The crowd is cheering and the stakes are high. With adrenaline running, Warriors player Jonny Pettit dives to save the ball and send it to his teammate, keeping the score even. But not for long.
With such natural talent flowing from his fingertips, no one would have ever guessed that this volleyball star came from a family of devoted baseball players.
After following in his father’s footsteps playing for his high school baseball team, Jonny Pettit, 18, found himself pursuing a sport untouched by his family: volleyball.
Pettit first discovered his talent and love for volleyball as a freshman playing for the South High Spartans.
“I played baseball freshman year and there was just a lot of pressure since my dad played professionally,” Pettit said.
Pettit’s grandfather played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while his father, Tim, was an EC alumni and played professionally for the Los Angeles Angels.
“All my friends played volleyball, so I tried out and I was actually good,” Pettit said.
After a short time, Pettit learned how far his talent would spread, winning the Spartan Award while on the junior varsity team and Best Defensive Player award his senior year.
Although school was not his strongest point, Pettit found his place on the courts.
“I wasn’t the greatest student in high school. I was more athletic than anything,” Pettit said.
Being a full-time student with 18 units fall semester during preseason and 15 units during spring, Pettit found it difficult to balance his love for sports and school.
“During season it was hard to balance everything. I studied a lot and tried to stay fit and stay out of trouble,” Pettit said. “I didn’t sleep as well as I do now and I fell asleep in class a lot.”
Although his week was full of volleyball and schoolwork, Pettit found time on the weekends for fun and enjoyed everything from going to parties to simply hanging out.
As the libero, Pettit plays an important role for his team as the key defensive player and has learned that playing at the college level is no walk in the park.
“The competition is higher at EC and you learn to play at a higher level,” Pettit said. “There is more camaraderie playing on a high school team and it’s more fun, but I think next year will be better.”
Coming from an athletic background, Pettit’s family served as a pillar of support throughout his four years as the sole volleyball player of his family.
“My family goes to all of my games and have given great support,” Pettit said. “I always felt indirect pressure when I played baseball, now it’s good pressure. They push me physically and give me a good competitive edge.”
In the future Pettit hopes to play volleyball at the Division 1 level, which is the top level for volleyball.
“Since there is no professional volleyball team I’m really pushing to play at the Division 1 level for a good college. That’s really my big goal,” Pettit said.
Pettit is looking at top California universities ranging from Cal State Northridge to UCLA in hopes of making it big in the volleyball world.
Nothing seems to be stopping this volleyball star from reaching his goals. Pettit’s love for the game is what drives him to reaching his dreams and with his determination and perseverance, no volleyball net will ever be too high.