by HAROLD SMITH Mountain View Sports , Albuquerque Journal

While five of her two-time state Class 4A champion Moriarty High volleyball teammates have opted to play volleyball or basketball at smaller colleges, Russell, with her typical grit, has chosen to give it a go at the NCAA Division I level. The senior has been invited to walk on the University of New Mexico's volleyball team beginning this autumn.

"It was the opportunity to play at the Division I level and also be able to stay close to home," said Russell, the Pintos' 5-foot-8 setter. "I'm very close to my family. It made it a pretty easy choice for me."

Not that Russell didn't meticulously go through her options before deciding. Several institutions showed interest in her talents, particularly her forceful leadership skills and her propensity for perfectly placed quick sets.

The colleges that showed interest were Adams State College (Alamosa, Colo.), Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas), Western State College (Gunnison, Colo.) Colorado College (Colorado Springs) and Haverford (Pa.) College. Adams State was UNM's closest competitor.

"We probably would have found a way to go see her play, no matter where she went," said Jordan's father, Joe Russell. "But it is nice that she's going somewhere where we can go see her more often. I'm impressed with what Jordan's done. She works hard."

After climbing to the pinnacle of New Mexico prep sports, Jordan Russell will be starting at the bottom as a Lobo. UNM's 2008 roster listed three setters - 5-10 senior Sarah Kwasigroch (Palos Park, Ill.); 5-11 sophomore Jade Michaelson (Tucson), an all- Mountain West Conference player; and 5-7 freshman Amy Wong (Litchfield Park, Ariz.).

"(Coach Jeff Nelson) told me I'd have to earn my spot," Russell said. "But I figured that going in. He liked my work ethic. He said there are a lot of ways to make it on the team ... I know Jade pretty well. She was my coach at the camps I go to."

Judy Willson of UNM's Athletics Media Relations Department said Nelson and his assistant coach, Lisa Beauchene, could not comment about Russell until she physically reports to the Lobo volleyball team for the fall semester. Beauchene was also one of Jordan's New Mexico Junior 18s One club coaches.

The Telegraph's request for an interview with Nelson to query him generically on what he looks for in a prospective in-state walk-on also did not materialize.

No matter. Moriarty coach Kim Bell, the 2008 Class 4A coach of the year, knows what Russell is capable of.

"It's going to take some work," Bell said. "But she's a great kid, a good student and a hard worker. And she's very intelligent, and she has the ability to lead a team. It's a big jump from the high school game to the college game. But she plays club ball, and she's been very successful at that."

Russell was named to the all-state first team and the senior-only all-star squad. She also made the all-metro second-team roster, was an all-District 5-4A first-team selectee, and earned the Pinto coach's award, hand picked by Bell.

"It wasn't so much (Bell's) advice (that helped her improve), but her giving me the opportunity to play as a freshman and play with some seniors that were better than I was," said Russell, who estimated her gradepoint average at around 4.03. "She gave me the chance to be a leader."

For Moriarty this past season, Russell had the most assists (895), the most aces (66), and she tallied 230 digs. The Pintos finished the season with a 22-2 overall record, 6-0 in district.

Moriarty was the districttournament champion for the third straight year. The Pintos won the 2008 state crown with a 3-games-to-0 sweep of St. Pius in the 4A final at UNM's Johnson Center.

"It's meant a lot to me to play for Moriarty," said Russell, a former rodeo barrel racer who lives near Stanley with her mother, Lori, and her father. "And it's been a lot of fun. The best thing was to be able to play with the same girls I've been playing with since the fourth grade - like Brandi and Kristin (Valencia), Alex (Lehocky), Amy (Mondragon) and Megan (Bond)."

Russell doesn't wax poetic about her personal goals. But Bell knows her former player well.

"She's had this dream ever since she was a little girl, ever since she was a kid - to play for UNM and be a Lobo," the coach said. "She's going to try to live her dreams, and I commend her for that. There is a risk, but there is a phrase, a motto, we used this season: 'Dream big.' We said that all season. She hasn't let that vision die."

Harold Smith can be reached by phone at 823-7104 or by e-mail at hsmith@mvtelegraph.com

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