Jayden Knox commits volleyball talents to Clarke University ...
Waukon volleyball senior Jayden Knox has committed her skills to the Clarke University volleyball program in Dubuque. She is pictured above after signing her letter of commitment Wednesday, December 14, seated with her parents, Ashley and Troy Knox. Pictured behind them are, left to right, Clarke University head volleyball coach Chris Miron and assistant coach Alyssa Baumhover. Knox plans to double major in Psychology and Social Work, and she feels Clarke is a great fit for her.
“I like the school setting, it’s a pretty small school so the transition from a small high school to a small college should be easier,” she said. “The coaching staff was very helpful with making my decision. They gave me a lot of good information about the program and the school that was helpful in making my decision. I visited there twice, and both times I was really happy with the school and team atmosphere. I talked with some of the players on the team, and they said the whole atmosphere was very good and very settled. The coaching staff is really great, and it seemed like all the players got along really well, and that’s important to me.”
Coach Miron says that Knox will be filling the role of defensive specialist/libero for the Clarke volleyball squad. He feels she possesses the skills and work ethic to make a strong impact on his growing program. “We like her quickness and her volleyball IQ,” Coach Miron said of Knox’s skills. “She does a really nice job of being able to read the attackers and putting herself in position to make plays. She gets to a lot of difficult balls and isn’t afraid to lay out or run down the ball to help her team. We’re really going to be focusing on serve receive, wanting to improve on our effectiveness there, and she can be a very key asset to being able to accomplish that.”
The Pride head coach says that he sees no reason why Knox can’t make the necessary adjustments to playing volleyball at the collegiate level. “She’ll have to be ready for a much faster pace to the game from high school to college,” Coach Miron said. “We play at a very high level in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with some very good teams, and I’m confident Jayden can make that adjustment and help us be competitive. I was really happy to hear of her decision to join us at Clarke. I was very excited to receive her email announcing her commitment to us. She made my day.”
