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Craig Mattick: Welcome to another edition of In Play, I'm Craig Mattick. Today's guest, a four-time first team, All-Stater in volleyball and as a senior, she led her team to the Class B Volleyball State Title. In fact, she still has two State Tournament volleyball records from that 2011 Championship Year. She played volleyball at Northern State in Aberdeen, and during her high school volleyball career, she faced a challenge, a life-changing challenge. It's the Northwestern Wildcat, Jussy Tuscherer. Now Jussy Tuscherer Smith. Hey Jussy, welcome to In Play.
Jussy Tuscherer: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
Craig Mattick: Is there a story on your first name, Jussy? Is it short for something? I'm just kind of curious about your first name.
Jussy Tuscherer: It is. It's actually short for Justine. I think there's probably only one or two people that call me that, though.
Craig Mattick: And that started early on, didn't it?
Jussy Tuscherer: It did. Yeah. My parents pretty much always called me Jussy from the get-go.
Craig Mattick: And you lived on a farm right by Cresbard? Of course, Cresbard's population is about 100. The town itself is about five blocks long and four blocks wide. It's 24 miles west of Mellette, where of course Northwestern High School is located. Of course Mellette is shortly less than a half hour south of Aberdeen. But what was life growing up on the farm near Cresbard?
Jussy Tuscherer: I feel very blessed, very fortunate to be able to grow up on a farm and have the parents and up-bringing that I did. I feel like it really helped set me up for my whole life and I owe a huge amount of credit to my upbringing on the farm, and my values as well.
Craig Mattick: How big was the family?
Jussy Tuscherer: So, growing up I pretty much was in sports from probably kindergarten, first grade. I remember tagging along to my sister's quite a bit older than I am, so she was a senior when I was in kindergarten, but I think my earliest sports memories were going to her cross country or track events and getting to run the track and jumping in the sandpit and just playing around doing kid stuff. Just, I had a lot of fun.
Craig Mattick: You're 5'10", you're an outside hitter in volleyball, so when did that growing spurt occur?
Jussy Tuscherer: I would probably say junior high, probably fifth, sixth grade started to notice I was getting to be a little bit taller than everyone else.
Craig Mattick: Is that when your interest in volleyball really got started?
Jussy Tuscherer: I think I started volleyball in fourth grade. I was still going to Cresbard school at the time, but I would go to the Northville gym, just a small little gym and we would have volleyball practice then for elementary kids. I think that's when it all kind of started, just being in the Northwestern volleyball community and you kind of see the culture and you go to the games and watch the high school kids play and, "Oh, I want to be like her. I want to be this number." So, it starts from a young age at Northwestern.
Craig Mattick: I'm thinking you were probably about a seventh grader, but Northwestern won the State Volleyball Championship in I think 2006. They beat Hurley that year in three straight. Do you remember that at all, still living in the Cresbard area?
Jussy Tuscherer: I really, I have a really terrible memory, but I remember going to the games and probably being so young, I didn't realize just how good Northwestern was.
Craig Mattick: Northwestern did not make the State Tournament when you were an eighth grader, but then as a freshman, you make it not only to the State Tournament, but you guys get to the finals. What was that freshman year like for you at Northwestern?
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh my gosh, I was never happier to finally be able to play Northwestern volleyball, because I remember my eighth grade year, it was districts and I was playing pepper on the sideline and Coach Groft had come up to me and she goes, "Well, you guys can't be doing that now, but next year it'll be your turn," and I'll never forget that. Then my freshman year came and I was just so excited to be able to finally play, put the uniform on and get to play with these upperclassmen that had been doing this their whole elementary, junior high, high school career.
Craig Mattick: Wildcats had three seniors on that 2008 roster and you lost a Philip, though, in the championships three won. What do you remember from that finals with Philip?
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh my gosh. I mentioned I have a terrible memory, but that's burned into my brain, because we went undefeated that year up until that final match and it was hard. It was hard. I don't think any of us had really experienced how that feeling feels, because we had won every other match prior to that. But at the same time, yeah, it hurt. It hurt a lot to lose, but Coach Groft had always instilled in us volleyball is not just about winning and losing. There's a bigger picture to it. I think that instance of going through such a really wonderful season and then having it end that, helped build a life lesson like, "Hey, you didn't get what you wanted, but you can still hold your head high and be proud of what you did, but then also come back and be better so you don't have to experience this again."
