For those that have achieved success, there’s that pivotal moment when the light comes on and everything changes. For Jennifer Percy, that light illuminated this fall on the volleyball floors of the ACC. Despite just two wins in conference play, Percy has been a bright spot for the Jackets, leading or tying for the lead in kills in 16 of its 22 matches. Percy though is quick to show her humility, “Naturally as the L1 you do tend to get more sets and they’ve put the pressure on me to get more balls down. I’ve been working my best to accept the challenge to put more balls down and get more kills for this team.”
The senior from Mobile, Alabama, led Tech with 15 kills and a .303 hitting clip in the road win over Boston college on Sunday which snapped a six game losing streak. The five set match included wave after wave of momentum swings.
“We just had complete resiliency the entire game and mental toughness. At one point we were down two games to one and we fought back,” said Percy, “Not at one point did we feel any sense of doubt in any of the members of our team.”
Percy and the Yellow Jackets look to build off the win and finish the last month on a positive note. “We’ve already made up our minds that the past is the past and there is nothing we can do about it and we are moving forward. It comes down to us staying mentally tough and having no fears and pushing forward.”
That starts this weekend when Tech hosts a pair of schools from the Commonwealth state in Virginia and Virginia Tech. The X-factor will be Tech’s home crowd, a part of playing at Tech that Percy adores. “We have the bets fans in the country in my opinion. It’s so awesome playing in a gym and an atmosphere like O’Keefe.”
Amongst the sea of white and gold at O’Keefe this weekend, there will be two fans that will play a key role in Percy’s performance. Her parents, James and Martha Percy, have played “such a phenomenal role.” Their attendance has been a usual occurrence that the senior does not take for granted. “They have made such an effort to come to every home since I’ve been here and having them in the stands and knowing that I have their support means the world to me.”
With her parents and an electric home crowd in support this weekend, Percy and the Jackets will take on Virginia at 6 P.M. Friday and Virginia Tech at 1 P.M. Sunday.
