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When the Yahtzee cube or Monopoly board comes out on the Ewert home, hit the deck. Even innocuous board video games can stir a aggressive fervor much like an NCAA championship.
Which is comprehensible, contemplating that when they’re all collectively there are six athletes underneath the identical roof.
“Yahtzee will get very intense,” mentioned Jordan Ewert, the second-oldest of the 4 siblings. “And I don’t know the way it will get intense contemplating it’s only a cube sport of probability.”
And the cardboard sport Nerts? Neglect it.
Thomas Ewert, the daddy of the flock, received’t even play.
A distance runner in his heyday, Thomas is essentially the most laid again of the Ewerts, and he, mentioned his spouse, Donna, prefers to maintain his distance.
“We’re a boisterous group after we begin to compete,” Donna mentioned. “He’s very quiet, not a pushy man. And also you get a bunch of individuals in there who’re pushy, there are specific video games that he’s like, ‘Nope. I don’t wish to play that.’ ”
However when the mud settles, the Ewerts return to being a tight-knit household who share the bond of volleyball:
— Jessica, at 30, the oldest sibling, was an achieved participant at the highschool and membership ranges.
— Jordan, 26, performed at Stanford, the place he was second-team All-MPSF as a senior, after which three years professionally in Germany. This season, the 6-foot-4 exterior hitter will transfer to the French membership Saint-Nazaire. He’s on the USA 30-player Volleyball Nations League roster however hasn’t traveled to the primary two rounds.
— Jenna, 23, was a setter at Colorado — she eclipsed 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in her profession — earlier than spending her fifth yr at Texas, the place she received a nationwide title final fall. She is going to play professionally for German membership Munster this season.
— Josh, a 6-foot-4 19-year-old, is the “child” and can enter his sophomore yr at UC San Diego within the fall. Final season, he earned Large West All-Freshman honors regardless of being slowed by mono.
“To me, it’s actually particular, nevertheless it’s additionally regular,” Jenna mentioned. “I don’t assume we respect it as a lot as we should always, nevertheless it’s one thing that we … all of us have this bond, and all of us have gone by means of these related experiences.
“It’s a extremely cool way of life.”
Even when it will get just a little aggressive.
Mother paves the best way
The Ewert youngsters agree: Their aggressive streak comes from their mom. Nerts brings out the perfect (worst?) in her.
“She’s relentless in that sport,” Jordan mentioned.
For her half, Donna Ewert isn’t precisely positive in regards to the origins of her urge for food for competitors. She grew up with two brothers who had been a very good bit older — five-and-a-half and 7 years — however, she mentioned, she actually didn’t attempt to sustain or compete with them just because she bodily couldn’t.
So she chalks it as much as one thing innate. She at all times wished to play baseball, like her brothers, however, after all, that was principally exceptional for a lady at the moment. She did ballet and gymnastics earlier than lastly speaking her father into letting her play softball.
In the summertime after her sophomore yr of highschool, her mom took her to a camp for volleyball.
“I fell in love with it,” she mentioned.
Although she was late getting concerned within the sport – she performed solely two years in highschool and one yr of membership – she confirmed sufficient that she earned a possibility to play at Cal. However her collegiate volleyball profession ended earlier than it began.
The summer time earlier than her freshman yr, she was concerned in a automobile accident and suffered a again damage. She hadn’t accomplished her rehab and bodily remedy earlier than college was scheduled to start, and, therapies being much less superior than they’re now, she was experiencing an excessive amount of ache to play.
That was the tip of her time in aggressive volleyball, nevertheless it wasn’t the tip of her involvement within the sport.
When Jessica was in junior excessive at a small constitution college close to their residence within the San Francisco Bay Space city of Antioch, one of many trainer’s daughters wished to begin a volleyball workforce, and Donna was requested to be the coach.
“I don’t assume I even knew what volleyball was at that time,” Jessica mentioned. “I simply signed up as a result of that’s what everybody was doing. The remainder is historical past.”
For Donna Ewert, it was a one-year gig, however the flame was lit along with her youngsters.
Jessica performed all through center college and highschool and in addition performed on the Golden Bear membership in Berkley. That, nonetheless, was so far as she wished to go within the sport.
“Whereas I loved the game, I’m very a lot, I feel, an instructional extra so,” she mentioned. “So when it got here time to enter faculty (she attended Vanguard in Orange County then went to Chapman’s legislation college) I actually hadn’t seen anybody get a sports activities scholarship. It actually wasn’t one thing on my radar.
“I simply determined to go to school to concentrate on teachers as an alternative of specializing in sports activities.”
Properly rounded youngsters
To be clear, life within the Ewert family wasn’t all about volleyball. It wasn’t even all about sports activities.