Craig Mattick: Did you beat Warner to get to the State Tournament that year, if I remember?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes.
Craig Mattick: Yeah.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes, we did.
Craig Mattick: You were a chosen, a first team All-Stater as a freshman. What did that mean to you, at the time?
Jussy Tuscherer: I remember the tournament was out in Rapid City and I remember Coach Groft telling me and my other teammates who were selected for All-State selections, and I didn't understand it at the time, I just thought, "Oh, well that's pretty neat." But looking back, that was a really huge honor to be chosen for that at such a young age. I'm really appreciative of that.
Craig Mattick: You mentioned Nora Groft, a great head coach, longtime head coach at Northwestern. How much did she help you as a freshman on the team?
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh, my gosh. I owe all of my volleyball skills and just I owe it to her. If I hadn't have had her as a coach, I know I wouldn't have turned out to be the player that I was, because there just is no one like Nora. She is not only a phenomenal coach and able to bring out the best of each player, she's a really good friend. I text her still and it's been so neat and just, I'm really privileged to have had her as a coach.
Craig Mattick: Jussy , your sophomore year, you again, a first team All-State player, but you didn't make it to State, you lost to Warner in the regions.
Jussy Tuscherer: Mm-hmm.
Craig Mattick: Yeah, I'm sorry to remind you of that, but what was that sophomore season like?
Jussy Tuscherer: Sophomore season, I think we all in the back of our minds, had an agenda to get back to State and take back that first place title, but in this area, Northwestern and Warner has just always had such wonderful players and it was just going into districts we knew it was going to be tough and Warner just had a little bit more of an edge on us that year, and they beat us out.
Craig Mattick: Life is going pretty well for you. You're playing volleyball at a very high level and you're playing this sport you love, but then there's a little life changing moment going on for you. What was that? Can you talk to us about that?
Jussy Tuscherer: So, sophomore year after volleyball season, I had found out that I was pregnant and that was definitely the hardest thing I have ever gone through. It was really hard. Fortunately for me, I have and had the best support system that you could have asked for. I still get emotional talking about it. I just remember when I found out, my parents had obviously they knew, and I had to go about telling my coaches. I just remember walking into Nora's classroom at school because she teaches English at Northwestern, and closing the door and talking to her and telling her what the situation was. I said, "I need to tell you something. I went to Sioux Falls and I had an appointment and I'm pregnant."
She just immediately was like, "Oh, Jesse, I thought you were going to tell me you had cancer or something," and she was just supportive of me throughout the whole thing. My boyfriend at the time, my husband now, we decided to give our... We had a daughter, we gave her up for adoption and she's doing wonderful. She is doing volleyball and basketball and so it's kind of neat to see her excelling and doing so well.
Each year, Nora still texts me on our daughter's birthday and just says, "Thinking of you, I know this is a hard day," and so that's kind of where I go back to with Northwestern volleyball and with Nora. It's not just volleyball, it's more than that. It's a family, that you'll have kind of forever.
Craig Mattick: Does your daughter still live in the area of Cresbard or Northwestern?
Jussy Tuscherer: No, she doesn't.
Craig Mattick: You made a difficult decision to give your daughter up for adoption. When did you make that decision? How soon did you make that decision?
Jussy Tuscherer: My husband and I, boyfriend at the time, I guess, I think we knew early on that when I had found out I was pregnant that we were going to do adoption. When you're 15 and 16 years old, it's really scary. It's a really scary thing to go through.
Craig Mattick: Yeah. Sure.
Jussy Tuscherer: And like I said, I'm just really so thankful and blessed that I had such a wonderful support system, because I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't have. And things turned out.
Craig Mattick: Who were some of the support people that were there for you the whole time?
