From Clarkston, Mich. to Poughkeepsie, N.Y, Jordan Newblatt has become a rising star in the Hudson Valley for Marist women’s volleyball.
Prior to Marist, Newblatt totaled 711 kills in her career, including a whopping 413 kills in her 2019-20 senior season. She even accumulated 67 total blocks and 43 solo blocks. Newblatt also spent the majority of her volleyball career playing for the Team Detroit Volleyball Club.
Newblatt traveled over 650 miles to end up in Poughkeepsie. The big question is, why Marist?
“When I started my recruiting process there was a senior on the team, Sara Austin, from Clarkston, who I am good family friends with, who introduced me to Marist,” said Newblatt. I came to campus and I loved Sean [Byron], and I loved the campus, so it was a perfect fit for me.”
The sophomore outside hitter has developed an impressive regular season resume, recording 384 kills in 30 matches and averaging 12.8 kills per game for the Red Foxes. She also averaged team-high 3.76 kills per set, putting her at third in the conference. Her versatility allows her to play multiple positions on the court which throws off her opponents who are trying to defend her.
If her resume wasn’t lengthy enough, Newblatt broke the school’s kills record in one game with 31 against Canisius. In the following game, she broke that record again against Niagara with 34.
“I didn’t even know what the record was until after the first game. You know you get really into the game, but it felt great, obviously, I had no idea at the time,” said Newblatt. “The team makes it easier – Morgan Owens, who has been libero of the week multiple times, who has been passing great, and McKinley [Fox] who has been putting up beautiful balls. So, it just makes it easier to do and they are all supporting you, so it feels good.”
Newblatt also mentioned how fun it has been to play with such a great group of girls this season especially, along with the improvement they have seen from the start of the season.
“We started, we had our kinks, struggled with consistency, but now we are getting better every day, working in practice harder and it’s been showing on the court. So, I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Newblatt added to her strong season by being selected to the All-MAAC First Team. This is the first time Newblatt received a postseason All-MAAC award while she also earned the Academic All-District award for her outstanding play on the court and in the classroom.
“It is really a testament of the team and how hard we worked all season. We passed well, set well, and all hit well and without that, I couldn’t have done it. Everyone played and fought hard all season and helped me earn that award,” said Newblatt.
The Red Foxes had an up-and-down season, and she had one big takeaway from the season, playing every rep like it’s your last.
“I realized that it is important to make sure every touch and rep you are getting is making yourself better because you never know when your last practice might be,” said Newblatt.
With a season full of memories on and off the court, Newblatt has one memory that stood out in particular, winning against Ryder at home in five sets.
“We had lost to them previously in the year in five sets. In the fifth set, we were down by five points, and we all worked hard to come back and get the win at home,” she said.
The Red Foxes ended their season in the first round of the MAAC tournament, falling to Quinnipiac in five sets. The team ended with a record of 17-13 overall and 12-6 in-conference. This was not the end of the season Newblatt had in mind, but she is optimistic, especially with the marks she left this past season.
Edited by Ricardo Martinez and Bridget Reilly
Photo Credit: Marist Athletics