From a family of volleyballers, Jada is a springy, active and tougher-than-she-looks outside that can take over a match when you let her. When passing, she distributes a solid, 2+ pass to her setter, keeping every option open on the offense. When attacking, she can whip out a tough beach shot or hammer away at unsuspecting blocks not familiar with how heavy Jada hits. The under-the-radar part about her is her size, which by no means is something to judge her on. Realistically, Miss Cripe will be a steal for a program looking for a full-time outside that can also step in as a three-rotation DS at the next level.

A sophomore on a team of juniors (she plays for Boiler Juniors 17 Gold), Jada is a spitfire of an outside that is a primary-passing six-rotation beast. Although undersized, Jada’s ability to put balls away and make regular differences in all aspects of the game make her indispensable for whatever roster she’s a part of. Also from a family of volleyballers, Jada’s inherent intelligence in volleyball seems innate—-very few her age in her position can do what she does, as she keeps her squad in matches longer than your average 5’7” outside.

Speaking of springy and active, Jada’s volleyball IQ has given her the opportunity to play up a year, and is more than capable of holding her own at 17 Open. From a family of compact and explosive attackers, Jada’s ability to take over a match will serve her well this coming weekend, and she’ll be the offensive outlet for her undersized Boiler Juniors squad.

Part of the Cripe clan of volleyballers, Jada is the latest to show what compact explosiveness looks like. Don’t let her size or sweetness fool you; once that first whistle blows, she’s a relentless outside that will swing at EVERY ball if you let her. She may look lithe, but is powerful and strong in her upper body, while being constantly active with her feet to be in the right place at the right time every time. Yes, her size is a limiting factor. But for now, I see no limits when she’s pitted against her own age group.

Speaking of quick and springy, Jada absolutely went OFF in South Newton’s five-set thriller against Marquette Catholic on Saturday. Her stat line was full—-34 kills, 21 digs, 4 blocks and 2 aces—-and she’ll need all of that and more to get past #3 Faith Christian first thing Saturday morning.

Similar to older sister Taylor, now at Central Michigan, Jada is a compact and explosive attacker that can take over a match if you let her. Capable of being that six-rotation outside at the next level, she already plays with a strength that is unmatched in 1A.

On the contrary, it’s also nice to see a typical six-rotation outside from Indiana play. Jada, from a family of volleyballers, is a spitfire of a primary-passing outside, who has energy for days and a nonstop motor regardless of the score. From small South Newton, Jada is tucked away neatly so much so that not a lot of folks “in the know” know about her talents. She’s the whole package, and will make someone feel like they’ve stolen a recruit when they commit to her skill set.

As if there weren’t enough athletes on this list, along comes another Cripe from South Newton, this time in the form of Jada. Explosive and smart, Jada’s undersized look is easily forgotten once you watch her play. I like the sense of urgency she plays with—very much like the rest of her family that’s played this game, with a constant go-go-go attache to her style of play. Yes, the size might not translate to the next level, and she might have to be relegated to a smaller school if she wants to continue attacking. For now, however, let’s enjoy Jada’s ability to terminate at will against undisciplined blocks.

I was able to see Boiler Juniors 16 Gold at Central Zone a few weeks ago where they knocked off Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold in the opening round of the 16 Open Gold Bracket.  This team played with plenty of energy and had no fear when it came to going against top competition. One athlete I was really impressed with was Jada Cripe who was a high flyer on the outside. She could pack a punch with her swing too where she just kept finding ways to score points.  Another athlete to watch on this team is Kinley Young who can cause a lot of problems for the other side of the net as a middle blocker. 

It’s not very often you see a class of 2028 (freshman) stand out in an elite pool amongst a bunch of sophomores, but Jada did just that for me on Friday. She currently is playing up for Boiler Juniors 16-1 and it is not hard to see why! When I watched she was almost unstoppable from everywhere on the court – back row and front row. She could hit deep corners, high hands, hard in the seam and tool the block. Cripe has no fear when swinging against a “bigger” block and was able to get them out of bad situations multiple times. In middle back on defense she is an absolute go-getter, flying all over the court to pick up whatever she can. Jada is definitely a player to watch over the next few years!