The women's volleyball team will be welcoming back a familiar face this year. Senior libero Jenny McReynolds, who led the nation in digs per game her junior year, returns to the team after a year away from Princeton.
Being reintegrated into the team after a year off was hard at first for McReynolds.
"I never actually played with any of the freshmen from last year," McReynolds said.
But nothing has been much of a surprise for McReynolds as she got back into playing form and grew re-accustomed to her teammates.
"It's still volleyball," McReynolds said.
McReynolds' teammates agree that she has not missed a step in returning to the court as a player and a leader.
"Jenny is a great teammate. She is constantly making us laugh and keeping things light during practice, but when it's game time she is extremely serious about winning and does a great job motivating the team," junior setter Bailey Robinson said. "Even though the season is just beginning, Jenny keeps the team focused on our end goal: winning the Ivy League title."
Growing up in Solana Beach, Calif., McReynolds started playing volleyball competitively at age 12 when she arrived at junior high. She knew that she wanted to compete seriously by high school, where she was an outside hitter at The Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif.
McReynolds faced a major transition when her strong defensive and passing skills led the Tigers to use her as a libero — a specialized defensive position that can sub in and out of the back row freely but is not allowed to hit close to the net.
"Her transition from outside hitter to libero was fairly natural," assistant coach Sabrina King said. "I think we had a libero that quit the year she arrived, and Jenny was the logical replacement, since she was already the best passer and digger."
The change was tough early on, and McReynolds was thoroughly confused during her first game. But she quickly settled in; the libero position is, after all, simpler than the outside hitter position.
Instead of having to worry about hitting, blocking and digging, McReynolds only had to focus on proper digging and passing. King watched Jenny transform into a defensive-minded player as a freshman and saw no snags in the process.

"Jenny has been a solid player for us since she arrived as a freshman. Her greatest development has probably been her court sense and ability to read hitters within our league," King said.
Four years later, McReynolds has gone from new recruit to one of two seniors on the roster.
"It's different when you're in the huddle and everyone is looking to you to start a cheer," McReynolds said.
But McReynolds's has quickly become someone the team can count on.
"McReynolds is our rock. She covers basically half the court on defense, and we just trust that she will pick everything up. Seriously, I don't know how she does it. She amazes me every single match," King said.
"Her passing is nearly perfect, and she is a positive, supportive player."
In 2005, the last year she played, McReynolds led the nation in digs per game with 6.83, and her mark stands as the fifth highest ever.
In a single match against Dartmouth that same year, McReynolds recorded an Ivy League record 54 digs; this performance was the best in a four-game match since 1989.
McReynolds was selected to the All-Ivy League first team in 2005 and was also voted as the libero of the year by Collegiate Volleyball Update.
In her spare time, McReynolds enjoys going to the beach and watching funny movies. At Princeton, she is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and Tiger Inn and is also associated with Princeton Against Cancer Together.
An art history major, McReynolds enjoys traveling to museums in New York and reading about art. While taking last year off, she interned at a venture capital firm in San Francisco. She does not want to rush to a decision regarding a career but is interested in working as an art consultant.
McReynolds has enjoyed quite the ride since she started playing middle school volleyball at The Bishop's School.
But despite her recent break, the journey is not yet complete. With one last chance to battle for an Ivy League title, McReynolds is poised to leave it all on the court.