To say the expectations for the Jones Boys Volleyball team are high this year would be a major understatement. As of May 4, they are 60th in the state, their highest ranking in over three years, undefeated on the road, and fighting for second place in their conference.
“Going far in city playoffs this year and hopefully going for a run at State is an expectation now,” said Michael O’Malley ‘26.
The season so far hasn’t been all smooth sailing. After two early losses to Saint Ignatius and Northside, the Eagles rallied back and went on a six game win streak, defeating hated rivals Whitney Young in the process. After some difficult losses against Lane Tech and Glenbard West, along with two more dominant sweeps of Whitney Young and Payton, Jones Volleyball are currently 4-1 in their past five games.
“Yeah the season obviously has its ups and downs. We’re still really proud of how we played against Lane Tech, definitely a super hard fought game, but sometimes they don’t always go the way you want them to,” said Harrison McCallister ‘26. “We’re still gonna continue our momentum and keep moving forward.”
Many of the players are quick to cite the culture the team fosters as the reason for why the team is able to bounce back so quickly.
“I definitely think that our culture plays a huge role in how we play. There’s an expectation that every single day you come in and perform at your highest level, and I think that it’s stopped us from slacking or giving up, ” said O’Malley.
The players said that the team also makes an emphasis on embracing the stress that inevitably comes with lofty expectations.
“Every year we have a quote on the back of our training t-shirts. Last year it was ‘Nobody cares, work harder,’ and this year it says ‘Pressure is a privilege,’” said Roman Berkowitz ‘26. “If that doesn’t sum up what kind of culture we’ve created here, I don’t know what does.”
The Eagles get to experience that privilege next week as their quest for cities, and then hopefully state, begins.
“I’m honestly really excited for cities this year because I feel like this is where I get to see all of our hard work and discipline in the regular season pay off,” said Berkowitz.
Regardless of the outcome, the team has made it clear that their goal is to at least clear where they placed last season.
“In my junior year we only made it to the quarterfinals for cities, which was way worse than what we thought. It sucked, especially because I was injured and on the bench the whole time,” said O’Malley. “This run is gonna be extra special to me because as captain I now have the opportunity to actually lead this team to something amazing, and prove to ourselves that we can be great.”
