As those who aren’t native to the Last Frontier know, the road to Alaska is often filled with both a dedication to a dream and leaps of faith.
Such has been the case for University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball standout Jessa Long.
Her saga began in the small town of Dixon, Illinois, 104 miles west of Chicago and best-known as the hometown of President Ronald Reagan. Driven by a desire to find a program where she could find academic, athletic and even entrepreneurial growth and happiness, her travels have taken her to the mountains of West Virginia, the panhandle of Florida, and now to Fairbanks.
And what success she’s found.
She’s among the nation’s leaders in digs and received her third Great Northwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award Monday.
“Jessa continues to put together solid defensive plays,” Nanooks coach Brian Scott, “We love the effort her and the team put into making it difficult on our opponents’ ability to score. As we head into the second half of conference play, that defensive mentality will be extremely important.”
Though those are just a few of the many accolades and accomplishments the libero has earned in her six-year college career, her continued success with the Nanooks is helping her tie a bow on her final season.
“I absolutely love the environment, I love the girls, the coaching staff,” Long said. “That’s the environment I’ve been looking for my whole entire career.”
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At 8 years old, Long’s parents, Duane and Stacy, signed her up for club volleyball where she instantly fell in love with the game.
When Long turned 13, she began competing in tournaments in the suburbs of Chicago.
“We were traveling all across the country winning championships. At 16, I was in the National Championship Open Division for A’s. That’s the highest you can go,” said Long. One of the best moments of her life, she said, was competing in an ESPN televised game at such a young age.
During her freshman year at Dixon High School, Long immediately ascended to the girl’s varsity team where she played libero during her first two years and outside hitter as an upperclassman. She broke school records in both positions, finishing her four-year career with 1,518 digs, 548 kills and 168 aces.
Her impressive skill set and camaraderie made her a shoe-in for a Division I scholarship, and she gave an early commitment to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
“Jessa gives us a player who already understands how to play at a high level,” Thundering Herd coach Mitch Jacobs said at the time of her signing. “She will give us much needed help for our ball control and defense.”
He recognized right away that she could compete for the libero job as a freshman, and she played in almost every game her first year.
“We did well (my freshman year) in Conference USA,” Long says of her time at Marshall, where the squad posted a 6-8 league record. Unfortunately, Long found herself lacking the positivity that had defined her club and high school careers.
“It was just not the (coaching) environment we wanted, so seven of the starters decided to transfer,” Long said.
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Long made the move prior to her sophomore year to Florida A&M, a Historically Black College and University in Tallahassee.
Yet she was only able to compete for one season before a pair of outside circumstances put her career on a two-year hiatus.
“I played my sophomore year, then the next year after that, there was a post-season ban on our school, so Coach (Gokhan Yilmaz) decided to redshirt all of his starters.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel, FAMU “self-reported extensive administrative errors that violated NCAA rules.” These errors included athletes competing beyond their eligibility and many who competed despite not meeting the academic standards set by the organization. Volleyball was one of six sports unable to compete in the 2019-2020 postseason and one of only two women’s sports (along with basketball that were barred from competition.)
Practicing while watching games was just a minor set back compared to what was on the horizon: Covid-19.
“We were waking up at 5 am every single day for two years, double Covid testing a day, making sure we were all good through Covid and everything.”
Despite undergoing those grueling precautions, the NCAA canceled the Fall 2020 volleyball season.
Thus, she — and thousands of other student-athletes across the country —were tasked with remaining competitive without being able to compete.
She did take advantage of the time to complete her bachelor’s degree in Health, Fitness and Leisure with a concentration in Parks and Recreation. But she recognized something had been missing from her life.
“After the Covid year, we were finally, after two years, all able to hit the court again together… we (were) out to prove something, and that we did.”
The Rattlers put together a 25-7 record, 14-2 in SWAC play, that included a victoryat Southeastern Conference power Auburn in which Long had 32 digs. A victory in the SWAC Tournament gave the Rattlers an NCAA Tournament berth, though they were ousted by the No. 16 national seed University of Florida. Still, Long had a match-high nine digs.
With 407 digs through the year, Long was named first-team All Conference as well as Libero of the Year. She described the season as the best of her life. But with the completion of her M.S. in Sports and Facility Management, Long still had a year of NCAA eligibility and a desire to set herself up for success after college athletics.
“I wanted to focus on my career, I wanted to focus on bettering my future so I’m not just thrown in the world like a lot of high-level athletes are.”
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She not only wanted to continue her education, but had a yearning for an adventure, something the Last Frontier is more than capable of offering.
Beyond the M.B.A. program, it was the entirety of what the school and its volleyball program had to offer her, including a coaching staff that recognizes her role as a leader of the team.
“She has played for two very good DI programs and brings a wealth of knowledge and skill,” Scott said in announcing her signing, noting she was part of a group that was “extremely academic oriented and great role models.”
Long says while she is offering guidance to her teammates, UAF has likewise provided mentors who have pushed her to be a better businessperson. Additionally, the flexibility of online classes makes traveling with the volleyball team much easier.
With the guidance of Fairbanks business owners, Long has implemented growth strategies for her skincare company, Royal Glow, which she began operating while at FAMU.
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With the Nanooks’ owning a 15-9 record, it’s likely that Long’s volleyball career will come to an end with their season finale at Western Oregon on Nov. 12. There’s still a solid chance for the team to improve upon last year’s 18-12 overall record.
“This is a great team,” Long said. “We can still go out and compete and win a championship at the DII level and raise this program here in Fairbanks because we have a great support system, we have great fans.”
Among those fans are her parents and her grandmother, who have watched every game she’s played.
As she nears the end of a six-year chapter, juggling the completion of three degrees with owning an LLC and competing in DI and DII athletics, she’s itching to find herself outside the classroom and off the court. While there are already job offers waiting for her with the Illinois Parks and Recreation Department, Long is mostly looking forward to her final semester of school as an opportunity to have the kinds of adventures like snowboarding on the Alaska mountains that serve as the perfect close to young adulthood.
