Miss Volleyball Finalist Profile: Portage Central’s Ryann Jaqua
Ryann Jaqua has been told many times that she’s not big enough to be an outside hitter. That hasn’t stopped the 5-foot-9 senior from Portage Central, only motivated her. A successful outside hitter for the Mustangs for four years, Jaqua…
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Continue ReadingRyann Jaqua has been told many times that she’s not big enough to be an outside hitter.
That hasn’t stopped the 5-foot-9 senior from Portage Central, only motivated her.
A successful outside hitter for the Mustangs for four years, Jaqua has taken her small frame all the way to being a 2018 Miss Volleyball finalist.
“I definitely feel like I can be overlooked because of my size and I feel like when I am on the floor that I have something to prove,” Ryann said. “It has motivated me a lot through the years.”
Jaqua can be hard to spot when the Mustangs take the floor, but after a few points, it’s easy to pick her out. Jaqua is able to play well above her size and deliver powerful attacks from all over the court.
“When you look at Ryann, she is very unassuming,” Portage Central coach Dawn Jaqua said. “She gets the most out of her little body. There’s been times where I have heard random strangers let out an ‘oh my,’ when she hits the ball because they don’t expect that from a smaller player. She has had people tell her in the past that she is too little and I think that has motivated every time and still motivates her now.”
Ryann grew up in a volleyball family as her sisters, Madison and Devin were also players for Portage Central. Madison was also a Miss Volleyball finalist and is currently playing for IPFW while Devin is playing soccer at Michigan State.
“I grew up in a super-competitive family that loves volleyball and I got to play with my sister for two years and we definitely pushed each other to be better,” Ryann said. “I think it was clear that we wanted to be better than the other.”
Upon entering high school, Ryann would join the varsity squad at Portage Central right away and be coached by her mother, Dawn.
“She definitely does not favor me,” Ryann said of he mom. “She is a very tough coach and I don’t think she sees me as her kid when we are on the court. She sees me as one of her players. I think that is important because she doesn’t single met out. She gives me the same amount of coaching that she gives others and she expects the same out of me that she does others.”
It was Ryann’s sophomore year that she really turned into a star for Portage Central. She was named First Team All-State in 2016.
“Her sophomore year is when she really embraced her ability and became that go-to kid,” Dawn said. “She really started to thrive on competition and that’s when you would start to see her elevate her game against the tougher opponents.”
Since then, Ryann has continued to improve and once again earned All-State honors in 2017. She is approaching 2,000 kills for her prep career and has over 1,130 digs, 130 aces and 80 blocks.
“What sets Ryann apart from other hitters is her ball control and her defense,” Dawn said. “Everyone wants to hit because that is the fun part of volleyball. But when you embrace and develop the ball control aspect of being a hitter, that’s when you really become an asset to the team. Her decision making and knowing what hits to make when and at what speeds, along with her improvement on defense, is really where she has grown the most as a player.”
Jaqua can also be hard to notice on the floor at times because she keeps a consistent demeanor when she plays.
“She is very calm when she plays and has a great court presence,” Dawn said. “Sometimes you can tell whether a kid is having a great game or not by their body language, but you can never tell that with Ryann. She is very competitive, but also very calm when she plays.”
Currently ranked 14th in our Division 1 rankings, Portage Central is hoping for a strong final stretch of the 2018 season with Ryann playing a big part in that. The senior is excited to be a finalist for Miss Volleyball and is hoping her success at her size will encourage others to pursue playing the position they enjoy.
“I would encourage anyone to give their all to playing the position they are passionate about. Don’t listen to other people that try to tell you that you can’t do something,” she said. “Just give your all, work hard and good things will happen. If you put in the work, it will show.”