University of Minnesota Athletics
Blocking Out Adversity: Sophomore Jessy Jones
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Jones came to Minnesota regarded as one of the top middle blockers in the nation out of high school. However, she was coming off shoulder surgery right before she arrived on campus for her freshman season.
She played a reserve role at middle blocker for Minnesota for most of the year. However, being the competitor she is, Jones was ready at the right time that the Golden Gophers needed her the most. After dropping game three in the NCAA Regional Finals to Ohio State 30-27, the Golden Gophers were one game away from their season ending short of their goal of advancing to the Final Four.
Minnesota head coach Mike Hebert inserted Jones into the lineup, and immediately she blocked 2004 AVCA Co-Player of the Year Stacey Gordon to give the Golden Gophers momentum. The rest is history as Jones helped provide the necessary momentum to vault Minnesota on its way to the National Championship.
“That was one of my favorite times in my entire life,” said Jones. “The coaching staff called on me to help the team out in a huge spot, and we all delivered with the victory over Ohio State. I really enjoyed advancing to the National Championship, but nothing will beat playing in front of my parents and the home fans and winning as a team to advance to the Final Four. I will never forget it as long as I live.”
In his 29 years as a head coach, Hebert has come to have hunches about certain things, and he had one about Jones heading into the tail end of the 2004 season. “Heading into the final month of the season I felt very good about the way Jessy (Jones) was playing,” said Hebert. “I told our coaching staff at some point we are going to insert Jessy into a match and she will play a big part in winning it. We thought it might be sooner then the Ohio State match, but at that point we knew we needed her to step up and she did.”
Jones had three blocks in two games against Ohio State in the NCAA Regional Final, but her presence at the net that night changed the whole match in Minnesota’s favor. Sometimes with such great moments to end a season it is easy to lose sight of the hard work that got you there, but Jones realizes that the process she went through on the way to that magical run was very valuable.
“When I first got to Minnesota in the preseason I was coming off shoulder surgery,” said Jones. “It was almost like starting all over again. I did not know if I would be able to hit the ball the same as I did before it. The coaches did a great job of laying out a plan and believed in me throughout the process. It was a grind, but I think I really matured throughout the process, which will helped me this season and throughout the rest of my career.”
Jones would come to practice and sometimes warm up separately from the team since it took her shoulder longer to get ready. By her estimation it was not until the middle of the Big Ten season that she felt 100 percent.
“I would say the second time around the Big Ten I finally felt 100 percent ready to go,” said Jones. “At that point it was more a matter of learning the defensive system that we played and getting ready for an opportunity to get in the matches.
By her own admission, Jones was somewhat of a freelance blocker. Sometimes she would get caught out of position going for every block she could and that would at times disrupt the flow of the defensive system.
“Jessy came from a club and high school team where she had free reign to go after any block or kill that she wanted to,” said Hebert. “Once she was healthy last year, her major adjustment was to reign in the reflex to go after everything at the net and play within the system. Volleyball can be like a choreographed dance, and if one piece is not functioning the way the others it can disrupt the rhythm. We knew that once Jessy bought into our system of blocking she would be a great player.”
Jones is quick to credit the coaching staff for being patient with her, and being right about the adjustments she had to make to fit into the system.
“It took me a while to get used to the defensive system that we play,” said Jones. “However, once I was 100 percent healthy, I just told myself I was going to do what the coaches asked out of me and figure it out. Once it started clicking, I noticed how much it was helping me get blocks and how well it worked.”
Hebert is quick to point out that the middle blockers are often the centerpiece of any team’s defense. The Golden Gophers have been blessed with such talented backrow players that a big part of their defensive scheme is not only going for the block, but funneling the ball into a lane that will make it easier for the backrow players to get to. “Having great middle blockers is always a big key to being an elite team,” said Hebert. “They are such a big part of what any team does on defense, because often times they dictate how difficult it is going to be for the opposing team to find a clear lane to attack. The more they can clog up those lanes, or funnel the ball to the better defensive players on the team the more successful the defensive system as a whole will be.”
Looking at the experienced group of middle blockers Minnesota has entering the 2005 season, it is interesting to note that all three of them have experienced the so-called “trial-by-fire” in their freshman season.
