STORY BY LARISSA SAMANO, SPORTS EDITOR
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DARLENE MCFARLANE
With the spring semester already underway, Cypress women’s volleyball player Jessica Ferreira becomes one of the first sophomores to commit to play at the next level. As of February she has officially committed to continue her athletic journey at Whittier College.
Whittier College is a Division Three private liberal arts school in Whittier, California, and belongs to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Ferreira is the first sophomore on her team to commit to playing at the next level and will also be getting her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Child Development along with a Minor in Spanish.
Colleges like Life Pacific University and La Verne were interested in pursuing Ferreira’s talent, but she decided Whittier would be the best fit for her. Not only is it convenient and commuter-friendly, but it is just what she is looking for to challenge her athletically.
After visiting a practice Ferreira said, “I just really liked the dynamic of the team. It seems like everyone wanted to be there.”
Division three schools are slightly different from other divisions given that they don’t offer athletic scholarships. Ferreira however received the John Greenleaf academic scholarship after receiving the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Association (CCCWVCA) State All-Academic Team for the 2022-2023 season.
With this being her second time going through the recruiting process, things were a bit different this time around. Ferreira said, “They wanted to meet me a few times, see me play, and I also saw them at the Sophomore Showcase I went to as well.”
Even though Ferreira could have gone to a four-year university to play out of high school, she is grateful for her time at Cypress and explained why she decided to take the Junior College route first. Ferreira said, “I think just not being too sure where I wanted to go initially. I knew I wanted to keep playing volleyball though and I knew I was able to do that at a JuCo too.”
She also added, “It [Junior college] is a much faster pace than expected, and having those two years under my belt is already an advantage to the freshman coming into a four-year.”
With 13 years of volleyball experience, 10 club seasons, four varsity seasons, and two Junior College seasons, Ferreira has accomplished her goal of becoming an NCAA athlete. She thanks her parents for pushing her to stay focused on academics and sports without falling astray and keeping the right mindset.
Ferreira said, “At times it could be frustrating but always having a ‘There’s gonna be another ball’ mentality and just staying positive. I think that’s what keeps my love for the sport alive.”
Jessica Ferreira is just the first of the many Cypress athletes who will be competing at the next level, so don’t forget to come back as we keep you updated on athletic commitments this spring.