Jussy Tuscherer: Well, I have to say first and foremost, my parents. Now that I have kids now, watching your kids go through anything difficult, you feel it yourself and they just unconditionally supported me, even though at times I know it was hard for them, for everyone involved. My husband, Michael, he's been the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Craig Mattick: Sure.
Jussy Tuscherer: And my in-laws now, they were supportive, my coaches, not just Nora, but basketball coaches as well. I'm really appreciative of those people and I'm sure there's ones that I've missed, but just thankful for everyone who stepped up at that time.
Craig Mattick: It's about six weeks before your junior year in high school when you had your daughter. Were you thinking all along though that you were going to play volleyball again your junior year?
Jussy Tuscherer: Absolutely. Yep. I had our daughter end of June. I want to say the next week, and I had a C-section. Anyone who's had a C-section recovery can attest to, that's harder than any workout that you can ever do. I'm used to... I've always pushed myself and done hard workouts, but the week after I had her, I was out and I was trying to jog. We live out in the country. I just remember trying to jog down the road. I thought, "Oh my gosh, there's no way that I'm going to be ready in time for volleyball." I had that inkling of doubt and I'm like, "No, I'm going to do this."
We put our daughter up for adoption, she's in the best hands of possible and I'm going to do this not only for me but also for her, because I just wanted to prove that, "Hey, even though I went through this I'm going to come back and I'm going to be better than I was before."
Craig Mattick: Well, your junior year, you're a first team All-State player again, it's the third year in a row. Unfortunately, Warner got in the way again.
Jussy Tuscherer: I know.
Craig Mattick: You guys couldn't get to the State Tournament and everything that you were going through that year with success in volleyball and Warner getting in the way, can't get to State and certainly with your daughter, man, what was that junior year like for you? Had to be a roller coaster ride.
Jussy Tuscherer: It was. Ups and downs of the games, but me, I have that competitive spirit, where it doesn't matter what it is, I want to do my best and I want to win. But I think after going through what I went through with having our daughter and putting her up for adoption, losing in volleyball, even though I wanted to win, I understood that that wasn't the end of the world. There were a lot bigger things that can happen.
Craig Mattick: Yeah. During your time in Northwestern, we didn't have the current SoDak 16 Volleyball Tournament format to qualify for State.
Jussy Tuscherer: I know
Craig Mattick: During your time, you had to beat the team in the region or the district, and everybody knew the representative to the State Tournament was either going to be Northwestern or Warner and most likely the State B Champion. As a Northwestern Wildcat, what was it like playing Warner? They're not that far away. All the girls know each other, but when it's Northwestern versus Warner on the volleyball court, what are those emotions like?
Jussy Tuscherer...: I know it's hard to describe until you're actually experiencing it, but just I appreciated having that rivalry, because I feel like it brought the best out of the players. When we would be playing Warner during regular season and stuff, Coach Croft would always just tell us, "Treat it like any other game, because if you start hyping these games up, that's when you start playing differently," and touching the ball gets a [inaudible 00:19:59], because mentally you just hype this game up so much. So she just always would say, "Treat it like any other volleyball game. We've done the practice, we've put in the work and you guys just, you need to do what we do every day at practice."
Craig Mattick: Well, it's 2011, you're a senior at Northwestern. The summer before your senior year, did you do camps? What other preparation did you have getting ready for your senior year?
Jussy Tuscherer: I think we would always go down to Nebraska for team camps. We would go to Northern for team camps. Northwestern always put on individual skill camps and stuff. We had open gym every week, so yeah, lots of volleyball, lots of just in the gym, lots of hours spent doing that. I wouldn't say it was any different than any summer prior, just leading up for lots of lasts, when you're going into your senior year.
Craig Mattick: There was a lot of emotions going into that season, because you got what, you had five seniors on that team. I mean, you finished a first team All-Stater again for the fourth year in a row. You beat Warner to get to the State Volleyball Tournament. I mean, just getting to the State Tournament probably was a bigger excitement than actually winning the title that year.
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh, I still remember the newspaper. The Aberdeen Newspaper took a picture of us, me and my teammates. It was our setter, our libero, and they were also seniors at the time and then another middle hitter and I. We are just embracing, it was after the match point when we beat Warner. Ot was front page of the sports section and we're all just happy crying tears and we're just hugging and it was a really huge moment to be able to get back to State.
