From the first game of the season, the Jones College Women’s Volleyball team played like a team that knew exactly who they were and what they represented. They spent months knowing that every team would always bring their best against them, no matter what. They defend a standard of winning that coach John Dussouy helped create.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls,” Coach Dussouy said. “All season long, they knew that they had a target on their back, and they responded the way they needed to all season.”
The path to the postseason was not easy for the Bobcats, and that is what made their playoff run so meaningful. Despite going 15-1 in the conference, going to the Pirate Invitational, late in the season, is where they would face their toughest competition yet, facing three of the top seven teams in the country. They would end up going 1-3 throughout the whole tournament. Even though their performance was not to their standard, coach Dussouy believed the tournament helped them get ready for the playoffs, which were just three games away.
“We didn’t make any changes personnel-wise,” he said. “Even though we went 1–3, it was a huge advantage for us to lead into the playoffs. The speed of the game is much faster, and that helped us prepare. That was what I had hoped when we scheduled those games.”
The Bobcats only had one loss in the regular season, against Northwest College. The game was right in the middle of the season, and with 11 wins in a row, the team felt invincible. Losing that game may not seem like much, but Coach Dussouy believed that the loss was a big part of their playoff run
“After the home loss to Northwest Miss., we went into that game overconfident,” Coach Dussouy said. “After that loss, we went on to win 13 straight.”
After winning the Region 23 tournament with ease and not losing a single game, they would go on to face #20 Calhoun in the NJCAA Gulf South District Championship. With the two teams being somewhat familiar with each other thanks to last year, Coach Dussouy believed that would give them an edge that they hadn’t had against their previous opponents.
“We knew that the game was going to be tough like last year,” Dussouy said. “Alabama teams are very well coached. I believe that our experience from the year before was going to help us stay grounded and relaxed.”
After a hard-fought postseason and an even tougher season overall, Jones College fell to #20 Calhoun in the NJCAA Gulf South District Championship, 3 matches to 1.
“They were a strong offensive team,” Dussouy said. “We took some chances on our serves to get them out of the system and slow down their offense. At times it worked and others it did not.”
From the beginning of the season to now, the team has upheld the standard of winning. Even without a trophy in the end, this team competed to the best of their abilities, and their season left a clear mark. With several sophomores leaving, the duty to uphold the standard now falls upon the returners, such as Izzi Barnes, Claire Wicker and Olivia Guth.
“We have some incredible returners that already have playing time and hope that some of the incoming freshmen embrace what this program is about,” Dussouy said.
The season may not have ended with a championship, but the Jones Women’s Volleyball team finished stronger than ever, still carrying the standard they set.
by Jackson Vella
Harmony Jackson makes a spike against East Central Community College. Photo by Landon Joy
Jones volleyball team wins second straight Region 23 Championship. Photo by James Ellis
