Women's volleyball

Kessy makes up for loss of Kuebler

By Ryan Hochgesang
Assistant Sports Editor

s a prep volleyball player at Dana Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Jennifer Kessy didn't have many equals on the volleyball court. One of the few players of similar talent happened to be teammate, Jeanne Vetter.
So when Kessy was struggling to decide which college she wanted to play for, she knew she could trust her former teammate.
"I knew that Jeanne would tell me the truth--about the coaches, about the school, about the area," Kessy said. "I was a little concerned, probably like everyone, about the area around USC. She told me the truth about everything and that was a big help."
The two future Women of Troy lived two streets apart and were friends growing up before playing three years together in high school
"It was weird because I never pictured it," Vetter said. "I was the first kid to come to `SC from Orange County in a long time, and then I heard `We're recruiting your friend Jen Kessy' and it was exciting."
Of course, Kessy did decide to come to USC, and once she arrived, the outside hitter wasted little time in making an impact.
She started every game as a freshman en route to being named to the Pacific 10 Conference All-Freshman team and receiving an honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team.
"I had hoped I would (start as a freshman)," Kessy said. "That was my goal after high school--to start and make a difference on the team. When I came in I didn't really expect to start but I was hoping that I would."
"I don't think you ever expect that," USC Coach Lisa Love said. "We certainly knew she was capable of great things at the Division I college level, but I can't say that I expected her to immediately grab a starting spot."
Kessy finished second on the team to Kelly Kuebler last season in kills with 360 and a 3.6-kills-per-game average. She was also second to Kuebler with 307 digs. She had 25 kills, her best of the season, against Oregon State last Friday.
With Kuebler lost to graduation this year, Kessy has found herself filling the shoes of the two-time second-team All-American.
"Kelly Kuebler was amazing and it's really tough to fill her shoes, but I think we're similar in some ways," Kessy said. "She came in as a freshman and was small and skinny, and last year as a freshman I was sick. Hopefully I can blossom as well as she did and take her role."
"I think that Jen is a perfectionist and sometimes she's almost too hard on herself," Love said. "Once she learns to release that and allows herself to just look at things as opportunities to get better, which she's doing a much better job of right now, she's going to grow really fast."
Kessy agrees that she would like to work on improving the mental part of her game. While her perfectionism drives her to succeed, it also can lead to mental errors.
"I don't like making mistakes or playing bad at all," Kessy said. "I take everything as my fault. That's maybe part of the mental game that I need to work on.
Kessy has stepped up her play this season to become one of the main forces on the team. Through nine matches so far, she has registered 107 kills for an average of 3.3 kills per game. She leads the team with 102 digs so far, while she's second on the team with nine aces and six solo blocks.
"Jennifer has worked really hard at having great balance in her game," Love said. "She came to us with a reputation of being a really big hitter, and I've admired watching her work very hard to develop her back-court game--her passing, her defense, her serve."
Kessy knows hard work will be the key to her continued improvement.
"I think a lot of my improvement came from getting stronger in the spring," Kessy said. "It's hard to play defense with weak legs. My hitting will come along, but my defense is something I'd still like to improve."
"She can be one of the best outside hitters in the country," Love said.