Jillian Mapes

Jillian Mapes is a 2024 setter from Hodges, SC. She is a versatile athlete that adapts to multiple systems. Jillian has played in both 5-1 and 6-2 offensive sets. Her accuracy setting is what makes her stand apart from most. Technically sound and very seldom makes a mistake. Jillian’s transition is flawless. She also can attack the ball from the outside. She is an intelligent athlete who knows how control the game. Serving accuracy, to any zone, is a huge weapon in her arsenal of skills (94%+). Jillian leads by example on and off the court. She boasts an impressive 5.18 GPA and has been playing varsity since the 7th grade. Jillian has the mindset and skills to play at the collegiate level – with still two years remaining to sharpen her skills.

— ScoutU

Jillian has shown tremendous growth as a volleyball player and young lady in the past 5 years that I’ve had the privilege of coaching her. She is an outstanding setter with the ability to run many plays such as quicks, slides, 31’s, dumps and deep cross court pushes. Jillian has an excellent jump serve and can zone serve at any given time with great success. She has played in a 6/2 rotation as well as a 5/1. Jillian can swing cross court while playing right side and place the ball in the deep corner, with a lot of force. She is a very consistent and determined young lady with a lot of heart and dedication. If Jillian is on the court playing defense, there are very few balls that get past her and aren’t dug back up. I can remember one match where she dug a ball, hit the floor, got back up for another dig, hit the floor, and got right back up for one final dig. I believe that all athletes have areas where they can improve or learn a new skill. Jillian does a phenomenal job in all that she’s asked to do and performs all her duties well. I think two things that Jillian could improve on would be the follow through on her swing as well as her vocal leadership.

Jillian is a hard worker and will always give you 110% no matter what is asked of her. She is a great leader, but a quiet one. She leads by example on and off the court. She speaks and demands the best from her teammates when necessary, but does it in a respectful manner. Jillian is also very humble in that she’s not aware of how much her teammates admire her and look up to her. She is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She never questions me as a coach, her position/requirements or what is expected of her. She is, to me, every coach’s dream player. Jillian never stops wanting to learn or get better, and in the offseason she is constantly working on her game.

Jillian will be a junior this year at Cambridge Academy. This will be my fifth year coaching her, and she started out as a libero (on varsity) in 7th grade. I moved her to setter in 8th grade, and I believe she is very close to reaching 1,000 assists by the end of this season. Jillian was chosen as Team MVP both in the 9th and 10th grade. She was chosen for All-Region, All-Lakelands and was a participant in the North/South All-Star Game as a sophomore. Jillian is an outstanding young lady and athlete, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

— Samantha Shelley, Cambridge Academy Coach

I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Jillian for 6 years, and it has been such a joy. Jillian is an extremely talented young lady who has been one of the anchors of our 16U Nationals team. She is one of the most hardworking and coachable young ladies that I have ever had the chance to coach. She is always willing to put in extra work, even if that’s participating in speed and agility work in the offseason in a garage/crossfit gym without air conditioning in the July South Carolina heat, and never once has she ever complained. Jillian is one of the most talented setters that I’ve had the opportunity to coach or coach against. She is able to run tempo offense as well as make the best of out-of-system passes, getting the ball to our hitters while giving them scoring opportunities. She also does a great job adjusting her sets to her specific hitters’ desires – as we have a diverse group of athletic abilities playing on our front row and each player has different preferences.

Not only is Jillian a very skilled young lady, she is also of high character. She is one of, if not the most, respected player on our team as she is loved by all of her teammates. She is our team’s rock as her highs are never too high and her lows are never too low. Jillian is extremely coachable; she looks you in the eye and makes the adjustments that are asked of her without having to be told multiple times. She has played every position on the court at times due to need and has never once complained.

Her areas for improvement at this time would be her quickness (we work each summer and during the season on speed and agility), and also being a more outspoken on-court leader. She does a great job of this at her high school. Our travel team has some very big personalities, and she doesn’t have to be as vocal in that situation.

In conclusion, I think very highly of Jillian on and off the court. She is a great athlete but a much more impressive young lady. If I were starting a collegiate team tomorrow, she would be a foundational piece of that team as she brings so many positive intangibles as well as athletic skill and ability.

— Chelsie Calvert, Cambridge Academy Assistant Coach, Palmetto Elite 16U National Team Head Coach