GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Jordyn Moody was proud to pass the torch.
"I held it for 10 years, that's enough," Moody said of congratulating Sabrina VanDeList on breaking the volleyball career assists record at Colorado Mesa earlier this season. "I mean, I never expected to hold it in the first place, so having it for 10 years was definitely an honor and I am happy to pass it on to somebody that works as hard as she does."
Moody's name might not be in the top spot of the assist chart, but she'll forever be a part of the lore of the CMU volleyball program, and the athletic department. She and former linebacker BJ Russell will enter the CMU Hall of Honor this weekend during Homecoming festivities and be introduced at halftime of Saturday's football game against New Mexico Highlands at Stocker Stadium.
Moody amassed 4,202 assists between 2011-2014 and still owns the single-season assists record (rally-scoring era) of 1,343 in 2014.
She ran the Maverick attack in the program's most successful Division II season, when they went 29-4 and reached the regional finals, falling to Arkansas-Fort Smith in four sets at a packed Brownson Arena. They won 20 consecutive matches, including sweeping through the RMAC tournament and received the No. 1 regional seed.
Moody, who was an honorable mention AVCA All-American that season, had an unstoppable group of attackers, led by Melissa Hess (416 kills) and Abby Ney (316 kills). Audrey Steinkirchner had 290 kills, Casey Ball 273 and Erin Perez another 169, giving Moody her choice of attackers at all three spots on the front row.
"I feel like I was just very lucky as a setter that I had an incredible back row and a dominant front row," said Moody, who is married and lives in Denver, where she's a mental health therapist, working with children by using play therapy and helping people recover from substance abuse.
"I never thought I'd work with kids," she said, laughing that she'd never liked kids, "but I love working with them."
As she looks back, it wasn't only the incredible talent she had to work with — Hess was a second-team All-America selection, with Ney receiving honorable mention honors from the AVCA — but the support system and chemistry.
"Our coach (Dave Fleming) was just incredible to work with and really supported us, on and off the court those years I was there, and we also worked with a sports psychologist, Dr. Jones," she said. "I think bringing in the aspect of mental health and caring about us as humans outside of being athletes was really crucial to our success on that team."
She also had a great support system at home, with her parents traveling from Arizona for every match her senior year.
"I was so lucky that my parents didn't miss a game my senior year. It was cool doing that right alongside them, because they've been through this whole journey with me," Moody said. "I mean, they still come to my volleyball games now."
Moody stays in the game by playing beach volleyball, reaching the finals of the prestigious Motherlode in Aspen this past Labor Day. As excited as she was to hear about her Hall of Honor election, her parents might have been more excited, and they're looking forward to being back in Grand Junction this weekend.
Unfortunately, the volleyball team will be on the Front Range this weekend, but several of her teammates will celebrate with their setter.
As the Mavericks' winning streak grew in that championship season, so did the home crowds, with the stands packed night after night.
"Oh, my gosh, that might be one of the most fun things I had ever done in my career, having the crowd like that," she said. "It was just such an honor to play for such an intense crowd. It was just so fun. We could barely hear each other on the court."
Moody said she started playing volleyball for a couple of unconventional reasons.
"Any sport outside in Arizona was really hot, and I didn't want to do it," she said, laughing. "I picked up volleyball, and there's such a finesse and kind of like a dance to the game that it was very fun to get a vibe going with each of your teammates. It just feels like a choreographed event. I just thought it was so enjoyable.
"You could see yourself get better every single day. There's just small movements that you could change to improve and it just, I don't know, it kind of just sparked something in my soul, and it still hasn't really died."
Her parents once suggested she give soccer a try. Her response?
"First off, no, I hate running," she said. "Second off, no, it's outside, so let's try again."
Moody recalled how "ritualistic" that 2014 volleyball team was, and how Fleming rode with those superstitions.
"What sticks out to me was our trainer at the time hated Taco Bell, but she happened to eat it before the first game that we won that year, so for the rest of the season, we made her eat Taco Bell before every single game," Moody said. "For some reason, before every away game, we would to to a park to play, just hang out, so we had to do that before every single game, no matter how cold it was.
"We were just a very ritualistic team and our coach bought in with us. It was just a fun season. Everything just felt so magical, if that makes sense. It was a magical time and it's something I'll never forget."
