Editor’s note: Every Thursday for the next month, the Daily Bruin will be running a series of profiles on the newcomers to the UCLA men’s volleyball team.
The ball looped silently into the air, suspended almost perfectly above the net. In a moment when the whole gym seemed to pause, the angled palm of freshman outside hitter JT Hatch collided with the ball and sent it hurtling toward the court below with a resounding smack that echoed through an empty Pauley Pavilion after Wednesday’s practice.
For much of Hatch’s volleyball career, he hasn’t been the one leaping through the air to get the kill. Instead, he’s been on the other side of the exchange, setting the ball for his teammates.
Hatch, like many athletes, was raised around sports. His parents were – and still are – basketball and volleyball coaches at Mesa High School in Arizona. Although he grew up outside the hotbed for men’s volleyball that is Southern California, his mom’s volleyball influence allowed Hatch to nail down his volleyball fundamentals and understanding of the game from an early age.
“I would say that JT is one of the most reliable people and players we have,” said assistant coach Andrea Becker. “He’s always doing the right thing, making the right decisions and I think his game mimics that same style. He’s very technically sound and always working hard to do it the right way.”
Hatch has used those technical skills all across the court in his volleyball career.
The freshman started as a libero – a position that utilized Hatch’s strength’s in ball control and defensive skills – before switching over to setter as he entered further levels of competition. From there, his position flexibility kept growing as he added outside hitting to his repertoire.
The unique combination of being both a powerful hitter and a reliable setter made him a valuable player for both Mesa and Spiral Volleyball, his club team. Having developed both skills, Hatch alternated positions and moved around the court based on the needs of the specific rosters each season.
“Junior year for club I would set during practice because we needed another setter, and then I would hit outside at the tournaments. It was more for my passing and defense rather than my offense,” Hatch said. “For senior year I switched completely to the outside. That definitely helped to get a bunch of reps out there.”
In Hatch’s junior year, Spiral Volleyball was the first team from Arizona ever to qualify for the open at the USAV Boys’ Junior National Championships and placed fifth overall. The next season he led to the national title as the tournament MVP.
“We were pretty successful,” Hatch said.
Although he wouldn’t brag about his gold medal, his accomplishments speak for themselves.
Hatch was named to the All-Arizona team after both his junior and senior seasons of high school competition. The only difference was his position. As a junior he was recognized as a setter, and as a senior an outside hitter.
This season, Hatch has found his home as a hitter. In the season-opening win over St. Francis, he led the offense with a team high 18 kills. This weekend in Provo, Utah, Hatch made appearances in both matches, contributing six kills in three sets overall.
“We always knew he was a good all-around volleyball player, and he was a great student. So for us he was a guy who could come in and fill a spot for us with a very high volleyball IQ,” said coach John Speraw. “We probably didn’t anticipate how high a level of volleyball IQ that he has. He really is pretty exceptional in his ability to read the game and play the whole game right now.”