Thomas and Donna Ewert insisted that their youngsters take part in (a minimum of) one athletic exercise and one music exercise.
“You be taught to work with individuals on a workforce or, as a person, you be taught to push your self, and also you see your work as a result of you’ve solely your self to depend on,” Donna mentioned. “There’s advantages to each.”
Jordan additionally performed soccer and insisted that’s what he would play in faculty. (Extra on that later.)
Jenna was a state champion gymnast in her youth earlier than struggling a knee damage. She took up swimming after that and set quite a few pool data alongside the best way, and Donna mentioned she believes Jenna simply as simply might have landed a swimming scholarship. Josh, additionally a swimmer, mentioned volleyball was by no means pushed on any of the siblings.
“All of us performed completely different sports activities,” Jessica added. “There was by no means a selected sport pushed on us. They simply wished us to play a sport. I really keep in mind attempting to discourage Jordan from entering into it for some time. I used to be like, ‘No that is my factor. Go discover your personal factor.’
“Ultimately, the 4 of us type of discovered our means into it.”
In terms of music, all of them, Jenna mentioned, can sing, and Jordan performs the guitar. (Though Josh, when requested about his hidden expertise, mentioned, “I’m actually good at constructing Legos. That’s all I obtained.”)
Jessica mentioned she and her siblings all had been concerned in choir sooner or later and had been a part of quite a few church musical productions.
Jordan, even into his faculty days, Donna mentioned, generally would tune up his voice throughout practices, usually to the chagrin of his teammates.
Those self same teammates, nonetheless, had been glad to have Jordan on their facet when it got here time for matches. They had been glad he determined to change sports activities.
The dominoes fall
Regardless that he would watch Jessica’s volleyball matches with some curiosity, Jordan insisted he wouldn’t play volleyball. He was all about soccer, and nothing would change his thoughts.
Donna Ewert remembers his repeated assertions that he wouldn’t play the identical sport as his older sister, even after attending a neighborhood camp that launched younger athletes to volleyball.
“He stored saying to me, ‘Mother, I’m not going to play volleyball,’ ” she mentioned. “I don’t know why he was saying it, however he simply stored saying, ‘I’m not going to play volleyball, mother.’ I used to be like, ‘That’s tremendous, Jordan. I don’t care.’ ”
However throughout his eighth-grade yr, throughout a break in soccer season, he was invited to hitch a workforce for a volleyball match in Sacramento. He had been requested earlier than however was unable to take action due to soccer commitments, however this time, he went.
It proved to be a fateful resolution.
Whereas there, he was seen by former USC star and two-time Olympian Gabe Gardner, who was teaching one of many membership groups within the match. Gardner requested Jordan to hitch his workforce, which he did.
After that, he joined Roger Worsley’s Pacific Rim membership, and that sealed his deal as a volleyball participant.
“He was a extremely intense coach, and he had excessive expectations of us,” Jordan mentioned. “Round once I turned 16, he sat me down for a dialog as a result of that’s when faculty scouts began scouting us, after we had been going into our junior years.
“He mentioned … you need to resolve now whether or not that is one thing you’ll take critically and pursue now or if that is simply going to be a passion or a pastime.
“Actually, it was a reasonably simple resolution for me as a result of I beloved volleyball, and I beloved enjoying and competing. … The extra severe I obtained, the extra I wished to push it and see how far I obtained.”
As Jordan performed by means of his years as an out of doors hitter in membership and at Deer Valley Excessive Faculty, another person was watching intently. Jenna.
“She wasn’t like different youngsters who wandered round and performed with individuals,” Donna remembered. “She simply type of soaked all of it in. And eventually at some point, she goes, ‘Mother, I wish to strive that.’ ”
Jenna began to take volleyball critically at age 13. She initially was a proper facet however, at 16, she was moved to setter as a result of, her coaches believed, she wouldn’t have the scale to play exterior. (She grew to 5-10.)
Having an older brother within the sport had its advantages and downsides.
Jenna mentioned Jordan’s membership workforce would permit her to play after they had open gyms, so she was competing in opposition to a bunch of fellows. None of them, she mentioned, took it simple on her. Particularly not Jordan.
“He’s my older brother. He desires me to do nicely. He desires me to be the perfect I could be,” she mentioned. “So even when it’s a easy sport, he’s like, ‘Jenna, do higher. That is silly.’
“After I obtained older he would come to video games, and if I made any kind of mistake in any respect, I used to be like, ‘I’m going to listen to it after the sport.’ He’s at all times been proper there with me once I was selecting schools, once I was going to switch, once I was going to play professional. He’s at all times taken that first step proper earlier than me. He’s at all times pushed me.”
