Unselfishness is a word not much associated with top athletes, yet for Eryn Jones, her unstinting willingness to work with her teammates has her becoming a star in the making. 

Growing up in California, Jones moved to Arizona at 6 years old and picked up the sport of volleyball while in the second grade. She has not looked back.

Now a 15-year-old sophomore outside hitter at Millenium who has shown a knack for scoring, Jones has taken big steps towards success both on and off the court. With 164 kills in 41 sets, Jones currently sits at ninth in total kills for Arizona volleyball. In addition to her on-the-court production, Jones has made strides towards becoming a leader for the Tigers. 

“She is delivering in serve receive, as one of our most consistent passers, and is contributing as our leading point scorer as an attacker,” said Julie Vastine, coach of the Tigers. “She is much more vocal this year and now leads with her voice and level of play.”

Only 13 games into Jones’ second season, Vastine has high expectations for Jones as a “go-to player,” both for her on-court contributions and for the leadership she has provided this young Tigers team as it has raced to a 12-1 record.  

Despite high praise of leadership from her coach, Jones showed she truly lives her selflessness by the way she steers questions about herself into discussion about the team.

“On our team we’ve got some girls that are incredibly smart,” Jones said. “Just not being afraid to go to those girls or even go to your coaches and just asking for assistance when you need it is a big thing.” 

Being a student athlete has proven to be a full time job for Jones. In her little free time, she enjoys cooking new recipes and putting together puzzles, but she says her favorite off-the-court pastime is sleep. While awake, Jones focuses the majority of her time on volleyball. 

“Volleyball means a great deal to Eryn, she's embraced the challenges in front of her and wants to be great, “ said her mother, April Simmons-Harrison. “The COVID experience has given her a chance to train and realize that greatness does not happen overnight.”

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an abundance of hurdles for athletes around the world, including those at the high school level. With much of the country in quarantine, finding ways to stay in shape has proven difficult. For Jones, she has not let it prevent her from working on volleyball. 

“Doing workouts around the house, going on runs, just really trying to stay in shape,” Jones said, describing her routine. “Just doing little things where you can with volleyball.”

Jones offers her Tigers teammates a large amount of support in pursuit of winning, yet she credits her family as being “one of the biggest support systems” she could ask for. 

“It’s really just me, my mom and my stepdad,” she said.  “My (step) dad (J Harrison) is super involved, he's involved with sports in his career so he knows a lot about recruiting for college and just the overall sports aspect of it.

“My mom, I mean, she's amazing. I got everything I could ask for, she's super supportive, keeps me on my stuff, makes sure I’m doing what I need to be doing to stay prepared for everything,” Jones said. 

Even with the majority of her athletic career with the Tigers ahead of her, Jones has plans for the future already swirling in her head. However, for Millenium, Jones is ready for another shot at the title. 

“We have a fairly young team this year, we have four freshman which is a lot for this program but we see a lot of potential in them and the team as a whole,”Jones said. 

“This is definitely a rebuilding season but I’d say our class of 2021 is really strong, we have a lot of people stepping up and really working hard to get back to that goal.”

While Jones is focused on doing what she can to help the Tigers for the next three years, she understands that there is life beyond high school and is preparing for it early on. 

“College is a big thing, college is the main thing, just finding a school that I really can say ‘Hey this is where I wanna go’ and take volleyball through it, that's the main thing,” she said. 

Several colleges have shown interest in the young standout hitter including Long Beach State, Ohio State and Creighton University, and while volleyball is a big factor for Jones, her studies matter just as much to her, as she's currently looking into a degree in kinesiology. 

With the pressures of school, volleyball and a pandemic, Jones has retained her selflessness and stayed humble while dominating a key position. Some athletes were given the natural ability to play, but Jones was given the natural ability to lead.