Following the excitement of the Bicentennial Family Weekend games, the Jaxx and Jillz are ready to jump into games with new teams consisting of the highest number of rookie players Union has seen in a long time.
So far, the Jaxx have played in the Tennessee David Baldwin Tournament in Knoxville, TN and placed fourth overall. The Jillz kicked off the season with a win at Union’s Family Weekend, scoring 15-3 over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
According to both Connor Rigby, a sophomore special education major and vice president for the Jaxx, and Victoria Green, a junior Spanish major and co-captain for the Jillz, the teams are looking forward to fresh talent on the field.
“It’s a really supportive environment. It’s super playful,” Green said. “Our goals are always showing teachability, showing effort, showing a good attitude and showing athleticism. Yes, of course we ask for some source of athleticism so you can actually help your team out on the field, but it’s harder to teach attitude than it is to teach how to throw a disc.”
The Jillz have high expectations for this season, especially riding the coattails of last season’s trip to the USA Ultimate Division III National Championship in California. For this season in particular, there are many newcomers to keep an eye on.
“Caroline Lukasik,” Green said. “She’s a freshman who has incredible leadership capability, but is not overbearing in that capacity. She’s not trying to overtake any current leadership positions or people in those positions. She leads the team very well by example.”
The potential on the Jillz lineup encourages fans around campus. As the numbers have grown, so has the community within the team.
When asked about the new team dynamics, Green said, “Not only are there so many more people, but half of us are totally new. It brings in different kinds of personalities, and even things like humor and food preferences. The more people you have, the more diversity you have.”
Likewise, Rigby commented on the Jaxx taking on many new members.
“Last year, there were a lot more upperclassmen that were on the team. So this year it’s kind of like a rebrand, but not really,” he said. “There’s a lot of young guys. We have more rookies than returners this year.”
The new team members in question are excited to begin the season.
Luke Smith, freshman digital media communications major, enjoyed the opportunity to contribute enthusiasm to the Family Weekend celebrations.
“Throughout the game, everyone was still encouraging and there wasn’t a moment until we lost that we didn’t think we were going to lose,” Smith said. “We constantly kept the momentum throughout the team.”
Likewise, John Fischbach, freshman general biology major, agreed that the energy of the team is a highlight of playing.
“They are totally invested in us as freshmen to teach us and coach us. They meet us at our level,” Fischbach said. “They aren’t expecting us to do anything more than they could do as freshmen.”
With the new additions, support within the team has been at an all-time high, especially between active players and those sidelined temporarily.
“Daniel Lancaster’s been hurt for three or four weeks now,” Rigby said. “He hasn’t played a single game yet, but he’s been to every single practice and showed up to extra practice. So, he’s doing a lot for the team.”
With this connection between players, it is easy to be enthusiastic about the games to come. Both teams have solid foundations in place and anticipate good outcomes.
As the weather cools off, the Jaxx and Jillz have plans heading into the rest of October and beginning of November. The Jillz will play in a tournament at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina on Oct. 22-23. After that, the Jaxx and Jillz will host a home tournament at North Park Soccer Complex in Jackson, Tennessee on Nov. 5-6.
