In Ploss’ case, it’s Missouri-St. Louis
Like any good young prospective criminal justice major, Jessica Ploss probed.
She didn’t require any crime-scene tools, however.
And when the dust settled, so to speak, she had her answer.
Antioch’s 6-foot-2 senior middle blocker signed a national letter of intent with the University of Missouri-St. Louis to continue her volleyball career and education.
“My mom (Darlene) and I were searching around for some good schools that had criminal-justice programs that were strong, because that’s what I plan on majoring in,” said Ploss, who plans to minor in German. “We found (UMSL) and investigated a little. I figured, ‘Why not? I might as well try.’ ”
She’ll be a Triton as a result of that try.
In his first season as head coach of the Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team, Ryan Young directed the Tritons to a 19-9 record. The Division II school plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
“Coach Ryan is great, and all the girls are nice,” Ploss said. “I just can’t wait to get there.”
The versatile volleyball player is ready to dig in a la “NCIS” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
“I’m a huge of fan of ‘NCIS,’ ‘CSI:’ and those kind of shows,” Ploss said. “That’s really what started my interest (in criminal justice). I started learning more about it and I found that what I want to do is help people in some way or another. I felt that being a part of the justice system can help bring closure to families. I just felt that’s something that really fits my personality.”
Ploss played three varsity sports for Antioch as a sophomore. But she stopped playing softball following her sophomore year to concentrate on volleyball and gave up basketball after her junior year for the same reason. She played three seasons of varsity volleyball, earning all-area honors last fall after piling up 201 kills and 70 blocks.
She’s in her third season of AAU volleyball with the Wisconsin Juniors.
“Looking back, I really don’t regret my choice,” Ploss said of giving up high school softball and basketball. “Not playing gave me a good chance to find out that I really love volleyball, and that’s really what I want do.”
She chose UMSL over Upper Iowa University, which also made her a scholarship offer.
“It was a tough choice between the two,” Ploss said. “I really like the Iowa school. What it came down to was what the schools had to offer. I loved the coaches (at Upper Iowa) and the girls and everything. But Missouri had a stronger criminal justice program, and that’s really what I was looking for.”
She did not have any Division I offers, but she was OK with that. She understands playing D-I volleyball is a large commitment, one she wasn’t certain she wanted to tackle.
“I found that I really like the philosophy of Division II vs. Division I,” Ploss said. “Coach Ryan explained to me — and so did the Upper Iowa coach — that, basically, you’re there to get an education, and that’s exactly what I’m going for. My main goal is to get the best education that I can. If I can play volleyball, that’s just an added plus.”