Waxahachie, Texas – August 4, 2017- In 2013, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) volleyball player Jessica Sodich was at the top of her game. She wrapped up her junior season as the 14 th leading hitter in the entire NAIA. Her efforts on the court led her to a NAIA Honorable Mention nod post-season.
“When Coach (Hank) Moore told me I had received an All-American award I was speechless. I felt as though my hard work and all the countless hours in the gym had paid off. It was a great honor to be named an NAIA All-American,” remembers Sodich.
She had big plans to return to the Lady Lions for her senior season, more determined than ever to make an impact. During the off-season, life took her in a different direction when she learned that instead of making kills on the volleyball court in mid-September, she would be welcoming twin daughters.
“I felt that I had let my team down, not being able to come back the next season to play my last year with them,” explains Sodich, “It was heartbreaking to tell Coach Moore and the team that I wouldn’t be able to come back and play in the Fall. I definitely thought my volleyball career was over which was very hard for me to comprehend.”
On September 13, 2014, Olivia and Garbrielle were born. Sodich’s dream of finishing her volleyball career and earning her degree from SAGU took a backseat to being a hands-on mom to her girls. For the past four years, Sodich has put her volleyball career on the backburner. That is, until now.
Sodich will be making a return to the Lady Lions for one last season. A few months earlier, she was told of changes to the volleyball roster. She knew she wanted to make it back on the team and gave Coach Moore a call.
After the surprising phone conversation, Moore admits he worried about her return, “Her daughters were my biggest concern. How could she work, go
to school, play volleyball and still be a mother? In our first meeting, she put my mind at ease. She had an incredible plan and I know her support system well. She had spent the time praying and preparing for this to happen.”
“We had a lot to consider this time around,” explains Sodich, “We sat down one day and talked for a few hours discussing every hoop and obstacle we would have to overcome to make this possible. As the conversation ended I had a gut feeling this was all going to work out and I would be playing my last season. God knew what he was doing and was in the midst of this decision.”
As Sodich said, returning to volleyball with two active twin girls makes it more difficult. While juggling Olivia and Gabrielle’s schedules, she will be taking all online classes while working towards finishing up her degree in counseling. Once her undergraduate degree is done, she will tackle her master’s.
After taking four years off of volleyball Sodich has been working hard to get back in shape, “It hasn’t been as tough as I thought. There were some days where I had no desire to workout but had to push through it knowing my ultimate goal. I want to come back better than ever. Having the mental strength to complete each workout and give my best effort has been challenging but so worth it.”
In 2013, Sodich landed on SAGU’s top five kills list with 1,341 for her career. She is within 644 kills of SAGU’s career leader, Kelani (Keoho) Daniels, who has 1,985.
The Lady Lions season will begin on August 18, 2017 when SAGU will host the SAC/RRAC Crossover Tournament.
When Sodich steps onto the court, she will be one of the captains, as voted on by her teammates. Moore believes that is a testament to her impact already, “She will bring a high level of play, but she will also bring strong leadership to our team. This is a dream come true. God is in this and we are going to have a special season. Jessica will have a huge part of that.”
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]
