Dolphins vs. Eagles, and we’re not talking Miami vs Philadelphia. As Jones spirit week just passed, all eyes were on the homecoming volleyball game against Whitney Young. In the last five years, Jones volleyball has only won against Young once, but they are still considered rivals.

The rivalry against Whitney Young started in 2015.

“At least for us [Junior Varsity], the rivalry started in 2015, when we beat them in the city championship,” said girl’s junior varsity volleyball coach, Howard Hu.

But, for varsity volleyball, their record against Young is (1-7) with their one win coming in the city championship in 2017.

“Whitney has been the only one going to the city championship, besides us,” Hu said.

Others disagree that there is a rivalry between Jones and Whitney young.

“What rivalry? I feel like our rivalry is more against someone like a De La Salle, Walter Payton and St. Ignatius.” said Athletic director Frank Griseto.

Jones only plays Whitney in a few sports, while they compete against De La Salle, Walter Payton and St. Ignatius more often.

“The rivalry against Young only exists in volleyball. We didn’t start playing Whitney in other sports until this year or few years before,” Griseto said.

Despite the opposing views on the “rivalry”, the homecoming game was highly anticipated for both Jones and Whitney students, as Jones came out with the win 2-1. When playing against Whitney, Jones prepares in a specific way.

“Recently, we’ve been doing more running and drills that specialize against Whitney’s team,” said Varsity Player Vanessa Andrews ‘20. “We are overall trying to have more energy in practice, so we can bring that in the game.”

For junior varsity, Hu has a different approach.

“We use regular season games as more of a measure of how much we have to do for the city championship, “ Hu said. “I am trying to find weaknesses in their team.”