Jessica Dowers '14 Recruiting Profile

I have completed many of my short-term goals and continue to progress and make new goals for myself.  Some of my current high school goals are to serve 95% for the season, serve 45 mph (currently able to serve 42), for our team to be League and District Champions, make First Team All-League, place at State and earn a Sportsmanship medal there, and to receive our team's Most Inspirational award.  Any of these goals which I don't accomplish this year will carry over to my senior year.  As a senior next year, I want to accomplish, and improve, these goals again and will add others, including being voted our school's Miss Volleyball.

I also play USAV club volleyball and every year our goal is to go to Girls Nationals and place higher than we have before.  I was on teams that participated in the 2008 and 2009 USAV Junior Olympics and the 2012 AAU Girls National Championships.  I have also participated in the USAV High Performance program.  I have been to Select Training Camp, Select A3 Camp, and was invited to Youth A3 Camp in 2012, but could not attend because of a prior competitive commitment.  I will try out again this spring and want to qualify for the A3 Camp or a team through this program.

One of my long-term goals and dreams is to play volleyball in college as a setter.  Right now I am excited about the thought of playing in college and am building specific goals for when I make a college team.  I will major in architecture and that is just as important to me as volleyball, so I am looking for both of these things in a college.

My highest aspiration is to play volleyball in the Olympics.  I have more experience playing indoors than I do playing beach volleyball, but I love playing doubles. It is great to strategize and try to anticipate what your opponent will try to do.  It is fun finding the weak spots in the other team and getting a kill.  It is easier to do this when there are only two people on the other side of the court.  Misty May-Teanor, Kerri Walsh-Jennings, and other Olympians have been some of my biggest inspirations, along with my Dad, who is my high school and club volleyball coach.