After four years of high school volleyball, Jewel Turner has accepted a scholarship to play for the University of the Pacific (UOP) in NCAA Division I.
“I’m super happy to have committed,” Turner said. “UOP fit me in multiple ways. It had the major I wanted, the campus was really nice, and it had a really good volleyball team. I met some of the coaches and girls, and they were super nice and talented.”
Turner is the second Country Day athlete this year to sign at a Division I school. Rebecca Waterson will swim at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Turner committed to UOP in late March.
“When I found out that I had been accepted, it felt like a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “Before I chose UOP, I was still going back and forth between other schools.”
Turner plans to major in computer science and minor in art studio. She chose UOP over Connecticut College, which also offered her a scholarship, and Santa Clara University.
Turner didn’t play competitive volleyball until her freshman year at Country Day.
“I have put in a lot of hard work and dedication since then, and I am super proud to say that I am going to play volleyball for a Division I team,” Turner said.
Turner, a 5-foot-9 right-side hitter and two-time varsity captain, was named the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League MVP twice. She represented Country Day in the Optimist All-Star Game at the end of the 2019 season.
Country Day coach Jason Kreps praised Turner’s dedication.
“Jewel expects the best out of herself and her teammates,” Kreps said. “Her hard work has put her in this position, and I know she will be successful at the next level.”
Junior Brianna Davies, a Country Day assistant, has coached Turner for the past two years.
“Not only is she insanely athletic, she’s so much fun to be around,” Davies said. “She’s going to do amazing things, and I can’t wait to watch her continue to grow as a player.”
—By Miles Morrow