Craig Mattick: Well, those other seniors was what, Laken Frericks and Haley Wetzler, Shelby Peterson and Mariah Taylor. Those were your teammates as seniors.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes.
Craig Mattick: Pretty good team, but you know what, you weren't the number one seed going into the State Tournament?
Jussy Tuscherer: No.
Craig Mattick: I think you were the five seed.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah.
Craig Mattick: You had Parker was the one seed, Arlington was the two. You're at Sioux Falls at the arena to play the State Tournament. You had to take on Herreid Selby in the first round and you swept him 3-0. You guys probably were feeling really good at that time.
Jussy Tuscherer: Mm-hmm. Yep, getting that first match, getting the first jitters out, that felt really good.
Craig Mattick: But then, semi-finals against number one seed Parker. Did you play Parker during the regular season that year?
Jussy Tuscherer: I don't think so, no.
Craig Mattick: But you swept them.
Jussy Tuscherer: I know.
Craig Mattick: You guys must have been playing your best volleyball of the season at that time.
Jussy Tuscherer: We were. We were just in sync and like I said, it just felt good. After we got that first step out of the way, first match out of the way, you move on to that semi-finals it was. It just felt really good.
Craig Mattick: So you're in the championship against the number two seed Arlington.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes.
Craig Mattick: And win in four sets. What emotions were you going through during that championship match that you eventually won?
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh, my gosh. It was so neat in that setting, because the prior two games we would be playing, there was a B Court, there was an A court, and there was a double A court. So you have all that other noise going on. So when you get to the finals and it's just you and the other team and the crowd is that they're dressed up and they've got their chants. I think, I don't remember if it was the third set or the second set and we went to what... Maybe you have it on your records, but it was like 26-28. So it was tight game.
Craig Mattick: 27-25.
Jussy Tuscherer: Okay. Yes. They were tight and so it was just everyone was at their peak for their skill sets and everyone was just going after the ball. Yeah, it was undescribable. It was just really, really cool.
Craig Mattick: The level of play in that tournament was awesome, because you then move on to the championship match with Arlington.
Jussy Tuscherer: Mm-hmm.
Craig Mattick: With that Arlington, the set two was 30-32.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes.
Craig Mattick: You lost that set to even up that championship match and then you win 25-23, then you win the final set 25-18. By the way, you have a couple of tournament records still in the books. Did you know that?
Jussy Tuscherer: I do. Yeah, I wondered. Which ones are they?
Craig Mattick: 13 aces in 10 sets, that's top five. And then 80 kills in 10 sets. That's number one with an average of eight kills per set. It's still there on the Class B books.
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh, wow. Wow, that is really neat.
Craig Mattick: They just fed you. They fed you the whole tournament, Jussy.
Jussy Tuscherer: Wow. Yeah, our libero was phenomenal. She deserves First Team All-State Honors as well, and our setter, she could get any ball anywhere on the court and get it to me. I wouldn't have been able to do that without my teammates, but it was just so fun. I haven't really thought about this too much lately, because of life, but reliving it, I feel like I'm there. I'm like, "Oh, I just want to go hit the ball." Yeah, it was just fun.
Craig Mattick: You certainly were getting offers to play volleyball in college.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah.
Craig Mattick: Brent Aldridge is the coach at Northern. You chose Northern State. Why did you choose Northern?
Jussy Tuscherer: Well, there was a couple different reasons. Brent is very persistent. He came to my house for a visit. He was talking to me on the phone, checking in, sending texts. I remember he was texting me after the State Volleyball Tournament, telling me my percentage for my kills or hitting factors. So he made it a point to be involved and invested in my life.
Craig Mattick: Mm-hmm.
Jussy Tuscherer: Then also, I liked being close to home. Aberdeen from Cresbard is about 45 miles, and so it was enough to kind of feel like I was away from home, but close enough to still see my family and also my husband, now.
