Redshirt Freshman hitter Emma Jones made her volleyball debut on Sept. 6 in Cedarville, Ohio against Anderson University wearing number 12, the same number her mother, Aimee Jones, wore when she played for the University of Indianapolis in 1994. Jones is not the only child of a former Greyhound to step on the court in UIndy history according to Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Sue Willey.
“It speaks volumes not only to our sports, but to the university that parents think enough of UIndy that they’d want their son or daughter to come [here.]” Willey said, Aimee’s former volleyball coach.
Aimee started the legacy with her accomplishments in both basketball and volleyball. In 2002, Aimee, along with her teammates from the 1992-1993 basketball team, were inducted into the UIndy hall of fame. That season, they had a 13 game winning streak and a 24-4 record which resulted in them being the first in the program’s history to win a women’s basketball GLVC title.
As for volleyball, during the 1993 season, Aimee was the leader in aces with 36, and digs with 109. The following season in 1994 she was named all GLVC, the only volleyball player that year to be on the list. Willey said she remembers coaching Aimee and what a tremendous person and athlete that she was.
According to Jones, when she was younger, the main sport that she liked to play was basketball, so that is what she wanted to play in college. That dream was cut short when she tore her ACL in seventh grade playing basketball. Since then she has gone on to have four other knee surgeries.
“After that first surgery, the pressure on your body is a lot more, like running back and forth. So then I got more into volleyball,” Jones said. “Slowly and slowly, I started to love volleyball more and more.”
Early on in Jones’ career as a Greyhound, she tore her meniscus and had to be redshirted during her freshman year. However, her passion for volleyball remained strong. She recovered from the surgery and was able play for her sophomore season.
“She [Jones] is an intense competitor,” Willey said. “I remember her mom was this way. She gets so excited when you get a good block or you get a kill or whatever and just the smile, it’s exciting for me.”
While walking in the footsteps of her mom may seem like quite the challenge, Emma said she isn’t worried about being compared by coaches or family. According to Jones, the awards that her mom received make her strive to hit her own goals and work harder on the court.
“I don’t really feel a lot of pressure. I feel like she [her mom] has always been super supportive and [I’m] just doing my best and trying living up to the person she was and not so much the volleyball player she was” Jones said.
