Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: Sami Jacobs
8/18/2021 12:14:00 PM | Volleyball
Outside Hitter – Prosper, Texas
On her start in volleyball
"I began playing volleyball in fifth grade for a local rec team. We moved back to the United States after living in Japan for five years so my parents wanted to put me in a sport. I tried basketball and volleyball but I ended up falling in love with volleyball and I picked it up very quickly and it just developed from there."
On volleyball as her favorite sport
"I loved it straight away. Whether it was because I had so many friends on the team or just the sport itself, it was just so much fun."
On playing in college as a goal
"It was always cool to think about playing in college and see all the older players do that. I'm the first one in my family to do so. It was probably around my 14s or 15s year going into high school when I really put myself out there and tried to work towards that goal."
On the turning point in the goal becoming reality
"At all club tournaments you go to, there's so many college coaches around and that really makes it feel like a big goal. For me, hearing my coaches tell me that this was achievable and that I could go far in the sport really made me believe I could go play in college."
On what she was looking for in a college
"I definitely knew I wanted to stay in the south. Being from Texas, I love the heat and knew I didn't want to go anywhere with snow or cold weather. I kind of wanted to get away from Texas after being there for a while so I was looking for a change. After moving around so much in my life, I love new places and new experiences so I was fine going somewhere new. I loved the Alabama campus and I definitely wanted a bigger school that would support me academically and athletically."
On Alabama coming into the picture
"After spending lots of time traveling and watching so many volleyball teams, this one felt so different from any one I had ever been to. The atmosphere really felt like they cared about you and wanted to help you achieve every goal you had. Knowing I would have so many connections academically after I graduate was huge too. Coach [Lindsey] Devine made us all feel very wanted and shared her vision of what she had for the program."
On enrolling early
"I talked about it with my family and we decided that me going early would give me the opportunity to transition, start school and get to know the team. I learned a lot of new techniques from the coaches at practice that I felt would help me when I was able to play this season. It was hard to sit and just watch as I definitely wanted to be in, but it gave me a different perspective of the court and taught me how I could help other people from different aspects of being a teammate.
"I definitely believe that it helped me make connections with the team, which is important because volleyball is such a big team sport. Knowing everyone and how they react to certain things helped but also they know how to help me. You can't learn new techniques in one day so having that extra couple months to get to learn it has made me a lot more comfortable."
On the adjustment from high school to college
"There's definitely ups and downs. It gets hard sometimes when you miss your family or you miss being home, but enrolling early really helped me learn to balance schoolwork with volleyball. Getting to know my way around campus and not having to stress about moving in was really nice."
On her value as a teammate
"I can understand how people need to be uplifted in different situations, knowing that one person might need a different approach than another person. I feel like people can trust me and talk to me about things, whether it's on the court or off the court. I want to be someone that my teammates can lean on."
On her personal and team goals for 2021
"I'd love to help lead the team to an SEC Championship or a high finish in the conference and then go as far as we can in the NCAA Tournament. Even if I'm not playing, I want to be the best support system I can be for everyone out there. Our team has been very focused on making it to the tournament this year."
