Bio

2018 Grizzly Hall of Fame inductee video, Felicia Jones recalls the family atmosphere of the Missouri State University-West Plains Volleyball program.

It didn’t take long for opponents and fans of the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team to notice Felicia Jones when she first arrived in fall 2003.

The 5-foot, 10-inch outside attacker from Toronto, Canada, jumped higher than most anyone else on the floor, and her athleticism kept fans glued to the court and opponents scrambling to find an answer for her ability to play a complete game.

“Fish, as we called her, made an impact immediately because of her incredible athleticism and ability to play a solid six rotations,” said Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann. “Felicia caught everyone’s attention with her jumping ability and kept them watching with her ability to play the whole game.”

A three-sport standout at Alexander Mackenzie High School in Toronto, Jones came to the Grizzlies ready to put her volleyball skills to use. Those skills captured early attention at season-opening tournaments in Illinois and Utah, the latter of which is one of the most prestigious tournaments of any season, and helped the Grizzlies get off to their best start in program history at that time.

In her first home game as a Grizzly, Jones led her team in kills against Region 16 rival Mineral Area College, and she continued to rack up impressive stats against such teams as Southwestern Illinois College, Jefferson College and perennial national power Miami-Dade College.

She earned the first of numerous all-tournament team honors in the Grizzlies’ own First National Bank Tournament with 57 kills and a .321 attacking percentage, and she turned in an “exceptional” performance at the annual Jefferson College Halloween Classic, with 37 kills, a .253 attacking percentage, three aces, five blocks and a team leading 43 digs.

“She was a go-to player from the beginning,” Wiedemann said. “Her freshman year, she was second on the team in kills. She made an immediate impact as a freshman on a team that made the 2003 NJCAA Division I Women’s National Volleyball Championship final.”

Jones was instrumental in helping the Grizzlies reach that final with her stellar performance against Miami-Dade. Seeded first in the tournament, the Sharks were the team to beat. It was a feat the Grizzlies hadn’t been able to accomplish when the two teams met earlier in the season. But Jones used her talents to rack up 21 kills, 15 digs and an attacking percentage of .400 to take the Sharks out of contention for the national championship in a hard-fought, five-set thriller.

“Coming in second in the national tournament my freshman year and being able to play against the best players in our division on such a big stage was such an amazing learning experience,” Jones said.

Her efforts throughout the national tournament earned her all-tournament honors and helped her secure a second team NJCAA All-American selection. She finished her freshman year with 578 kills, a .274 attacking percentage, 39.5 blocks, 308 digs and 647.5 points earned.

Jones didn’t let up her sophomore season in 2004. She guided the Grizzlies to a first-place finish at the prestigious Salt Lake Community College Tournament, earning tournament MVP honors along the way, and she helped the Grizzlies pick up their first ever No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA’s first weekly poll that season. She continued to rack up individual accolades even as she guided the Grizzlies to a 39-5 regular season record and its sixth consecutive Region 16 title.

“Fish was a loud leader and a quiet leader all at the same time,” Wiedemann said. “She was definitely competitive, and it was obvious in how she played the game. But with all the flashiness of her play, she played with a quiet confidence. As a coach, I loved seeing her smile on the court because it brought an instant light to the team, and they would feed off her.”

As for her already impressive skills, they continued to improve. “Felicia continued to improve on the ‘work’ part of the game – passing and defense. She was good her freshman year, but she was exceptional her sophomore year in both areas,” Wiedemann said.

It showed throughout the season and into the post-season, where she led the Grizzlies back to the national tournament and a seventh place finish. Her stats for the season – 647 kills, .270 attacking percentage, 53 blocks, 35 aces, 589 digs and 735 points earned – made her the top vote-getter for the All-Region 16 team and resulted in first team NJCAA All-American recognition.

“Fish was an impact player from the get go, and she made her mark as an all-time great player in Grizzly Volleyball history,” Wiedemann said. “She is all over the record books – third in career kills and points earned and 11^th in digs. Any time a player makes an impact on a team the way Felicia did, both offensively and defensively, it is definitely an accomplishment.”

Jones earned her Associate of Arts in General Studies degree from Missouri State-West Plains in May 2005 and transferred to the Ohio State University, where she helped guide the nationally-ranked Lady Buckeyes to a 47-17 record her junior and senior seasons and an appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball “Sweet 16” her senior year.

She received a degree in sociology from the Ohio State University in 2007 and returned to her hometown where she works as an educator and a coach.

“Being part of the Grizzly program taught me to never give up and to always work towards my potential,” Jones said. “I always knew there was room to improve, and I practiced and played with the mentality to challenge myself. With that mindset, I have learned to be true to myself, have courage to speak my truth and to be humble so that I can put my authentic self into my work. This mindset keeps me motivated in my career as an educator and a coach.”

As for her contributions to the Grizzly Volleyball program and its legacy, Jones said, “I believe my greatest contributions as a Grizzly were my strength, confidence and leading by example, but I don’t think I made the greatest contribution because I feel we all did. I learned from Trish (former Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Trish Knight), and Paula that we were a team but we also were individuals who had to hold one another accountable within the team. That is what we did. I believe that helped the program’s legacy because of our confidence and belief in one another.”

For Wiedemann, Jones’ legacy will be her court presence. “When looking back at all of the great players who have come through our program, they all have certain qualities that come to mind, and for Felicia, it was her ability to be the focus of our team for whomever we were playing and not let it go to her head. When you have a player who catches everyone’s attention, it’s great to know she’s on your team and she’s going to play hard for her teammates,” the coach said.

Jones said she loved her time in West Plains, and the support of the Grizzly fans and the community as a whole is one of her fondest memories. “As a student athlete, we were treated so well, and people supported us and helped us do better, be better and want better for ourselves,” she said. “The fans were loyal. Every home game, the cheers and posters with your name on them, it was a great feeling. I’m grateful I got to play for them.”

Felicia’s Missouri State-West Plains Career Stats  

2003-2004 • 340 Sets Played

Felicia’s Ohio State Career Stats      

2005-2006 • 158 Sets Played