With the cancellation of the 2020 Chico State volleyball season, Wildcat senior opposite hitter Kelley Jacome was faced with a big decision: graduate this spring and forego her final year of athletic eligibility, or figure out a way to stay in school and play one last season. With her recent acceptance into Chico State’s business administration Master’s program, Jacome can enjoy the best of both worlds—continuing her education while insuring she’ll be back in the lineup when the ’Cats return to Acker Gym this fall. Jacome’s accomplishments on and off the court make her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
“I’m so excited,” Jacome said of what the immediate future holds for her. “Not wanting to go my senior season without volleyball, I thought applying for the Master’s program would be a win-win situation. Now I get to play my last year of volleyball and enhance my education.”
“I’m so proud and excited of Kelley for being accepted in to the Master’s program here at Chico State, and for returning for another year to finish her volleyball career,” Wildcat volleyball head coach Tommy Gott said. “It’s awesome seeing our players being so dedicated both on the court and in the classroom, and really embodying what it means to be a student-athlete. Kelley has really matured and grown as an individual over these past few years and it has been great being able to see that happen firsthand.”
Jacome applied for her Master’s in early February, and while optimistic about her chances of getting into the program, she admits there were some anxious moments in the ensuing weeks.
“I had to wait until the middle of March before I found out that I was accepted,” Jacome said. “(Wildcats teammate) Makaela Keeve also applied and was accepted two weeks before me. Those two weeks were absolutely anxiety ridden. I thought my volleyball career was over, and I wasn’t going to get in the master’s program. But some other people I knew that applied hadn’t heard either, so I thought I still had a chance.”
When she received the word she was officially in, Jacome didn’t hold back the emotion.
“It was a burst of joy,” she said. “I started screaming and my roommates thought that something was wrong with me. All the anxiety turned out to be worth it.”
Jacome’s acceptance into the Master’s program came as no surprise to Gott. “When Kelley decides she wants something, she knows what it takes and what she needs to be able to do to achieve that goal,” he said.
Jacome is on top of the world for another reason, too. She and her Wildcat teammates are back in Acker Gym taking advantage of the special five-week spring workout window prior to the end of the semester. It’s the first time they’ve been together in over a year, and nearly 16 months since the team’s final match of the 2019 season.
“Words can’t even describe how happy I am (to be back),” Jacome said. “It’s been a long time coming. With all of our new players, I was intrigued to see how well we would mesh. It is great to be back on the court doing what I love with the people I love.
“I think as soon as we set foot in the gym and the weight room, we had our game faces on. We want to be more prepared than any other team in the conference. In the fall, we’ll get to work five days a week, and I think it’s going to get better and better. The four newcomers are blending in nicely, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the girls invest their time and energy to get ready for the fall. I think everyone is itching to get back on the court (and compete).”
In addition to keeping up with her schoolwork, Jacome spent quite a bit of time during the pandemic staying in shape. She returned to her hometown of Carlsbad and began exercising in earnest with her mom.
“My mom and I got on this running schedule, and steadily increased those miles,” Jacome said. “I was running more than I ever had. I realized working out was something I needed in my life.”
Jacome’s local gym also helped by offering to lend out equipment so she could do weight work at home. “Dumbbells, kettle bells, barbells…any type of equipment that we could make a workout out of,” she said. “The gym would also do virtual workouts, so we could work with our trainer in our living room.”
Jacome also took a leading role in making sure the rest of the team stayed in contact and remained on the same page despite spending so much time apart.
“We all wanted to make sure we didn’t regress during the quarantine,” she said. “I made of point of reaching out and staying in contact with my teammates. We would have weekly Zoom meetings with Tommy (Gott), and we always had a text group chat going to make sure everyone was staying in touch with each other, staying accountable and staying healthy during the quarantine. Everyone wanted to make sure the team had unity. Bonding is much harder when you’re not together, but trying to bond is better than not bonding at all.”
Upon returning to Chico State in the fall, Jacome tried to take advantage of every opportunity to spend some socially-distanced time with her teammates while keeping her volleyball skills sharp.
“One of the girls had a grass net and we were able to get outside and play a little,” Jacome said. “I think everyone was happy just to get to play. Then when the WREC 2.0 opened, we went there nearly every day, and that was really exciting for us. It kept us from going insane having to sit inside all day.”
Based on what he’s seen over the past few weeks, Gott is impressed with Jacome’s hard work and dedication to the team, and feels it will yield nothing but positive results.
“Kelley has been doing really well during this five week spring training session,” Gott said. “She stayed motivated and ready during the year off and it’s been noticeable in the gym. But what has also been noticeable is how she’s developed mentally and as a leader. She’s really invested some time with her teammates and in those relationships. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Kelley and how she finishes off her Wildcat career.”
Jacome is anxious to embrace a leadership role on the team.
“Being a senior and being here for four years, I can show some of the new players what it’s like to play and prepare for Chico State volleyball,” she said. “I’m excited to see how the girls play and I’m excited to be on the court with them.”
Coming back for the 2021 season gives Jacome the chance to add to an already huge amount of on-court Wildcat memories.
“Being a freshman, being with all the older girls who were great volleyball players and trying to prove myself to them,” Jacome remembers. “(Former Chico State head coach Cody Hein) was one of the most supportive coaches that I ever had, and when I played really well (as a starter in her first CCAA match) against Monterey Bay, he was so happy for me.”
Jacome has also enjoyed some of the team’s more colorful road trips over the years.
“Traveling to Alaska in September as a freshman and bonding with the girls in some place other than Chico. I really enjoyed that,” she said. “Going to Hawaii and playing volleyball (in 2019) was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Flying all the way to Hawaii with all the girls was so much fun. It is one of those memories you never forget.”
Jacome has piled up 438 kills and 116 blocks in her Wildcat volleyball career, so the question just had to be asked: does she get a bigger thrill delivering a big kill, or stuffing an opponent’s shot with a huge block?
“I think a kill,” Jacome said. “Hitting is more of a rush of adrenaline than blocking for me. There’s a sense of satisfaction. I love hitting, but being able to crush someone’s dreams with a block is very exciting, too.”
Jacome has missed the everyday college experience since the pandemic hit, and is looking forward to returning to the normalcy she was used to before COVID-19.
“I miss being able to go to school and walking across the campus and admiring it,” Jacome said. “Going to class and directly going home and getting ready for practice. I had to go from hardly getting a day off to having all this free time. It was harder to get used to than I thought. I’m definitely not someone who can sit down and entertainment themselves. I didn’t want all that free time! I’m excited to get back into the routine.”
So are Chico State volleyball fans. And with Master’s degree candidate Kelley Jacome once again wearing her familiar No. 11 this fall, the Wildcats have every reason to believe that the 2021 season will be something very special.
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