Jessica Byrnes was inserted into the lineup after an injury in her first career match against No. 8 Pepperdine in the NACWAA Classic in her freshman year in 2002, and has been a mainstay at the position for Minnesota the past three years. Meredith Nelson was asked to pick up the nuances of Minnesota’s defense scheme right away in her freshman season in 2003 on a team that advanced to the Final Four, and Jones was called on and responded on the biggest of all stages as a freshman during Minnesota’s run to the National title match.
“I think that is part of why we feel so comfortable with the returning middle blockers we have this season,” said Hebert. “Early on in all of their careers, there has been a point where we have called on them to step up and they have come through. I think with our three returning middle blockers and freshman Kelly Schmidt this is best group at that position we have ever had at Minnesota.”
Jones is quick to point out the benefit of having Byrnes and Nelson around as a freshman last year.
“Jessica (Byrnes) is one of the main reasons I came to Minnesota,” said Jones. “She has always been there for me any time I need to talk to her about anything on or off the court. Meredith (Nelson) helped me out a ton in figuring out stuff on the court last year. She is so tactically sound that she would help clarify things to me to make sure I was in the right position to make plays.”
Off the court during high school, Jones displayed some of the work ethic she showed as a freshman working long hours helping her parents at their restaurant in Chicago. Jones’ parents opened the restaurant, a deli-style place called Tutto Pranto, when she was in eighth grade (six years ago). Jones often would help out at the restaurant getting up at 3: 30 a.m. to make sure she was at the restaurant by 4:30 to have all the food cooked and prepared by 10 a.m.
“It was a lot of hard work,” said Jones. “I am always amazed how my mom does it all the time. I tried to do it again during the spring last year, and after three days I was exhausted.”
Jones enters the 2005 season with a renewed sense of confidence. With one year of experience under her belt and a clean bill of health she feels ready to continue the momentum that she gathered during Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament run.
“I am so excited to get the season started,” said Jones. “This year, it is my goal to become a more consistent and reliable player. I want to be someone who my team looks to make a big play. We have a lot of experience in the middle this year, and it is our goal to be a solid unit that the rest of the team can rely on.
story by Steve Geller, assistant director of athletic communications The 2004 Minnesota volleyball season was one of the most exciting from start to finish for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota started off strong with a preseason ranking of No. 5 and advanced all the way to the National Championship to cap off an incredible season. For the team it was a pretty smooth and successful ride the whole way. However, for sophomore Jessy Jones there were some twists and turns on the way before the ride got to the best part at the end of the season.
Jones came to Minnesota regarded as one of the top middle blockers in the nation out of high school. However, she was coming off shoulder surgery right before she arrived on campus for her freshman season.
She played a reserve role at middle blocker for Minnesota for most of the year. However, being the competitor she is, Jones was ready at the right time that the Golden Gophers needed her the most. After dropping game three in the NCAA Regional Finals to Ohio State 30-27, the Golden Gophers were one game away from their season ending short of their goal of advancing to the Final Four.
Minnesota head coach Mike Hebert inserted Jones into the lineup, and immediately she blocked 2004 AVCA Co-Player of the Year Stacey Gordon to give the Golden Gophers momentum. The rest is history as Jones helped provide the necessary momentum to vault Minnesota on its way to the National Championship.
“That was one of my favorite times in my entire life,” said Jones. “The coaching staff called on me to help the team out in a huge spot, and we all delivered with the victory over Ohio State. I really enjoyed advancing to the National Championship, but nothing will beat playing in front of my parents and the home fans and winning as a team to advance to the Final Four. I will never forget it as long as I live.”
In his 29 years as a head coach, Hebert has come to have hunches about certain things, and he had one about Jones heading into the tail end of the 2004 season. “Heading into the final month of the season I felt very good about the way Jessy (Jones) was playing,” said Hebert. “I told our coaching staff at some point we are going to insert Jessy into a match and she will play a big part in winning it. We thought it might be sooner then the Ohio State match, but at that point we knew we needed her to step up and she did.”
Jones had three blocks in two games against Ohio State in the NCAA Regional Final, but her presence at the net that night changed the whole match in Minnesota’s favor. Sometimes with such great moments to end a season it is easy to lose sight of the hard work that got you there, but Jones realizes that the process she went through on the way to that magical run was very valuable.
