Before Crown Point senior Bri DeJesus could take her next step forward, she needed to take a step back.
That meant taking time away from volleyball.
“After my junior year, I was so burned out,” DeJesus said. “It had never happened to me before with sports, so it was a weird experience for me. But once I got my mind off of volleyball and on to other things, it really helped me get through that little mental break.”
DeJesus didn’t play club volleyball following her junior season, and that break helped her recharge for a senior season that continues Saturday, when the Bulldogs will play Fort Wayne Carroll in the Class 4A Huntington North Semistate semifinals.
With a win against Carroll (30-3), Crown Point (28-6) would advance to the semistate championship match. Bishop Noll (33-3), the other local team still alive in the postseason, will play Angola (30-4) in the Class 3A Plymouth Semistate semifinals.
DeJesus has guided the Duneland Athletic Conference champion Bulldogs to this point as their setter, racking up a team-high 558 assists. She also has 199 digs and 41 aces.
Crown Point coach Alison Duncan said DeJesus’ performance this season is part of a steady upward trajectory.
“It just demonstrates the number of reps she’s taken over the course of her career,” Duncan said. “With the fast-paced offense that we like to run, it takes a lot of time to develop, and she’s continuously gotten better on her four-year path here at Crown Point.”
Junior outside hitter Elle Schara, a Purdue commit who has team highs with 557 kills and 57 aces, said DeJesus has provided consistent sets all season and has embraced additional responsibilities that are often part of the job for seniors.
“She runs the court, and she’s the person setting up our team for success,” Schara said. “And she’s really stepped up as a leader. Watching her work is pushing us to be a better team.”
DeJesus said she tries to keep her teammates focused.
“All I’ve been telling myself is that I need to make sure that everyone knows what they’re doing and make sure that everyone’s calm and collected,” she said. “If someone makes a mistake, I’m always making sure that they know they’ve got the next one. I’m always encouraging them.”
DeJesus didn’t feel so encouraged toward the end of her junior season, when Crown Point lost to LaPorte in the regional final.
“I was still playing with my friends, but I wasn’t as happy as I used to be when I was playing,” she said. “It felt like a chore to go to practice, and I wasn’t having fun at practice or in games or anywhere else. I needed to take a mental break, and that felt like the right choice for me.”
Instead of devoting the winter and spring months to club volleyball, DeJesus found other ways to occupy her time.
“I focused on myself more and started focusing on school more,” she said. “Taking a break from club really helped me. I started to miss volleyball.”
Duncan agreed that DeJesus’ time away from the sport benefited her.
“She came back rejuvenated once the summer hit and has had a good, successful run for us,” Duncan said.
That run will include at least one more match. DeJesus said the Bulldogs have taken time to celebrate their first regional title since 2019 but also want to play in their first state championship match since 2017.
“We’re really proud that we’ve made it this far,” DeJesus said. “We’re all taking it seriously, even though we’re all dressed up for Halloween right now. We’re working really hard in practice this week, and we’re all confident that we can win our matches this weekend.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