Jordan acknowledged he might need been just a little too exhausting on Jenna at instances. And he was by no means positive how she would react. Relying on how exhausting he pushed her, he mentioned, she would both run away crying or run at him and attempt to sort out him.
“Clearly, being the older brother, I suppose I took on just a little little bit of that tough-guy position,” he mentioned. “I don’t know if it helped her or not. I feel she realized extra from watching me than listening to me.
“She’s a tricky cookie. She will take loads from anybody. She took it nicely, however there can be, clearly, events the place I pushed too far. … Typical sibling relationship.”
Josh, in the meantime, didn’t want a lot coaxing. By the point he was 7, Donna mentioned, his thoughts was made up.
Donna mentioned she did attempt to maintain Josh again from volleyball however not as a result of she didn’t need him to play. She merely didn’t assume it was clever for him to begin so younger, fearing damage and/or burnout.
“I didn’t wish to pigeon-hole him into being a volleyball participant,” she mentioned. “I didn’t need him to be sick of it. I didn’t need him to really feel like he wanted to do it as a result of his siblings had been doing it.
“I couldn’t cease him. He simply stored saying, ‘Please!’ ”
Stated Josh: “From an early age, I’ve at all times watched my brother and sisters play, so it’s what I simply adopted into. Every time I’m on the court docket and I’m enjoying within the sport, and it’s a really aggressive atmosphere and each groups are simply going at one another … I simply know that is my sport and I belong right here.”
Nationwide champion as a Longhorn
There could be some debate as to which of the Ewerts is the perfect volleyball participant. However just one can boast of being an NCAA champion.
Jenna was a part of Texas’ workforce that, this previous fall, went 28-1 and received the NCAA title, this system’s fourth. Her contributions had been sporadic: appearances in 19 matches (35 units) with 47 assists and 4 aces. However, in her thoughts, spot obligation was a small tradeoff to be a part of a national-championship workforce.
When she determined to pursue a fifth yr of volleyball after her 4 years at Colorado, she mentioned, she wasn’t fairly positive at which stage she wished to play. Was she going to go large or one thing smaller and extra “tutorial”?
As soon as she put her title into the switch portal and began speaking to potential packages, she determined to goal excessive.
She really put her title within the switch portal twice. The primary was December of her senior yr, simply after the conclusion of Colorado’s season. However her switch wasn’t going to be instant as she supposed to complete her undergrad diploma in Boulder.
San Diego reached out to her, nevertheless it, like different colleges, wished a switch who was going to reach within the spring, which Jenna was not ready to do. So she put her title again within the portal within the spring, and, she mentioned, Texas was one of many first colleges to reply.
Jenna had been to Austin. She has household there, so she had some familiarity with the world. Plus, this was the Longhorns, a perennial energy.
“Holy crap,” she mentioned about her response. “I can’t say no to this.”
When she made contact with Longhorns coach Jerritt Elliott, she mentioned he pulled no punches and made no guarantees.
“He was like, ‘We’re Texas. We’re going for a nationwide championship subsequent yr. I would like you to come back in and compete,’ ” she mentioned. “He was like, ‘Saige (Ka’aha’ania-Torres) has been right here just a little bit longer, however I would like you to come back in right here and compete, and in the event you don’t win a beginning spot, the B facet goes to be the No. 2 workforce within the nation.’
“So it was simply are available and compete and if not (beginning), we want you to purchase in and understand that we’re going for a nationwide championship.”
It got here to fruition when Texas swept Louiville within the title match.
“I didn’t actually have the smoothest 4 years — and this isn’t in opposition to Colorado. I beloved this system, I beloved Colorado — however we didn’t have the simplest time with the volleyball. After which going to Texas … and assembly these women, it’s only a completely different ambiance.
“I actually don’t know the way to clarify it. To truly grind all season and get what we had been working for the entire six months … was essentially the most insane feeling on the earth.”
Jordan, Jenna as professionals
As soon as Jordan obtained hooked on volleyball, enjoying professionally at all times was behind his thoughts. He additionally began taking part in camps with USA Volleyball, and the coaches there strengthened the significance of enjoying professionally as a method of making ready to play on the highest stage.
That may be the nationwide workforce, and Jordan mentioned he has had his sights set on that risk for a while. For the previous three years, he has performed in Europe. As a lot as that have might need helped him develop as a participant, he mentioned it generally was a lonely existence.
His first two years enjoying in Germany had been affected by the pandemic. Followers weren’t permitted at matches, and his household was unable to come back over to see him play or be a part of him for the vacations.
“I turned fairly remoted these couple years due to that entire state of affairs,” he mentioned.
