TicketsAug. 17, 2011
By Shawn Sell
The vast majority of successful student-athletes have been competing in their respective sport for many years; perfecting the nuances of their craft from an early age. UC junior middle blocker Jordanne Scott is not a member of that majority, but her results on the court clearly speak otherwise.
As a youngster growing up in Indianapolis, Scott was active in tennis, softball and even gymnastics. Blessed with pure athletic ability, Scott didn't even give volleyball, the sport in which she now excels a thought until her freshman year at Lawrence North High School. But after years of her primary sports, she decided to take a cue from her older sister and give volleyball a chance.
"I think gymnastics helped me the most in volleyball because I had body coordination and I think that's what made me excel really quickly," she says. "I played tennis my freshman year, then gave it up. I had been playing those sports for six or seven years and it was time to try something new. My older sister had been playing volleyball so I decided to try it."
Despite the late start, Scott blossomed on the court, eventually earning all-state honors and the No. 61 spot on Prepvolleyball.com's Senior Aces list. But when it came to the prospect of furthering her playing career, Scott was admittedly naïve to the process. After giving a verbal commitment to play at nearby Butler University early on, Scott eventually had a change of heart as she learned more about the ins and outs of recruiting.
"I didn't have siblings that went off and played college ball anywhere in any sport so I didn't really know what the word commitment meant or that it was such a strong word to use," she recalls. "So when I originally committed to Butler, it was only about eight months after I started playing and I had never really thought about playing volleyball in college. So once they offered me, I was like `yeah, that's sweet, I never thought about that.' But then after I started playing more, I decided I wanted to go to a school that was better then Butler at volleyball."
With her recruitment opened back up, Scott narrowed her choices to Georgia Tech and Cincinnati, eventually deciding upon moving south to become a Yellow Jacket. But following a coaching change at Tech, Scott made her final choice with a phone call to Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara.
"It was between us and Georgia Tech," UC's 12th year coach recounts. "After Georgia Tech made a coaching change, then she called and said she wanted to come to Cincinnati and luckily we had a scholarship open and everything worked out pretty well."
"I wanted to go to a place where I knew the coach would push me to be the best I could be," Scott adds. "It was always between Georgia Tech and Cincinnati and the only thing I liked better at Georgia Tech was the weather. When I first came on my visit, I liked the school and the surroundings and liked the fact that it was in a city. Reed was awesome and I knew I would be able to play well under him."
After pledging to become a Bearcat, Scott wasted little time becoming an impact player. As a true freshman, she played in every match (and all but two sets), leading the team in blocks and finishing third in kills. She upped her performance to a higher level last season, earning first team All-BIG EAST and all-region accolades for her play. Scott achieved these high levels of success despite being in just her sixth year of playing the sport competitively. In that short of a time, is she surprised at how well she has played?
"I wouldn't say surprised," she says. "I know myself as a person and know that I want to do well. I have always been athletically gifted and I have always wanted to be the best in whatever I do. The fact that volleyball came so late, I loved it and picked it up pretty quick. It just sort of took off from there. I don't really have any expectations, other than doing my best I guess."
Prior to this year, Scott found herself as a younger player on an experienced team with the likes of Annie Fesl, Jaime Frey and Stephanie Niemer leading the way. Now, as a junior on a team that includes just one senior in Missy Harpenau, Scott finds herself thrust into a leadership role along with her junior class mates. Sunahara, for one, thinks she is up for the task.
"Up to this point, she was relatively quiet because she was young and didn't want to step on anyone's toes," he says. "But last spring was good for her and it brought out a lot of her. I keep telling her, `you have to demand a lot from yourself first, before you can demand a lot from your teammates' and she has done a good job of that. She is hard on herself and she wants to be good, no doubt about that. Sometimes she is just not patient enough, but she will get there."
"With having Harp as our only senior, our junior class really has to step up and start taking those leadership roles," Scott adds. "We are already seeing it now with leading the freshmen and just letting them get on board and know what we expect from our season and our training."
During her time at UC, Scott has known nothing but success as the Bearcats won last season's BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and have qualified for two NCAA Tournaments. With that culture of winning, Scott and her teammates have a simple goal for the 2011 campaign.
"Defend our championship," she says. "We have to play our best each game and get it done in the end. You never know what will happen. Having a freshman setter coming in can be a little difficult because it's a new transition for her to the college game. Getting her equipped really quickly will be one of the things we will have to help her through. I definitely think we can get out there and win another championship."
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Scott is embracing a new one this preseason as she looks to become the first Bearcat middle blocker in nearly 10 years to be a six-rotation player. While many middle blockers are regularly substituted for during their turns in the back row, Sunahara believes Scott is ready to join the likes of multiple-time all-conference choice Bonita Wise as a middle that never leaves the court.
"Right now, she is an offensive player, but we want her to become more of a defensive player," he says. "We want her to block more and be a six-rotation player. We are working on the all skills, not just hitting and blocking, but also passing and defense and serving. She has improved and is working hard to figure all of that out."
"I am excited and intimidated," Scott says of her new role. "I have never played back row in college and it's completely different (than) in high school. It's exciting because it's a new challenge for me to take, but also very intimidating because it's faster and quicker and I will have bigger role on the team."
As Jordanne Scott prepares for her junior season of volleyball at UC, it's hard to believe she has only being hitting the hardwood competitively for the last seven years of her life. Even though she might find herself in the minority when it comes to lifetime playing experience, her results clearly tell a different story.