Three qualities come to mind when describing a team leader for any sport. One would be the awareness. The second would be the attitude. And the third would be the ability of the player. If you put these three attributes into one, than that would describe Mt. Hood Community college standout volleyball player Jeannette Jones.

After graduating in 2002 from Corbett High School, Jones came to MHCC to play volleyball but had to sit out her freshman year due to injuries. She decided to take on another sport and played a year of softball.

“That was fun, but it was definitely a one-year situation,” said Jones. Since then, the 5’8 sophomore (3rd year) has played a key role in her team’s success and accomplishments.
Through Oct. 8, she is fifth in the NWAACC with 96 digs through 21 games, an average of 4.57 per game. Even though those numbers are impressive, Head Coach Lena Chan expects more of her star.

“We expect her to get 7 digs a game, and on a pass scale of 0-3, we expect her to get to 2.3 or better.” Chan also saluted her captain, saying that “her position as libero is so pivotal, and she excels at it.”

The team has helped Jones, but a lot of her credit also goes to her coaches.

“Of course the girls are great, but I have to say that Chelsea (Freeman, assistant coach and former MHCC player) and Lena have helped me so much and taught me so much, that I couldn’t have had better coaching on or off the court. They will talk with me about anything, not just volleyball stuff,” said the sophomore libero.

As the season comes down to its final stages, Jones still has high hopes for the outcome of her team’s season.

“We will go to NWAACCs, and with the potential of this team, we can do a lot more. We can beat anyone with the players we have,” said Jones.

Their four losses will probably keep them from a first-place finish in the division, but they still should contend come tournament time.

After the fall term and the volleyball season are finished, Jones will graduate and take her talent into the Navy. She plans to play for the Regional Navy Volleyball team and get her bachelors degree during her stay in the academy.