50 Years Q&A: Jordan Haverly

50 Years Q&A: Jordan Haverly
If not for a twist of fate, and a series of Facebook messages, there's a chance that Jordan Haverly would never come to Indiana. But over 10 years since graduating and finishing her volleyball career, there's no place she would rather call home.

One of the most sought-after recruits in 2008, Haverly initially went to national powerhouse Nebraska. She lasted only through the preseason practice slate before deciding it was no longer the fit for her. After going back home to Illinois, she started getting Facebook messages from IU libero Caitlin Cox.

Cox had played against her in club and knew she'd be a perfect fit at Indiana. After a series of messages, Haverly decided to take a visit to Bloomington. From there it was all history. Haverly went on to become one of the best outside hitters in program history. She had 30 kills in a win over Tennessee in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and is top five in IU history in the category.

As part of a celebration of 50 Years of Indiana Volleyball, we caught up with Haverly to talk about her experience in Bloomington and the journey through her collegiate career.

Q: What was your journey to Indiana like?
"I actually transferred to IU. So, my getting there was different. I committed to Nebraska and went there for the preseason. I left before the actual season started and came back home to Illinois. I ended up not going anywhere for the 2008 season and started my recruiting journey all over again.

Q: How did IU get in the picture?
"I didn't know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do at that point. I was very lost. Somebody asked me "why don't you go visit IU." I had no idea what IU was. Indiana – I never really considered it honestly. I didn't know anything about. IT was my old club coach that mentioned it to be about visiting. I had played against Caitlin (Cox) since I was 14 in club tournaments and she started messaging me on Facebook and wouldn't leave me alone.

She told me to come on a visit and that I would love being here. Everyone was telling me to come on a visit. It's not that far away from home so I gave it a shot. I'm from Northern Illinois – it's Indiana. When I went there and met the team, I fell in love with all of them immediately. Everyone was so nice. The coaching staff, the support staff and everybody. I felt like if my parents dropped me off that I was going to be taken care of and it was going to be a second home."

Q: How did you initial recruiting process work back then?
When I was getting recruited, we still had some strict rules, but it's definitely changed over the years. My mom was my high school coach. I went to a really tiny private school. Because she was my high school coach, it was kind of a loophole in the system. I think she did a pretty good job of shielding me from some stuff. She would just kind of like funnel it back to my club coaches. But when I was getting recruited, media guides and physical mail was a big thing. Everybody that was interested would start sending recruiting questionnaires. When you were a sophomore, you could start getting handwritten letters and then by your junior year it was text messages. I started going on college visits at 14.

Q: How quickly did it take for you to adjust to Bloomington?
"My recruiting class – there were seven of us. So, there were a lot of us that came in that were brand new at the time. Since there were so many of us going through a lot of changes, everyone had to be a lot more patient. I think the team and everybody did a really good job of being supportive. Everyone coming in had to play a role so it was easier to support each other.

I didn't know any better so you just kind of jump right into it. That's kind of how it is. So, it was good. I mean, it's what makes your core memories. Looking back, we stayed in a hotel and had to spend all of our time together. You had two to three practices a day. You get to know each other really quickly.

Q: What did you like about the college town?
"I still love Bloomington. I wish I would go back more. I've only been back a couple teams and a lot has changed. It's crazy how many new buildings and stuff there're is. It was such a perfect college town to me because I love how I can feel the campus. You can make it as big or as small as you want. The surrounding community is so supportive. You can walk to get places, sit around campus and hang outside."

Q: A lot has been made about that 2010 team, what was it like being a part of that?
Well – obviously we had the European Trip. It was something I'd never been a part of before. We all had just worked so hard outside the gym and training and lifting, I think we all just respected and understood each other and just like had a genuine care and friendship about the team. I think when everybody's on the same page, it makes it a little bit easier when you're in those tough matches and moments. You go the extra mile for that person next to you. We just decided we weren't going to lose and we were going to make it happen that that year. Everything just kind of aligned, and we had a great support staff. And it was, yeah, it was a really good year. A lot of good memories came out of some really hard moments."

Q: What was it like playing with Caitlin [Cox] and Ashley [Benson]
"Whether you love it or hate it, she's (Caitlin) one of the most intense people I've ever met in my life. Especially when you're playing volleyball. It definitely takes a second to get used to if it's not something that you've experienced before. But it's so much fun and exciting.

(Ashley), it's enjoyable to play with some people that have the same amount of passion and energy as you. I think that's where all of us were on the same page. We're super competitors and we're just going to tell you when you're not doing your job. We ended up making each other better and then surrounding people on our team.

Caitlin didn't have a problem with talking smack. She 100% owned it. This is who she was. She competed like a dude because she would be like that on the court. Then she would have no problem walking into the locker room and turning it off. Not a lot of girls could do that."

Q: Overall – how thankful are you that you made the choice to come to Indiana?
"I love the town and I loved my teammates. Obviously, the injury in 2011 was not planned and I didn't appreciate that. It was less than ideal. But the people and the place were amazing. My teammates ended up as my bridesmaids in my wedding and are still my best friends to this day. I can't imagine not having made that decision.

Indiana University Athletics

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