Q&A: Jager Ready to Make Impact in Bloomington
8/22/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Jaidyn Jager is one of the highest-ranked recruits to ever sign with the Indiana volleyball program. A consensus top-55 prospect out of California, Jager helps make up one of the best freshmen classes in the country.
After playing with senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and associate head coach Rachel Morris at La Costa Canyon High School in 2021, the trio is reunited for the 2025 campaign in Bloomington. It's expected that Jager will get plenty of playing time during her debut season at outside hitter.
We caught up with the Carlsbad, California native ahead of her first year of college volleyball.
Q: What has college been like so far?
JAGER: "I knew it was going to be a lot and quite different from high school. The season is a lot. It's different from hearing what it will be like to actually going through it and feeling the impact on your body. With my teammates, it makes it a lot easier. It's been very fun and it's been nice to enjoy the quiet college town so far."
Q: How excited are you to get into the flow of the season?
JAGER: "I'm actually very excited for the season start. But besides that, I'm excited for the rest of the students to come on campus. You get to meet a lot of people outside of just athletics. It'll be very nice, and a little nervous, to make friends and go to classes with people the same age as me."
Q: What was your recruiting process like?
JAGER: "It was very stressful at first. I had an idea of what it would be like, but you never really know until you're all the way in the middle of it. I was good with talking to coaches but I think the time management side of it was tough. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to take a little more time. I am a little indecisive, but Indiana made it very easy for me to choose. Since I already knew I wanted to take my time, I knew I had time. Some people commit on the first day, but everyone's journey is different. I wanted to be one hundred percent certain and it was very smart of me to take my time.
Q: How quickly did you and your recruiting class bond?
JAGER: "We honestly bonded pretty quickly. We had a lot of tournaments together so it was very easy to talk and get to know everyone. We would text and talk a lot. It was very quick and we bonded pretty well which is good for how big our recruiting class is. I would say it's not the easiest thing to do but we got really luck with how much we love this group."
Q: What was it like playing your roommate, Charlotte Vinson, in club tournaments?
JAGER: "I would always be so excited to play teammates. Especially Charlotte [Vinson] because she's my roommate and we're obviously close. We were just super excited to see how the other person played. We were both on good, competitive teams. It was a feeling of being in between wanting to win but wanting to see the other one play well. I loved playing her. Every time it was so much fun."
Q: What is it like getting to play with your high school teammates and coaches again?
JAGER: "I never expected to play with her again. Especially because Indiana is so far away. To have her and Rachel [Morris] and Kevin [Hodge] here is crazy. It's funny how things turn out. It's awesome to see how much growth has come from everyone. There are a couple things that are different but Rachel has always been one of my favorite, if not the favorite, coach."
Q: What other positions did you play growing up?
JAGER: "My first two years of volleyball, I was a middle. I was super tall at that young age. I would talk to my trainer and he would tell me to switch to outside hitter. I wanted to stay in the middle forever. One year, I just randomly switched to outside hitter. I ended up liking it way more. My older sister was also an outside hitter so I knew I could give it a try."
Q: How cool is to finally be here in college, playing at this level?
JAGER: "I've always wanted to play at this level so to be here is mind-blowing. Obviously, I've been working to be here. But being here and actually doing it is very special. I love playing at a high level. I want to play with older players. I am obviously a very competitive person. To be able to look up to the older girls is amazing. I know they want the best for us. Being at this level so much fun. Being competitive helps me play so much better."
After playing with senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and associate head coach Rachel Morris at La Costa Canyon High School in 2021, the trio is reunited for the 2025 campaign in Bloomington. It's expected that Jager will get plenty of playing time during her debut season at outside hitter.
We caught up with the Carlsbad, California native ahead of her first year of college volleyball.
Q: What has college been like so far?
JAGER: "I knew it was going to be a lot and quite different from high school. The season is a lot. It's different from hearing what it will be like to actually going through it and feeling the impact on your body. With my teammates, it makes it a lot easier. It's been very fun and it's been nice to enjoy the quiet college town so far."
Q: How excited are you to get into the flow of the season?
JAGER: "I'm actually very excited for the season start. But besides that, I'm excited for the rest of the students to come on campus. You get to meet a lot of people outside of just athletics. It'll be very nice, and a little nervous, to make friends and go to classes with people the same age as me."
Q: What was your recruiting process like?
JAGER: "It was very stressful at first. I had an idea of what it would be like, but you never really know until you're all the way in the middle of it. I was good with talking to coaches but I think the time management side of it was tough. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to take a little more time. I am a little indecisive, but Indiana made it very easy for me to choose. Since I already knew I wanted to take my time, I knew I had time. Some people commit on the first day, but everyone's journey is different. I wanted to be one hundred percent certain and it was very smart of me to take my time.
Q: How quickly did you and your recruiting class bond?
JAGER: "We honestly bonded pretty quickly. We had a lot of tournaments together so it was very easy to talk and get to know everyone. We would text and talk a lot. It was very quick and we bonded pretty well which is good for how big our recruiting class is. I would say it's not the easiest thing to do but we got really luck with how much we love this group."
Q: What was it like playing your roommate, Charlotte Vinson, in club tournaments?
JAGER: "I would always be so excited to play teammates. Especially Charlotte [Vinson] because she's my roommate and we're obviously close. We were just super excited to see how the other person played. We were both on good, competitive teams. It was a feeling of being in between wanting to win but wanting to see the other one play well. I loved playing her. Every time it was so much fun."
Q: What is it like getting to play with your high school teammates and coaches again?
JAGER: "I never expected to play with her again. Especially because Indiana is so far away. To have her and Rachel [Morris] and Kevin [Hodge] here is crazy. It's funny how things turn out. It's awesome to see how much growth has come from everyone. There are a couple things that are different but Rachel has always been one of my favorite, if not the favorite, coach."
Q: What other positions did you play growing up?
JAGER: "My first two years of volleyball, I was a middle. I was super tall at that young age. I would talk to my trainer and he would tell me to switch to outside hitter. I wanted to stay in the middle forever. One year, I just randomly switched to outside hitter. I ended up liking it way more. My older sister was also an outside hitter so I knew I could give it a try."
Q: How cool is to finally be here in college, playing at this level?
JAGER: "I've always wanted to play at this level so to be here is mind-blowing. Obviously, I've been working to be here. But being here and actually doing it is very special. I love playing at a high level. I want to play with older players. I am obviously a very competitive person. To be able to look up to the older girls is amazing. I know they want the best for us. Being at this level so much fun. Being competitive helps me play so much better."
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