Craig Mattick: You saw time on the court at Northern as a freshman, in fact 152 kills as a freshman. How was that transition from Northwestern to Northern that year?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah, I will say college ball is a whole different ballgame, in the fact that you are playing athletes that are the best of the best and in high school you are playing good players as well, but maybe there's one or two really good players on your team or on the opposing team. In college, everyone is good, so you have to be at your best every game, every point. And I did. I liked that, because it was a nice challenge to be around all that talent.
Craig Mattick: Your sophomore year at Northern was your best year. The team went 22-8. You had 228 kills. You played every set. Your sophomore year, you must have really enjoyed that year.
Jussy Tuscherer: Sophomore year was a really fun season. We had just a really fun team, good chemistry. I think it was my sophomore year, we went to Duluth. I mean, Duluth is always good and we beat them at their home court. I don't think Northern had done that in many, many, many years. So that was really neat to be on the team to do that and to have really just a good overall season. Like you said, 22-8 was really good for northern history.
Craig Mattick: Well, production kind of went down after that, Jussy. Your junior year, you played in 22 matches, but only 98 kills. What was the difference that junior year when you compared it to your earlier years?
Jussy Tuscherer: Right. So, I had, let's see, a knee surgery after each season in college. I was dealing with injuries. I had rolled my ankle a couple different times, so physically I was just really getting beat up and just tired physically and mentally.
Craig Mattick: Mm-hmm.
Jussy Tuscherer: Because for me, I a type-A person. If I'm going to do something, I want to do it the best that I can.
Craig Mattick: Uh-huh. Yeah.
Jussy Tuscherer: And I think it was just kind of catching up with me, honestly, and just kind started questioning my athletic abilities. I think that was one of the biggest factors as to why that season wasn't the best season of my career.
Craig Mattick: Yeah, and then you didn't play your senior year, right?
Jussy Tuscherer: No, I didn't. I had another knee surgery after my junior year and the doctor told me, he's like, "Hey, you should not go out and play volleyball again."
Craig Mattick: Oh, oh. That had to be tough. That was a tough.
Jussy Tuscherer: That was hard. That was hard to hear, because I feel like volleyball had kind of been my identity. I'd been doing volleyball basically my entire life, but at the same time, I think I was kind of ready to move on in my life as well. I was engaged, ready to get married. I was going to graduate soon. So I think everything that I went through in high school also kind of helped prepare me for that moment. Like I'd spoken earlier, that there's bigger things in life and volleyball was just part of that. I was so thankful to be able to have the volleyball experiences that I did. I'm very grateful, very, very grateful.
Craig Mattick: While you were at Northern, you had Rachel Rogers on the team. I remember Rachel.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah.
Craig Mattick: She's from Warner.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes.
Craig Mattick: What was it like, you two as teammates from our arch rival towns?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah. Right. Yes. Rachel is the nicest person that you'll probably meet and yes, even though we were from rival schools, rivals on the court, but friends outside of that. So it was neat to get to have a chance to play with someone from your rival school.
Craig Mattick: And a pretty good player too, right? Pretty good player.
Jussy Tuscherer: Absolutely. The hype. Yeah, I remember trying to, if she was blocking on the other side, I was, "Oh, Rachel, doggone it, you and your six foot, seven foot wingspan."
Craig Mattick: Volleyball has come to an end. So, what were your plans right after college?
Jussy Tuscherer: Well, like I said, I got engaged my junior year of college and I graduated, let's see, in December. I graduated a semester early. So yeah, my focus was I wanted to get married and move on to the next chapter of my life. I was working at the YMCA in Aberdeen as a personal trainer and I still work there. So, yeah, I was ready to move into the next chapter of my life.
Craig Mattick: Your husband is Michael, and now you're busy with a couple of children. What does Michael do?
Jussy Tuscherer: Michael works on his family farm.
Craig Mattick: Uh-huh.
Jussy Tuscherer: Him and his dad farm together. They do agriculture and cattle, and so they're busy year round doing that.
Craig Mattick: And you got a couple of boys.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yes, I was just going to say my boys are four and two, and so we make lots of field trips out to the farm to see dad, lots of tractor rides, truck rides, feeding calves, everything. My youngest son, he'll be two in February, he, I think, would live in that tractor in the buddy seat if he could.
