Sydney Jones was on Linda Hampton-Keith’s radar from the moment Hampton-Keith took the head volleyball coaching job at Temple in 2022. Hampton-Keith wanted to usher in a new era at Temple and she needed a new crop of outside hitters on her roster for that to happen — and Jones was the perfect fit.
Fast forward two years and Hampton-Keith got her wish. Jones has not only joined the team but earned a starting role instantly. However, Hampton-Keith still wanted one other player to fulfill her vision.
During her high school career, outside hitter Christiana Greene joined Jones on the coach’s radar. The pair dazzled the Owls’ staff during the recruiting process and it became a priority to reel them to McGonigle Hall. Now, Jones and Greene are leading a team that has a real chance at making noise in the American Athletic Conference this season.
Jones and Greene decided to graduate high school a semester early, arriving at Temple during the spring semester so they could get a jumpstart before the regular season.
“We learn a lot of techniques and what we’re gonna work on in the fall in the spring anyways,” Greene said. “So it was just easier to come in the spring and work out all the kinks with our setters and working with the tempo.”
Temple begins preparation for the upcoming season in January of every year — immediately following the end of the previous season. Incoming freshmen are usually at a disadvantage because they arrive on campus when the offseason is already in full swing.
The duo took little time to introduce themselves, earning a starting spot and making an immediate impact. Jones and Greene are second and third on the team in kills with 86 and 79, respectively, only trailing Taylor Davenport who ranks 14th in the entire NCAA. Jones recorded back-to-back double-doubles in kills and digs during the Gamecock Invitational on Sept. 7 and 8 and is leading the AAC with 16 aces.
Jones and Greene have also been reliable on defense in addition to their offensive skills. Jones is fifth on the team in digs with 50 and Greene has been strong at the net, recording 22 blocks, which ranks fifth on the team.
“At the end of the day, they both were athletes that we knew would elevate our program from a volleyball skill-wise,” Hampton-Keith said. “Both had the potential to impact us almost immediately, which they have.”
Jones, who played high school volleyball just 35 minutes away from Temple in Havertown, Pennsylvania, easily caught the attention of the recruiters at Temple. She interacted with the team’s social media and sent the coaching staff numerous requests to watch her play.
The attempts to get their attention paid off so when Hampton-Keith offered Jones a spot, and she accepted with zero hesitation.
Greene also had a Temple connection through Davenport. Both grew up in Colombia, South Carolina, and Davenport was a mentor to Greene back home. When her recruitment ramped up, Green reached out to the coaches to see if North Broad Street was the place for her.
“No team wants to be one dimensional,” Hampton-Keith said. “We want to continue bringing players who are going to contribute in lots of different ways. It just alleviates that pressure off of one or two players and the more players you can bring in that can contribute, the better your team is overall.”
Hampton-Keith has had athletes start their college career a semester early in the past, but this is the first time she has had two do it at the same time. The unique situation gave Jones and Greene someone in a similar experience, helping make the adjustment easier.
They became roommates in the spring and clicked instantly while navigating their new life together. The two did not only have to figure out how to adjust to the college level of volleyball, but they also had to adapt to the higher level of academics.
The two handled the transition with ease and quickly became crucial players on the team as freshmen. Despite the insertion into the lineup, the duo doesn’t feel any pressure and only works to grow as athletes and improve the program.
“It feels like there’s nothing we can do but grow,” Jones said. “So I feel like it’ll just get better and better throughout the season and throughout the four years that we’re here.”
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