court, White was a three-time All USA South Conference honoree and played in a pair of Division III NCAA Tournaments.

During the 2017 season, White was the assistant volleyball coach at Maryville College before moving to China for two years where she taught kindergarten and coached middle and high school volleyball. In 2020, White returned to Georgia and to Oconee County High where she served as a varsity assistant. White currently coaches club volleyball in the nearby area.

White says being inside the East community, she is focused on building a program and connecting with the younger students to start preparing them for the future.

“My number one idea is to get the younger ones involved,” White said. “We have to get younger students involved in the sport earlier on. If we are waiting until eighth grade or freshman year, we have missed a lot of time building those fundamental skills up. So one of my goals is to get as many elementary and middle school kids into camps and really encourage the extra work that has to be put in to get to where we want to go.”

East Jackson finished the 2024 volleyball season with a 17-17 record. White believes the opportunity is there for the Eagles to build a premier program. 

“I can see this program going much further than it ever has in the next couple of years with the right training,” White said.

East Jackson will once again compete in Region 8-AA, following the reclassification process conducted by the Georgia High School Association in the fall. Despite remaining in the same region, the Eagles are joined by all new competition for the upcoming two-year cycle.