Craig Mattick: That's awesome. That is awesome.
Jussy Tuscherer: It is. It really is cool to see.
Craig Mattick: I know you think about your daughter that you gave up for adoption a lot. I know you think about her.
Jussy Tuscherer: Mm-hmm.
Craig Mattick: She's a teenager now, right?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah.
Craig Mattick: Yeah, wow.
Jussy Tuscherer: She is.
Craig Mattick: How about that?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah, she's 14.
Craig Mattick: So what do you do? You're a full-time mom, right?
Jussy Tuscherer: I am. I say I'm a full-time mom and part-time personal trainer now.
Craig Mattick: Oh.
Jussy Tuscherer: Since having kids, I cut back my hours at the YMCA. I'm up there a couple of days a week, mostly for my own sanity.
Craig Mattick: Understand.
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah, fitness has been a huge part of my life, really, like I said, since I was just a child growing up on the farm. I really am grateful that I am able to do the training, but also really blessed and fortunate that I get to spend all of my hours with my boys and get to see all those moments of them growing up.
Craig Mattick: Have you ever thought about coaching or refereeing the sport of volleyball?
Jussy Tuscherer: Yeah, you know I actually get asked that a lot. When I was in college and before I had kids, people would ask, "Do you want to coach? Do you want to help with..." It was JO volleyball at the time, Junior Olympic Volleyball. But I just, I don't know. At this point in my life, I'm not sure. I love playing, but I'm not sure how I would be as a coach, because it's easy to be really good at your position, you know?
Craig Mattick: Uh-huh.
Jussy Tuscherer: But when you're a coach and you're in charge of everything, it's huge. It's a lot harder than people think.
Craig Mattick: I think Nora Groft would tell you what to do, as an assistant, don't you think?
Jussy Tuscherer: Oh, absolutely. I'm sure she would. Yeah. And she'd be phenomenal at doing it. Yeah.
Craig Mattick: Couple of more questions for Jussy. Jussy, when you lived on the farm, I know you played volleyball and basketball. Did you have the basketball court there on the farm? And did you have a volleyball net on the farm?
Jussy Tuscherer: Well, we had a basketball hoop that was stored in our Morton shed, and I would wheel it out of the Morton shed and I would practice shooting on gravel. So I had lots of practice with ball handling when it would hit a rock and it would bounce the other way and stuff like that. So maybe that helped with my basketball skills.
But as far as volleyball, I don't know if I ever actually had a net, but what I would do is I would just go up beside our shop and I would practice just passing the ball up against the shop, trying to hit the same spot every time. And then I would do setting and then I would practice my serving against the shop and hitting, trying to hit the ball over and over and over at the same spot every time.
I'm pretty sure my mom had told me, she was saying, "Juss, you're going to leave a dent on the shop if you keep hitting that ball so hard." So yeah, I would. I would do that a lot when I was home. But honestly, I spent a lot of time at open gyms and camps, improving my skills that way, too.
Craig Mattick: When you look back over the past 15 years, right before you get into high school, and as a young kid and watching that Northwestern program grow and going all the way through high school and college, what encouragement would you give high school kids, boys and girls today?
Jussy Tuscherer: Mm-hmm. Well, I think when you're living it, you feel like you're going to be in high school forever. Four years seems like so much amount of time, and sometimes the grind of practice every day and workouts and, "Oh, I have to go to this camp," and, "Oh, I have this," and it's such a short phase of your life that I would just really encourage kids to just have as much fun with it as possible. Because when you grow up, you're not going to be able to go to these camps when you're an adult and you'll look back and wish, "Oh, I wish, maybe I would've enjoyed that a little bit more at the time," rather than just an item on the checklist, "Oh, got that done, move on to the next thing." So just to really enjoy it and have fun.
Craig Mattick: In Play with Craig Mattick is made possible by Horton in Britain, where smiling at work happens all the time. Apply now at hortonww.com. If you like what you're hearing, please give us a five star review wherever you get your podcast. It helps us gain new listeners. This has been In Play, with me, Craig Mattick. This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
