NOTEBOOK The conversation Thomas Jaeschke
Loyola outside hitter is a big part of the Ramblers’ repeat plan Interview by Jon Hastings
homas Jaeschke, a junior outside hitter for Loyola University Chicago, has evolved into one of collegiate men’s volleyball’s big-time players in 2015. The 6-7 Wheaton, Illinois, native has been the Ramblers’ primary passer and offensive threat in the team’s bid to de- fend the NCAA championship they won in 2014 by beating Stanford in the title match. Loyola had a 39-match win- ning streak snapped on March 9 during a historic match played on its home fl oor against Lewis University. It’s the fi rst time in NCAA Division I-II regular season history that a match between a No. 1 (Loyola) and a No. 2 (Lewis) didn’t include a team from the Mountain Pacifi c Sports Federation. Both Divi- sion I Loyola and Division II
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tall. Three days later, I was play- ing volleyball. Before that I was playing baseball and basketball like most of my friends.
After the national title, did you guys feel like you were the team to beat in 2015?
We knew we would be a
good squad. We got the No. 2 ranking from AVCA in the fi rst poll and we liked that. It’s not always good to be the team to beat from the beginning. It made us work harder. I think we are a really, really good team. Just one of the many teams to beat.
Who were your volleyball role models when you fi rst started playing? Sean Rooney is from Wheaton. Did you ever see him play?
CHICAGO STYLE: Junior outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke averages nearly four kills per set for the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers. (Photo: Don Liebig)
Lewis are part of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and located 45 miles apart.
Jaeschke talked about the match and his season with VolleyballUSA.
What was the atmosphere like for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 match on your home fl oor? It was good. We had been waiting for the match for a long time. We were on spring break the week before, so we were doing two-a-days leading up to it. It got to the point where we were just saying, ‘Let us play, already.’ Lewis had some time off as well, and they were obvi- ously anxious for the match. Walking on the fl oor was exciting, and having that kind of crowd – 2,000 or so – was motivating for us. There is a lot of adrenaline fl owing when you’re in front of your home crowd and can feel that support. It defi nitely would have been better if we had gotten a win.
What did coach (Shane) Davis tell you guys after the loss? Did he bring up the quick rematch at Lewis on April 1?
No. We just talked about doing little things right. Lewis outplayed us – out-served and out- passed us – and that was painful to hear. But it’s going to give us a reason to work harder – get in the gym, do our lifting and prepare that much better. It could actually help us in the long run.
Can you envision a match between Midwest teams deciding the national title in Palo Alto in May?
There is too much that is going to happen
between now and then to think about something like that. We will let things play out. I can say Lewis is good enough to get there, and so are we, but there are lots of teams in the country playing well right now: Irvine, BYU, Hawaii. We have Ohio State next, and that’s who we are focused on.
You had solid credentials coming out of high school and your club team, but did you expect to develop into a national player of the year candi- date so quickly in college?
I didn’t, but I think I expected more than most people did from me. I had a big growth spurt, and it took awhile for me to fi t into my body. I was only 5-10 as a freshman in high school, and now I’m 6-7. My club team at Sports Performance gave me a ton of reps, and it really helped my game. It’s been a long process, and playing at Loyola with even greater attention to detail has helped me develop. Being part of a group that has helped change the culture of the program has benefi tted me. The coaches don’t let us take a practice off, take a lift off or even take a rep off. Serve and pass. Serve and pass. That’s what we’re all about.
Do you think not being saturated with too much volleyball has you fresh at this stage of your career?
I think it has helped a great deal. I didn’t play club ball until I was 16, and then I got put on the B team. I didn’t even know about vol- leyball until I was a freshman on the track team in high school and a friend encouraged me to try out for volleyball. He knew I was going to be
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No, I never saw him play in high school, but they have a shrine at the school for him.
He has been one of my idols for sure. I got to train with the National Team last summer, and on the fi rst day of practice he sat down next to me when we were doing roll outs. He asked: ‘Are you the kid from Wheaton?’ He was totally casual and really cool. He helped me out a lot with some different advice and tips. It was a great experience.
Do you have any desire to play on the beach, and would you be a blocker or defender?
I play beach a little in the summer but never
seriously. I don’t jump well in the sand. I haven’t fi gured that out because it’s so different. If I got serious, I would want to be a defender because I love defense.
What commands most of your time when you
aren’t playing volleyball or doing class work? Relaxing. I enjoy hanging out with my roommates and friends. Summer is coming, and with better weather I love to play golf. It’s one of my passions. I’m going to hit my mom up at Easter break to see if we can visit my grandpa in Florida for a few days so I can get on the course with him and get my mind off volleyball.
When you look back on your volleyball career in 20 years, how do you think you will sum it up in 10 words or less?
Ten words or less? There is still a lot to be determined. I guess I want to be remembered as a player my teammates could always count on and someone who left it all on the fl oor. Does that fi t?
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