It hasn’t taken long for redshirt freshman Jessie Jorgensen to make a name for herself on Utah’s volleyball team. Last year, Jorgensen was forced to redshirt because of an injury and didn’t get much playing time, but this year, she’s started off the season healthy and ready to go.
In the very first game of the season, Jorgensen recorded 23 assists against Idaho State. But this was only a taste of things to come.
As the season has progressed, Jorgensen has maintained a steady role under Kendall Cygan, Utah’s senior setter, who has been an important part of the team for four years now. Up through the game against UCLA on Oct. 9, Cygan and Jorgensen pretty much split setting duties.
Then, in the game against top-ranked USC, Cygan didn’t play in a single set. Instead, Jorgensen started all three sets and recorded 25 assists on the night. Jorgensen remained as the top choice at the setter position for head coach Beth Launiere in the next game, also.
Jorgensen finally had her chance to shine, and oh, did she ever.
If anything could be considered a breakout game for Jorgensen, the Utes’ loss to the Golden Bears is it. The freshman played through all five sets and proved why she deserves to be an integral part of Utah’s future, recording 54 assists, a career-high for her, and a season-high in assists by any player for Utah. Jorgensen also added 11 digs and four kills to her statline against Cal.
Sophomore Adora Anae spoke about her teammate and how she is progressing as a redshirt freshman.
“[Jorgensen] has grown tremendously and is continuing to grow every day on the court and in practice,” Anae said. “It’s crucial when [freshmen] are on the court. When they are getting playing time, it’s not a choice, they have to get better.”
Jorgensen has definitely proven herself and shown why she deserves to carry the majority of setting duties, even if it does mean relegating Cygan to a backup role going forward.
Losses mounting for the Utes
Utah started off the season on a high note. After the Pac-12 match win against Colorado, the Utes were the proud owners of a 7-5 record and feeling confident as they headed into Pac-12 play against some of the toughest teams in the nation. Even after the winless trip to Oregon left the team at 7-8, Launiere was still optimistic moving forward.
“We came out of the Oregon match very encouraged,” Launiere said. “We played well. Our offense was finally getting going.”
The team’s fortune didn’t take a turn for the better, however. The loss to California on Sunday dropped the team to 7-12, and its loss streak currently stands at seven games.
Utah is dead last in Pac-12 standings and won’t have it easy going up against Arizona and Arizona State on the road this weekend. The Utes face off against UCLA, USC, Cal and Stanford again in the month of November, and the future in Pac-12 looks very tough for this team.
It will take some inspired play for Utah to start winning again and jump back up into the upper half of the Pac-12 standings.
Anae Carrying Utah
Even in the midst of this losing streak there are still bright spots for this Utah team.
One of the brightest spots is Anae.
Anae is still only a sophomore, but she is easily the best outside hitter on this team and one of the best in the Pac-12. She is fourth in the conference with 4.14 kills per set, and her school record of 27 kills against Cal is tied for second-highest total this season in the Pac-12.
“I’m the go-to player, so they are setting more balls for me than any other player,” Anae said. “I feel like I can contribute that way — by getting kills for the team.”
Anae is already a leader for Utah in just her second year, but don’t be surprised if she continues to improve. Odds are that Anae will be the star for this team by the time she graduates, and the future looks bright for Utah Volleyball with Anae leading the way.
@Twelvegage96