After switching positions when she got to Tufts, senior middle/opposite hitter Jen Ryan has played an important role on the Tufts volleyball team the past three years, helping the team win a NESCAC Championship last year.
“I've had, I would say definitely an interesting career at Tufts,” Ryan said. “I came in as one position — I came in and was recruited as a middle blocker — but the first three years, so my freshman through junior year, I was used in a position where I would switch back and forth between the middle position and opposite.”
This allowed Ryan to be involved in the team and play in new ways while being pushed as an athlete.
“So, it's definitely been very interesting because I basically learned a whole new position while in college and got to play with it,” Ryan said. “It's been a really great experience because I thought I would just come in and be just a specific position and only get to do that, but instead like I've been able to play more defense and try new positions and it's just been a great experience overall.”
The team has been very successful throughout the three years Ryan has played on it — boasting a 67–19 record, including two undefeated conference seasons.
Ryan said, “I think our program has changed a little bit — we really try to work out what our core values for this team are early on and honestly most of the time, if not the all the time, we are always on the same page, we always are trying to push each other to be better, and that's been a huge thing for us. It’s just always reaching a new limit and reaching our new highest potential.”
Ryan played in all 30 games her junior year, finishing the season with 197 kills, 24 digs, 57 blocks and 227 points. In addition to the success of the team, Ryan says her favorite part is her teammates.
“I think every year you're on the team, it feels more and more like a family,” Ryan said. “So, this year and last year you become just so close with the classes that are around you — the class above, the class below you — and it's been really great because I feel that much more connected every year.”
This sentiment is reciprocated by her teammates, crediting Ryan’s leadership and dedication to the team.
“Jen is such a wonderful leader and friend on and off the court,” outside/opposite hitter Cate Desler, a junior, said. “Her attitude and drive make her an irreplaceable member of the team. By always putting the team first, she leads by example and pushes us all to be our best and strive for even higher goals.”
Throughout quarantine in March and the summer, the team had weekly or biweekly Zoom calls to stay connected. Additionally, the players took part in “Takeover Tuesdays” on the team Instagram page to give their followers a look into their days.
In terms of training during this unprecedented time, Ryan, as well as her teammates, utilized adjusted workout plans sent out by strength and conditioning coach Michael Hunter. Back on campus this fall, the team has been working on ball control, getting back to the basics and honing in on their skills, according to Ryan. With the loss of their usual season as well as limitations of small team training sessions, Ryan is missing the things that come along with competing.
“What I've been missing is definitely playing games, but I really miss our bus rides,” Ryan said. “As weird as that sounds, I’ve missed like, we have a big team speaker that's on rollers that we bring to every away game, and like 30 minutes before we get to a place we just start blasting music and singing and dancing on the bus. I really miss that.”
Ryan is keeping her options open for the coming year and is considering using her extra year of eligibility. Either way, she credits her teammates as being some of her closest friends throughout her college career.
“I would say my favorite part of being on a team is just my actual team,” Ryan said. “I just really enjoy every single person I play with — most of them are my best friends, I live with two of my teammates and they’re my only housemates in my house. I think that the girls that have been recruited, it’s really amazing, and I love all the personal relationships I have with them. We are a very close knit team and I've really enjoyed that — I think that's my favorite part about the team.”
Again, her teammates echo this and admire Ryan as both a teammate and a friend.
“From day one, Jen was so welcoming to me,” Desler said. “Especially since we are both from the Bay Area, she really helped me navigate my first year on the East Coast and is always there to talk whenever I need to. It’s obvious that everybody respects her as a leader, but more importantly as a friend.”
