Mountain Ridge 3-sport star finds time for children with disabilities

PHOENIX — The time commitment for a three-sport athlete in high school can be draining and leave someone with very limited free time.

Not for Mountain Ridge senior Jordan Kress.

Kress has been a varsity athlete since her freshman year in all three sports she participates in: volleyball, basketball and sand volleyball. But somehow she still finds time to give back.

“I always go early and help the freshman out or go early and get snacks before the games,” Kress said.

“When things like that happen for me, I really enjoy it.”

She also finds time to give back to the community.

Kress volunteers at Christ Church of the Valley’s Click program, the Best Buddies Club at Mountain Ridge and she is on the Principal Advisory Council.

Click and Best Buddies are both geared toward helping kids with special needs, a cause very close to Kress’ heart after growing up with an uncle who has special needs.

It may also be why Kress is leaning toward majoring in psychology when she heads off to college next year.

“I want to know what different people think about in different situations,” Kress said.

Kress has verbally committed to Fairfield University in Connecticut where she hopes to start on the volleyball team as a freshman, something that she hopes to be a little more comfortable with after her high school experience.

“The first couple of games I was starting over a senior who had also been on varsity since her freshman year so that was a little intimidating,” Kress said.

She quickly overcame those fears at Mountain Ridge, earning all-conference honors in all three sports in each season she’s played.

Kress said time management has been the key to her success.

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