Lauren Jones '22 Recruiting Profile

“Wear your heart on your sleeve”. A common phrase to define each and every individual who yearns to have something, who are determined to put everything on the line to succeed. There is something supernatural about striving to achieve one goal: keep the volleyball off of the floor. Some say that it should be easy, but only those who watch, and learn, and experience really understand the complex strategy of the game, to not only keep the ball from hitting the floor on your side, but to force that volleyball to touch the ground on the other side of the net. In complete honesty, I almost didn’t play volleyball. I barely understood the game. But as I grew, the first club tournament victory snowballed into moving up to JV in 8th grade, earning an MVP award, into moving up to varsity as a sophomore, a starting setter. I challenged myself to be the best of me. I remember diving for the last kill in the 5th set of our semi-final match which would have been the key to sectionals. Standing up, defeated, I didn’t feel upset, or conquered. I knew that I played the very best of myself, and for my team. That’s why I want to continue playing. To win, of course, but also to find the best in myself, and share it with my whole team. To build a foundation of wins and losses, and to learn and experience, and to love what I’m playing, who I’m playing with, and what I’m playing for. I’m going to give it all I got. So, not only will I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’ll wear my intelligence. I’ll wear my why.

Because I believe in myself, I believe that I would be a smart, strong, beneficial player to a collegiate volleyball team in the near future. I am the strongest when I’m listening. I feel that I am very coachable. My work ethic is unparalleled, and my integrity to succeed, and to be competitive outweighs the simple theory of just “having fun”. I come to win. And if I can’t win, I come to learn. My brain is one of my greatest assets. Strategy is a big part of volleyball, especially when you are a setter. If the same hitter is getting blocked, switch the hitters. Set the back row to keep the opponents awake. A setter’s intelligence is constantly being tested, and at the end of the day, it is up to her to adjust the plays to benefit her team. I’ve had many amazing teammates playing alongside me, but I’ve also had my fair share of team drama, which means that I have gained very helpful experience. My freshman year, I was elected captain of the team. I called them together and told them that in order to be able to win as a team, we have to win with each other. From then on, our team was stronger, and united. My leadership is strong, but it will always benefit from experience and outside wisdom. My sophomore year on varsity, I played with the best player in Section III.  As a middle hitter, she gave me a lot of great opportunities to shoot the ‘3’ sets, and most importantly, the short jump set, the ‘1’. She helped me to grow stronger and more confident in my setting abilities. My jump serve has evolved into a dangerous float, and my right-side hitting makes me a quiet potentiality. Not to mention my height, 5’10, and my athleticism, that gives me leverage over the competition’s setters. 

Both my athletic goals and my educational goals have me reaching for the stars. Before I graduate high school, I want to win sectional championships. I want to travel on my club team to tournaments all around the state. I want to play against the best players. In college, I would like to be a starting setter in college by my sophomore season, and continue to win the majority of games in the seasons to come. I aspire to be a role model for younger players, in high school and in college, to portray a successful athlete, but also an accomplished student. My current rank in my class of 98 is 3. I strive to keep this rank, if not move up into the salutatorian or valedictorian rank. In college, my path is business management and marketing, especially the entrepreneurial side. A bachelor's degree is ideal, but a masters degree would put me on the next level. I’m extremely interested in internships in college, as I feel that gaining that experience would really help me to be successful in the business world. Thus, my goals are nothing short of complex, but with perseverance and determination, I believe that my dreams will become reality.