Then, final summer time, Jenna arrived to play for a German membership, and that was a pleasant pick-me-up for each.
“Having that connection of household near me for the primary time I had ever had abroad was fairly surreal,” Jordan mentioned. “She got here out for my birthday, which was unreal. I hadn’t spent my birthday with anybody in my household for I can’t keep in mind how lengthy. Having her there was particular.”
They obtained to fulfill up on just a few weekends when their golf equipment would play shut to one another. This coming season, despite the fact that Jordan will likely be in France, they will make preparations to get collectively for Christmas by way of a brief flight.
Jordan has spent the previous three Christmases by himself.
“It’s little issues like that,” Jenna mentioned. “Typically this way of life could be a little isolating once you go play professional, however as a result of we get to do it collectively, it makes it extra particular.
“As a result of we’re all so shut, we will discuss it, and we perceive what all people goes by means of.”
Josh, too, has aspirations of going professional.
“That has at all times been my dream, to play skilled volleyball and attempt to make as excessive up in that profession as potential,” he mentioned.
There’s a seven-year distinction between him and Josh, and, Jordan mentioned, he has missed a variety of Josh’s “rising up” moments within the sport.
“Which was robust,” Jordan admitted. “However for essentially the most half, he’s a reasonably unbiased child and type of does his personal factor. He does it just a little bit in another way than I do, nevertheless it works for him. Greater than something it’s me watching him kind his personal path and change into his personal participant.”
For her half, Jessica watches with pleasure as her youthful siblings transfer their means up the ranks.
“I’m past pleased with them,” she mentioned. “I don’t assume they’re achieved. It’s cool and thrilling to see all the pieces they’ve achieved, nevertheless it’s much more thrilling to really feel like there’s much more in them.”
Household dynamic
So who’s the perfect participant among the many siblings?
Jenna and Josh agree Jordan could be the perfect based mostly on expertise alone. Jessica, who might need essentially the most goal opinion within the household, breaks it down this fashion:
“I feel Jordan has essentially the most ardour for it, if it actually comes all the way down to it,” Jessica mentioned, noting he would spend countless hours on his iPad watching video of his matches.
“Jenna is perhaps essentially the most pure. She did gymnastics for a very long time, and … she simply has a very good sense of her physique and her physique spacing, so it simply makes it very pure with regards to volleyball.
“I feel Josh is the strongest.”
In fact, when knowledgeable of Jessica’s remark about Josh’s power, Jordan objected.
“Wait a minute. Maintain on,” he protested. “I’m 100% stronger than my little brother.”
He did permit, nonetheless, that Josh most likely is extra bodily gifted general. In Germany, Jordan mentioned, he was considered by some as a “soiled” participant, one who walked the road on throwing, swiping or energy tipping the ball throughout the online.
However that’s simply how his sport has developed: He usually beats the block with brains relatively than brawn. Josh, he mentioned, could have the flexibility to hit by means of individuals.
“What my little brother has is, like, loopy bodily capability on the court docket,” Jordan mentioned. “I’ve solely seen just a few individuals hit the ball as exhausting as he does. He has a type of naturally gifted arms, and he is aware of the way to use it and might hit the residing snot out of the ball.
“I’ve had lots of people inform me that, ‘I noticed your little brother play, and, dude, he’s obtained an arm.’ He has qualities I want I had. I feel he could possibly be a extremely unimaginable participant if he obtained the proper teaching and actually devoted all the pieces to it. He could possibly be actually particular.”
Josh didn’t get to point out a variety of that at UC San Diego in his freshman season. He contracted mono and strep throat throughout finals week of the autumn semester, and that stored him out of motion for eight weeks.
Then, due to accidents and illnesses on the workforce, he was moved to proper facet relatively than enjoying his pure exterior place. However now with a yr of collegiate expertise underneath his belt, Josh hopes to take an enormous step in 2024.
“I really like the workforce. I really like the chemistry. Everyone seems to be cool,” he mentioned. “We’d not have achieved in addition to we wished to within the season, however, as a workforce, we have now all improved loads, particularly myself. I’m simply engaged on conserving my serving extra constant and getting an even bigger block up there and getting stronger.”
Stated Donna: “It’s robust (for Josh) developing beneath Jordan and Jenna. I do know he feels the stress of – he most likely would by no means admit this – however I feel he feels that stress of, ‘I must be pretty much as good as they’re.’ That’s actually robust on a youthful sibling.
“I wished him to have his successes on his personal and never examine himself. However, in the end, that’s the place he ended up.”
And if there could be no consensus as to which Ewert is the perfect, they at all times can let a sport of Nerts or Yahtzee resolve it.
Simply warn Thomas Ewert so he can depart the home.
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