When Sidney Jones came to Temple during the Spring semester, the program was searching for players who could emerge as potential replacements for its departing seniors. With important contributors set to leave the program at season’s end, the Owls hoped an underclassman would step up.
Fast forward three months and Jones made it crystal clear that she was exactly what the Owls were looking for. The freshman came to North Broad Street and immediately established herself as a budding star for Temple.
Jones finished the year with the second-most kills on the team and the eighth-most in the American Athletic Conference with 324. She also led the Owls in aces with 35. Her efforts were rewarded by being named the AAC Freshman of the Year.
“When I was getting recruited, I was kind of shown a list of hopes that they have for me coming in and there was that I could possibly be the Freshman of the Year,” Jones said. “I felt like I could have a big impact on the program right away, but I just had to put in the work and show that I could do it.”
Despite how quickly Jones burst onto the scene, it wasn’t a surprise for her and her teammates. Jones and fellow freshman Christiana Greene decided to graduate high school early and join the team in the spring to get a head start prior to the fall season.
Jones impressed head coach Linda Hampton-Keith in the spring and carried that success into her freshman year this fall. Enrolling in college early played a huge role in Jones getting reps and becoming familiar with her new teammates, she said.
“She came in the spring and you could tell as soon as she stopped in the gym she was gonna be a great athlete and a great asset to our team,” said outside hitter Taylor Davenport. “I really love how she bought into the team really early. Whatever we needed from her, she was working hard to make it happen.”
Jones finished with 11 kills in her first collegiate match, the second most on the team, as Temple marched to victory against Rider. Jones’ impressive debut was only a sign of positive things to come. She held her starting spot for the rest of the season and became a crucial piece for a team fighting for a postseason spot.
Jones continued to improve as the season progressed and had a standout performance against Binghamton on Oct. 9. She finished the match with a season-high 25 kills off an impressive .327 hitting percentage, along with 10 digs. The Owls needed five sets to pick up the win and Jones helped spearhead the victory, collecting six kills in the decisive fifth set.
At season’s end, Jones finished with double-digit kills in 22 of the Owls’ 30 matches. Temple went just 1-7 in the games she recorded less than 10 kills, showing how crucial Jones was to the team’s success. She also recorded more than 20 kills in three matches.
Despite Jones’ historic freshman season, the Owls took a step back in the win-loss column compared to last year. Temple finished with a 14-16 record, three fewer wins than last season, and missed the conference tournament again.
“There’s going to be ups and downs, but I feel like as a team we always pick each other up,” Jones said. “We knew what we had to work on everybody and always helped me out in areas that I needed. And I feel like it never felt like a downward moment.”
Temple will now have to face next season without Davenport, who finished her career with the sixth most kills in program history. Replacing a player like Davenport is never an easy task, but the Owls think they have the player to help soften the transition.
Expectations remain high for Jones going into next season as she prepares to fill Davenport’s shoes. It may seem like a steep request, but Hampton-Keith has prepared for this moment and remains confident in Jones’ ability to take over as the lead offensive threat.
“She was one of the first recruits we identified right when we got here [in 2022],” Hampton-Keith said. “The intention when we first recruited her was this is who we want to invest in and this is who we see as the future of Temple Volleyball being around.”
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