Senior Middle Blocker Jade Defraeye has dedicated her life to volleyball at home in France and the U.S., with hopes of competing at the professional level.
At age six, Defraeye picked up a volleyball for the first time, and almost 17 years later, she has no plans of putting the sport down any time soon. Defraeye comes from a family full of volleyball players, so it’s no surprise she was drawn to the sport.
Defraeye attended the French National Volleyball Center in Toulouse, which is similar to a high school in the U.S. She realized she was not ready to choose between academics and athletics after graduation, so she began seeking student-athlete opportunities in the U.S.
“The first thing was I wanted to keep going back to school,” Defraeye said. “In France, you have to choose between volleyball and school. And for me, I didn’t want to do that because school is also important.”
After looking at a handful of other schools in the U.S., Defraeye decided Texas State was the best fit for her. She was guided to Texas State by an agent at an international recruiting company called Bring It U.S.A. Having never visited the U.S. prior to her time at Texas State, Defraeye said the transition to American life was difficult the first few months.
“I was very bad at English. So it was kind of tough for me, my first months in the U.S.,” Defraeye said. “And also the transportation. You have to have a car in the U.S., or you can do nothing.”
Volleyball head coach Sean Huiet said the language barrier provided a challenge at the beginning of Defraeye’s time at Texas State, but she has become comfortable speaking up and has now stepped into a leadership role on the court.
Although the transition was tough, Defraeye said her coaches helped her settle into her new lifestyle. Coach Tori Plugge, who left during Defraeye’s sophomore year, was the person most involved in getting Defraeye settled in the U.S.
Plugge helped Defraeye set up a bank account and taught her about how university works in the U.S.
“One thing I really appreciate about American people is that they are very open and ready to help people,” Defraeye said.
Coach Huiet said Defraeye is an elite-level athlete who could play any position on the court, if needed. He said that thanks to her time at the National Volleyball Center in Toulouse, she is well-trained and could play any position if needed.
Defraeye said the culture, mindset and hard work are what she enjoys most about the Texas State volleyball team. She said some of her favorite memories include sweeping the University of Houston at Strahan Arena during her sophomore year and winning the Sun Belt Conference championship last season.
This past summer, Defraeye represented Texas State and the country of France at the University World Games on the French National Reserve team.
“I was proud to represent my country,” Defraeye said. “It was a good experience to meet great people, and it felt good to meet other internationals, because I don’t see a lot of international people in the U.S.”
Coach Huiet said the trip to France helped the team as a whole understand Defraeye and French culture overall.
After college, Defraeye said she hopes to play professionally after she finishes school in May. She hopes to join a professional league in America next season.
“She wants to play at the highest level, and she’s going to keep working to do it,” Huiet said. “She’s not afraid of the work she has to put in.”
In the past, athletes hoping to compete at the next level had to seek out opportunities overseas because professional volleyball in the United States was not an option. But now, with the creation of two professional leagues, League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV), new doors have opened for Defraeye.
Huiet said he has had numerous athletes with the potential to play professionally in the past, but they were unable to take that step if they did not want to leave the country.
Huiet says he also expects to see Defraeye make it to the Olympics and that he has made it known that he expects her to send him tickets so he can cheer her on in person.
“I’m so freaking pumped for her,” Huiet said. “I’m just so excited to watch her next step.”