“When I first got to Minnesota in the preseason I was coming off shoulder surgery,” said Jones. “It was almost like starting all over again. I did not know if I would be able to hit the ball the same as I did before it. The coaches did a great job of laying out a plan and believed in me throughout the process. It was a grind, but I think I really matured throughout the process, which will helped me this season and throughout the rest of my career.”
Jones would come to practice and sometimes warm up separately from the team since it took her shoulder longer to get ready. By her estimation it was not until the middle of the Big Ten season that she felt 100 percent.
“I would say the second time around the Big Ten I finally felt 100 percent ready to go,” said Jones. “At that point it was more a matter of learning the defensive system that we played and getting ready for an opportunity to get in the matches.
By her own admission, Jones was somewhat of a freelance blocker. Sometimes she would get caught out of position going for every block she could and that would at times disrupt the flow of the defensive system.
“Jessy came from a club and high school team where she had free reign to go after any block or kill that she wanted to,” said Hebert. “Once she was healthy last year, her major adjustment was to reign in the reflex to go after everything at the net and play within the system. Volleyball can be like a choreographed dance, and if one piece is not functioning the way the others it can disrupt the rhythm. We knew that once Jessy bought into our system of blocking she would be a great player.”
Jones is quick to credit the coaching staff for being patient with her, and being right about the adjustments she had to make to fit into the system.
“It took me a while to get used to the defensive system that we play,” said Jones. “However, once I was 100 percent healthy, I just told myself I was going to do what the coaches asked out of me and figure it out. Once it started clicking, I noticed how much it was helping me get blocks and how well it worked.”
Hebert is quick to point out that the middle blockers are often the centerpiece of any team’s defense. The Golden Gophers have been blessed with such talented backrow players that a big part of their defensive scheme is not only going for the block, but funneling the ball into a lane that will make it easier for the backrow players to get to. “Having great middle blockers is always a big key to being an elite team,” said Hebert. “They are such a big part of what any team does on defense, because often times they dictate how difficult it is going to be for the opposing team to find a clear lane to attack. The more they can clog up those lanes, or funnel the ball to the better defensive players on the team the more successful the defensive system as a whole will be.”
Looking at the experienced group of middle blockers Minnesota has entering the 2005 season, it is interesting to note that all three of them have experienced the so-called “trial-by-fire” in their freshman season.
Jessica Byrnes was inserted into the lineup after an injury in her first career match against No. 8 Pepperdine in the NACWAA Classic in her freshman year in 2002, and has been a mainstay at the position for Minnesota the past three years. Meredith Nelson was asked to pick up the nuances of Minnesota’s defense scheme right away in her freshman season in 2003 on a team that advanced to the Final Four, and Jones was called on and responded on the biggest of all stages as a freshman during Minnesota’s run to the National title match.
“I think that is part of why we feel so comfortable with the returning middle blockers we have this season,” said Hebert. “Early on in all of their careers, there has been a point where we have called on them to step up and they have come through. I think with our three returning middle blockers and freshman Kelly Schmidt this is best group at that position we have ever had at Minnesota.”
Jones is quick to point out the benefit of having Byrnes and Nelson around as a freshman last year.
“Jessica (Byrnes) is one of the main reasons I came to Minnesota,” said Jones. “She has always been there for me any time I need to talk to her about anything on or off the court. Meredith (Nelson) helped me out a ton in figuring out stuff on the court last year. She is so tactically sound that she would help clarify things to me to make sure I was in the right position to make plays.”
Off the court during high school, Jones displayed some of the work ethic she showed as a freshman working long hours helping her parents at their restaurant in Chicago. Jones’ parents opened the restaurant, a deli-style place called Tutto Pranto, when she was in eighth grade (six years ago). Jones often would help out at the restaurant getting up at 3: 30 a.m. to make sure she was at the restaurant by 4:30 to have all the food cooked and prepared by 10 a.m.
“It was a lot of hard work,” said Jones. “I am always amazed how my mom does it all the time. I tried to do it again during the spring last year, and after three days I was exhausted.”
Jones enters the 2005 season with a renewed sense of confidence. With one year of experience under her belt and a clean bill of health she feels ready to continue the momentum that she gathered during Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament run.
“I am so excited to get the season started,” said Jones. “This year, it is my goal to become a more consistent and reliable player. I want to be someone who my team looks to make a big play. We have a lot of experience in the middle this year, and it is our goal to be a solid unit that the rest of the team can rely on.
story by Steve Geller, assistant director of athletic communications
