State’s best in ’05 making an ’06 AGgie impact
The chance to be part of one of the nation’s best volleyball programs in Provo was enticing, but wasn’t meant to be.
It was an interesting road that eventually ended in a choice to become an Aggie for freshman outside hitter Hailey Jeppson.
Her senior season (2005) at Pleasant Grove High School, she was named the 5A Most Valuable Player by both the Desert Morning News and the Salt Lake Tribune.
BYU (currently No. 19 in the national polls) was not far from her home, and in volleyball they are the third all-time winningest program in the country.
The Utes (No. 21), a team that has qualified for the NCAA tournament for the past eight seasons, certainly are not far behind.
And the Aggies have, of late, seen success on the court, entering the second round of the NCAA post-season tournament in 2000 (a season in which they were ranked as high as 18th in the nation) and 2001 (a season in which they finished as the No. 21 team in the country). They also qualified for the postseason in 2005.
How did Jeppson, the state’s MVP, make her choice?
“I was signed at BYU,” she said. “I just didn’t get in because of grades or something like that. I don’t know. And then I talked to the (University of Utah). Pretty much all the schools in Utah talked to me after they found out I wasn’t going to BYU. I chose USU.”
She listed two reasons.
First was the good impression the Aggie coaching staff of Grayson DuBose, Shawn Olmstead and Sahara Castillo left on her.
The second is the amount of time she would see on the court.
“If I went to the U, I didn’t think I would be playing until I was a senior,” Jeppson said.
Her wish has been granted so far. She has started every game this season for USU (5-5).
The volleyball media guide predicted that Jeppson’s high level of play in high school “should make her transition into the Western Athletic Conference smoother.” Statistics have backed that statement up.
Her impact has been immediate. Jeppson is averaging 2.83 kills per game (second on the team), 2.37 digs per game (second), and .70 blocks per game (fourth).
“She’s done a great job,” DuBose said. “She’s learning to play collegiate volleyball. She’s picked it up pretty fast. The more comfortable she gets in the setting, at Utah State with school and the team, the better she will become. It’s kind of exciting. She is for sure an all-conference player by her senior year.”
Though Jeppson is age-wise the youngest person on the team (18 and two months), her leadership has been essential for the Aggies. USU, picked to finish eighth in the WAC (second to last) in a preseason coaches’ poll, returned only three starters and five letter winners from their 2005 squad, and brought in seven new faces.
As of Tuesday night, USU’s 5-5 record has them sitting in fourth place.
“She’s got a lot on her shoulders,” said Olmstead, who taught at Pleasant Grove High School during Jeppson’s senior season there. “She’s got a lot of our team riding on her shoulders. She’s doing great by adjusting to the college game. It’s a pretty big adjustment from high school. She’s done wonderful.”
Jeppson, who is considering one day becoming an elementary school teacher, said her mother Wendy can be thanked for her excellence in volleyball. From about the age of 8, Hailey had been playing volleyball and a few other sports.
Wendy played in high school, and Hailey liked that.
“I think that because my mom played it in high school, I kind of wanted to be like her,” Jeppson said. “I think I just wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
That parental influence has paid off into her becoming the state high school MVP, and now riding a scholarship through school as a key part of a young Aggie team.
The transition to college, Jeppson said, has been tough.
“It’s stressful because I don’t know when to do my homework,” she said. “I go to study hall now, and it’s kind of nice. I just have time to do it on the road. It’s kind of hard to know when to sleep and eat. But it’s worth it.”
Teammate Beth Hodge, now a junior, can relate.
“I know how she feels. I was there,” Hodge said. “She definitely didn’t come out with any freshman jitters. She’s played well. She’s fit in well. Most freshmen don’t come in and start. They hardly see any playing time at all. For her to come in and start and make an impact is really good.”