University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Volleyball Signs Jessy Jones During Early Signing Period
11/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Jones is a 6-3 senior middle blocker at Neuqua Valley High School, which is located in Naperville, Ill. She is ranked No. 13 in the nation as a player by prepvolleyball.com. Jones is the third Golden Gopher recruit to be in the top 15 on that list in the past two seasons, joining current Minnesota players Kelly Bowman and Meredith Nelson who were fourth and 10th on last year's prepvolleyball.com list.
In 2002, Jones was named to the All-Area, All-City and All-Conference teams. She was also named to All-Conference teams in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Jones was also an accomplished basketball player making the All-Conference team in 2002 and 2003. She helped lead her team to a regional championship in her junior year and to a third-place finish in the state tournament her sophomore year.
Jones has played for the Sunsetters Volleyball Club from 2000 to 2003, where she was named the team MVP. She was also named to the U.S. A-2 Youth National Team in the summer of 2003, but was unable to compete for the team due to an injury suffered earlier in the year.
"Jess was the number one middle blocker we were going after throughout the recruiting process," said Minnesota head coach Mike Hebert. "You always feel fortunate when you can go after and get the top player at the position you are recruiting for. Jess is a very strong blocker, who is an extremely athletic, competitive and feisty player. In my eyes that is an outstanding combination of ingredients."
"I could not be more excited about my decision to compete for Minnesota," said Jones. "This program is a perfect fit for me and it made me very happy when I made the decision to commit here. The players on the team have great chemistry, and I am looking forward to playing for a great coaching staff. I am also looking forward to playing in the Sports Pavilion. During the matches you can really feel the appreciation and knowledge that the Minnesota fans possess, and I am looking forward to playing in that environment."