Transition smooth for ex-Trojan

If Whitworth University senior outside hitter Jalana White attacks her career as a chiropractor nearly as much as she goes after volleyballs for kills, the sky's the limit.

After all, she experienced the benefits of that profession while at Post Falls, where she competed in volleyball and track and field.

After graduating from Whitworth, the 5-foot-10 Northwest Conference leader in kills wishes to attend graduate school for 3 1/2 years to become a chiropractor. The 2009 Post Falls graduate's top choice is Palmer College of Chiropractic in San Jose, Calif. She is on track to graduate this spring, with a degree in health science.

"I want to earn my doctorate in chiropractic," White said. "I took a class during my freshman year at Whitworth and it looked at different careers you can get into with a health science degree and chiropractic care stuck out with me. I originally wanted to go to physical therapy school, but I've always seen a chiropractor and it never really struck me (to become one) until that class. I'm so happy with my decision to want to go there, I think it's going to be the right fit for me. It totally sparked my interest."

THE REASONS White wishes to attend Palmer are clear to her.

"Palmer is where chiropractic teaching started with the foundation of chiropractic care," White said. "I want to be in a school where the teaching methods are. It felt right and I love everything about the school."

White has seen a chiropractor since she attended Post Falls. As a senior she helped lead the Trojans to a fifth-place finish at the state 5A volleyball tournament, the school's first appearance since 1991. She was a two-time team Most Valuable Player. The wear and tear on her body caught up to her, but she enjoyed the thrills of victory while attending Post Falls, where she also qualified for state in track and field.

"When I ran track, I saw someone to help fix a hip injury I had during my senior year. There's a lot of impact on your body, said White, who placed fourth at state in the triple jump as a senior, jumping a personal-best 35 feet, 1/2 inch on her final jump.

In volleyball, White is second all-time at Post Falls in assists, seventh in kills, eighth in blocks and 10th in aces.

White played mostly setter, as well as some at hitter, at Post Falls under coach Willow Hanna.

"Willow has always led a strong program," White said. "She played in college, so she understood the transition from high school to college. I think it's that motivation."

Hanna said coaching White was a great experience.

"She always has a drive to get better," Hanna said. "That's how she's become this all-world player. She was a leader on our team. She's very encouraging, but always has that edge. She's a very sweet girl, somebody that you'd want to be friends with."

CURRENTLY WHITE is in the midst of wrapping up a stellar athletic and academic career at the NCAA Division III school. As of Sept. 24, she was ranked 51st nationally among D-III players for kills per set, with 225 kills overall over 16 matches for the Pirates (9-7, 3-1 NWC).

As a junior, White was named to the all-conference second team, after she recorded 300 kills, the second-most in the conference, including a career-high 22 kills in one match.

After former coach Steve Rupe resigned after her junior season, a new coach, former University of Idaho volleyball player Kati Bodecker, stepped in after a successful run at Priest River High. Going into tonight's match at home against 16th-ranked University of Puget Sound, the Pirates are in a three-way tie for second place with Puget Sound at 3-1 in the conference, behind fifth-ranked Cal Lutheran (4-0), who Whitworth plays on Saturday.

White is a team captain, a role she took on last year.

"I like the leadership role," White said. "It holds myself accountable for working hard every day. I know the girls are looking at me when we're losing and I know I have to keep myself in that high expectation."

"She has made it a smooth transition for me," said Bodecker, 28, who led Priest River to five state tournament appearances in her six seasons there. "One of the first players I contacted was her. She brings a competitive spirit, she verbalizes things on the court well. She has higher expectations. She's done a good job informing me of things she wanted to change, things the team wanted to have stay the same. She shows players how to improve their play."

One example of White's impact on the Pirates this season came when they played a conference match on Sept. 27 at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore. She helped will her team to a 20-25, 21-25, 25-17, 26-24, 22-20 victory. One of White's 19 kills helped put Whitworth ahead 20-19 in the fourth game, then she scored the winning point in the fifth game.

"We had match point numerous times," Bodecker said. "Jalana made a real aggressive kill. She did whatever she wanted."

White stands out in the classroom, with a 3.8 cumulative grade-point average (it was 4.2 at Post Falls). The student-athlete experience couldn't be much better for White these past few years.

"Whitworth's really great, because obviously it's Division III, so you're not on an athletic scholarship and the coaches understand that and the professors know that you're a student before you're an athlete," White said. "It's a really homey atmosphere as far as supporting each other and getting a great education and playing a great sport that you love ... I love playing volleyball, because it's three hours out of my day where I don't have to worry about school or anything else, I just get to go out and practice."

WHITE WAS originally recruited by Rupe to Whitworth as a setter, but quickly moved to hitter because the Pirates had a starting setter.

The University of Puget Sound also showed interest in White, as did a few other colleges. But the 35-mile trip from Post Falls was among the alluring features of attending Whitworth.

"It came down to I loved everything about it (Whitworth University) and it was close to home," White said. "I was excited that my parents would be able to come to a lot of my matches and what the atmosphere provided, not only as an athlete but as a student."

AS A freshman, White started four matches on a team which won the Northwest Conference and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III West Region tournament.

The next year, the Pirates won the Northwest Conference and reached the first round of the NCAA Division III West Region tournament before falling in five games to Cal Lutheran, ranked No. 17 in the nation at the time. For the season, White had 169 kills in four starts and 26 matches.

Last season, after several players graduated, Whitworth struggled and finished 10-13 (6-10 NWC).

"During my sophomore season, we graduated quite a few seniors," White said. "So last year as a junior, there were a lot of us out on the court that were new and hadn't had a lot of court experience, so last year was a developmental year for us and we got a lot of people a lot of reps. Now that we have that experience out on the court, we're really competing and working for the (Northwest Conference) title. I want to finish the season strong and end my volleyball career on a high note."

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, or via email at bbourquin@cdapress.com