Mike Vukovcan It’s funny how things in life turn out sometimes, for example, Hopewell’s Jake Pollick.
Pollick was always an athlete, having played football and basketball, but didn’t have a clue about volleyball.
“Honestly, I didn’t know volleyball was a sport until my former teammate introduced it to me and the rest is history,” Pollick tells Vikings Sports Now.
That’s exactly right as Pollick will be part of history as he made the decision to attend W&J and become a member of the school’s first men’s volleyball program next season.
I had the chance to sit-down with Hopewell’s volleyball star to talk about his decision to commit to W&J. The incredible part of Pollick’s story is that he didn’t start playing volleyball until his 9th grade year and it only happened because of a text message.
“My former teammate, (Jake Strnisa), texted me on the last day of tryouts and said, ‘Hey man, we need a new middle, you’re tall, you’re athletic, Coach Hall has told me all about you, just come and give it a try.”
After thinking it over, Pollick decided to attend the tryout, which turned out to be a pretty good decision, but it did come with some reservations.
Hopewell’s Jake Pollick
“Some guys think that volleyball is a weird sport and think they’d never want to play that,” said Pollick. “I actually thought the same thing because I was a basketball, football guy. I went to the tryouts, and I fell in love with the sport.”
Not surprisingly, Pollick admitted that at first he wasn’t very good because he’d never touched a volleyball in his life before then. However, thanks to his size, athleticism and work ethic, things started to change for Jake, along with his thoughts on the sport of volleyball.
Pollick admittedly fell in the love with the sport and devoted himself year-round to becoming an above average player. Four years later, he’s accomplished that goal as he’s one of the top players in the WPIAL. Pollick credits the work put in along with his coaches for the progression he’s made in the sport.
“I’ve played sports my whole life and I consider myself a hard worker but for volleyball, it wasn’t as though I was trying hard to put in the extra work, I just naturally did it because I loved doing what I was doing and playing volleyball,” said Pollick. “I wasn’t doing it just to do it; I’m doing it because I love it.”
Hopewell’s Jake Pollick
“Coach Hall has really helped me. He’s been there since my middle school basketball days and now all through my senior year as my volleyball coach. He’s been with me every step of the way and has helped me get to where I am today. He’s pushed me and pushes all of us in practice. He also makes it known to us that we need to push ourselves too.”
Aside from playing with Coach Hall and the Hopewell HS program, Pollick also plays in a summer league with ‘A10’, which is based out of Pittsburgh. They compete for a few months nationally and travels to places like Buffalo and Orlando. In the winter, Pollick plays for a club team, BVP, which is based out of Ambridge.
Hopewell’s Jake Pollick
After examining a number of options and opportunities, Pollick made the recent decision to accept the opportunity and became a member of W&J’s first volleyball recruiting class.
“I did have a handful of other opportunities, but it came down to a couple things,” said Pollick. “W&J was the most affordable and the location of it. Going to college is nerve wracking, going to somewhere you’ve never been to and now you’re living there for four years. W&J is a perfect fit for me and when I want to, it’s close enough where I can come home on the weekends if I want to.”
“That was W&J’s big thing. HC Dan Follet was very serious about being good from the very start and winning titles and making big names for the players. Being good from the start is what sold me. I’m a competitive person and want to make a name for not only myself but for the program.”
“This was such a weight off my shoulders. My mom was always asking if I had my application in there, do you have an application in there, I was like “Yeah mom.” I had like 15 out. Now that I’m committed and finding a roommate, it’s all good from here.”
Before Pollick heads to W&J, his work at Hopewell isn’t finished as he and his Viking teammates have big goals for 2026 season. Hopewell has opened the season 2-0 with wins over Brentwood and Moon and haven’t lost a single set. Tonight is their home opener against Keystone Oaks.
“Really optimistic. Believe we’ll make the playoffs and win the section. Have really high expectations for us.”
