Chattanooga indoor volleyball has revealed yet another addition to the 2024 roster, this time in the form of Louisiana Tech transfer Sydney Jackwin, head coach Julie Torbett announced on Thursday.
Jackwin, a two-year starter while playing at Louisiana Tech as an outside hitter, will have another two years of eligibility remaining with the Mocs upon her arrival on campus. Her addition to the team will also be a reunion of sorts for current UTC outside hitter Chard’e Vanzandt, who played alongside Jackwin for the Bulldogs during the 2022 regular season prior to Vanzandt’s transfer to Chattanooga.
“From the moment Sydney stepped foot in Chattanooga it was clear we were a great fit,” Coach Torbett said.
“Her work ethic is impressive both academically and athletically and I can’t wait to blend her in with our players. It will be exciting to have her in the gym every day.”
Jackwin’s 2023 season saw the then-sophomore leading the team in both points scored (216) and kills (189), alongside ranking second on the team in digs (228) for the year. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native finished the year averaging 3.04 digs/set, 2.88 points/set, 2.52 kills/set, 0.24 blocks/set and 0.23 aces/set for the Bulldogs. These numbers are nearly mirror images of her 2022 stats, where she posted 210.5 points, 185 kills and 194 digs.
Jackwin is a 2022 graduate of Keswick Christian School in Seminole, Florida. The St. Petersburg native lettered a total of five years in volleyball, ending her career with 1,477 kills, 1,096 digs, 310 aces, 68 assists and 42 blocks. In total, Jackwin set a total of eight volleyball records for the Crusaders including single season kills (449), digs (310), aces (95), single match kills (34) and digs (30), as well as most kills, digs and aces in a career.
Jackwin was named the Team MVP in volleyball all five years she played with the team. Her other state and national honors for volleyball include being a 2021 AVCA HS Second Team All-American, a 2021 Prep Volleyball HS Second Team All-American, a 2021 AVCA Best & Brightest First Team honoree, a two-time FACA District Player of the Year and three-time FACA First Team All-State honoree.
The rising junior also has experience on the beach volleyball side of things, having played at the competitive levels while in high school. At the 2020 AVP East Coast Championships, Jackwin would finish 17th out of 141 teams in the 18’s Division. In 2021, Jackwin would also earn two USAV bids and two AVP bids all while playing with two different first-time partners.
Jackwin was also a star basketball player during her time at Keswick, having ended her high school career with 1,376 points, 862 rebounds, 758 steals, 411 assists and 21 blocks. She also etched her name in the Keswick Christian School record books for basketball, holding the individual records for most steals in a game (21), most steals in a season (180) and most steals in a career (758).
Jackwin raked in multiple team, district and state honors for her achievements on the basketball court. The multi-sport star was ultimately named Keswick’s 2021 Female Athlete of the Year for her efforts.
Off the court, Jackwin is also a very impressive student in the classroom having recently earned a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the 2023 season. Having graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA, Jackwin was a three-time FACA All-Academic Team honoree for both her volleyball and basketball teams.
Born July 5, 2004, Sydney is the daughter of Nadine and Greg Jackwin. Additionally, Jackwin has two siblings: Jasmine Jackwin and Samantha Hall.