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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 117 f V O L L E Y B A L L F E A T U R E : K I K I J O N E S BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com W hen KiKi Jones' family moved to Indiana about a decade ago, her parents wanted to get their daughter involved in an activity so that she could better acclimate to the new surroundings. And it so happened that they saw a flyer for tryouts for the seventh-grade volleyball team. "I thought, 'Well, I can meet some friends that way,' " said Jones, now a senior middle blocker for the Boilermak- ers. "I tried out, but there was a coach who wasn't really a coach — she was like a cheerleading coach who was filling a void — and I didn't make the team. So I was like, 'Oh well, I didn't even know how to play in the first place. I doesn't matter.' " Many might have given up then. But luckily for Purdue, a more skilled eye saw the raw talent in Jones, and a few months later, she was en- ticed to try out again, this time for a club team. And this time, she made it. "The high school coach had this pro- gram called TNT (Volleyball Club) to train people before high school," Jones said, referring to Kathy Slyder, then the coach at Hamilton Southeastern in Fishers. "She was like 'Yeah, I really want you to try out,' and I was like 'Eh, OK.' "And then randomly we saw her whole family, right be- fore the tryouts, at a store. She came up and was like 'You really should do this.' And ever since then I've been play- ing." Playing a lot, too. After easing into the sport — Jones' athleticism was evident, but her knowledge and technique left a lot to be desired in those early years — it's been hard to get her off the court. The 6-foot-1 Jones has started from Day 1 at Purdue, being inserted in the lineup as a true freshman when vet- eran Anna Drewry was still rehabbing from ACL surgery 2014 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Aug. 29 USF W, 3-0^ No. 14 SAN DIEGO W, 3-0^ Aug. 30 LSU W, 3-0^ Sept. 5 vs. UNC-Asheville W, 3-0 Sept. 6 vs. Elon W, 3-0 at Kennesaw State W, 3-0 Sept. 12 vs. Austin Peay W, 3-0 at Western Kentucky L, 2-3 Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan W, 3-1 Sept. 19 ST LOUIS L, 2-3 MOREHEAD STATE W, 3-0 Sept. 20 NOTRE DAME W, 3-0 Sept. 26 MICHIGAN W, 3-2 Sept. 27 MICHIGAN STATE W, 3-1 Oct. 3 at Rutgers W, 3-0 Oct. 5 at Maryland W, 3-1 Oct. 8 INDIANA W, 3-0 Oct. 11 at Indiana W, 3-1 Oct. 17 No. 7 PENN STATE L, 2-3 Oct. 18 No. 22 OHIO STATE W, 3-2 Oct. 24 at Northwestern 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at Illinois 8 p.m. Oct. 29 WISCONSIN 7 p.m. Nov. 1 MINNESOTA 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Nebraska 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at Iowa 8 p.m. Nov. 12 MARYLAND 7 p.m. Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN 7 p.m. Nov. 19 RUTGERS 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at Minnesoa 8 p.m. Nov. 26 at Michigan State 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. ^ Mortar Board Premier, West Lafayette * KSU Owls Invitational, Kennesaw, Ga. # Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational, Bowling Green, Ky. % Active Ankle Challenge, West Lafayette Tom Campbell Coach Dave Shondell says middle blocker KiKi Jones is a "cerebral" player, but she can be more physical as the sea- son goes on, once she fully regains strength from an offsea- son injury. Playing With Smarts Jones helping to lead the way for Boilermakers