Biography
By Jim Hague
It’s not every day that a freshman from a small town in southern California ends up in a major metropolis like Newark, New Jersey.
But that’s the journey that Jeff Zornig took, coming from a spot on the map known as Coto de Caza, California, and ending up in downtown Newark at Rutgers-Newark, playing varsity volleyball with the Scarlet Raiders.
Zornig’s journey began with a little bit of a detour, but without that bend in the road, he never would have ended up at Rutgers-Newark.
“I actually went to a junior college called Irvine Valley, but I never played there,” Zornig said. “The coach at Irvine Valley knew Karl (France, the head coach at Rutgers-Newark), so that’s how I found out about Rutgers. I knew that they needed a setter, so the coach at Irvine Valley referred me to Karl. That coach knew that I wanted to play college volleyball someplace.”
But Newark?
“I’d never been to New Jersey before I got here,” Zornig said. “When people talked about New Jersey to me, it didn’t sound like much. It was going to be a major culture shock for me.”
However, once Zornig arrived in Newark, he knew he made the right choice to come.
“Once I came here, I really liked it,” Zornig said. “I liked the coaches and the guys on the team were great. It’s probably the reason why I’m still here. The guys on the team are really cool.”
It helped that there was a fellow Californian on the R-N roster in sophomore outside hitter Nate Stott, who hails from Clovis in northern California.
“Having Nate here really helped me get through the tough times early on,” Zornig said.
“Nate was one of the first guys here that I could bond with. I looked to him for advice and that helped a lot.”
Zornig was also pleased with his relationship with France.
“At first, he came off as being strict and tough,” Zornig said. “Maybe we all needed that at first. But once I got to know him, I found Karl to be easy to get along with.”
France was impressed with the way Zornig fit in right away.
“He was exactly what I thought he would be, a good setter with a good background in volleyball and that he would be good for the program,” France said. “He really solidified the position and he’s really had the most impact of all the freshmen we have. It’s a pretty good freshman class. We brought in five guys and three are playing right away. Jeff is the one who is getting the considerable amount of action and has been in every game. Honestly, without Jeff, things would be really tough this year.”
While the Scarlet Raiders have struggled somewhat to a 5-12 record thus far, Zornig has been rock steady, ranking among the top four setters in the East and top 10 in the nation in total assists (683) and assists per game (12.2). Zorning also leads the team in service aces with 20.
“Jeff has played for good coaches in California and for some good club teams, so he came here pretty experienced,” France said. “For a freshman to be ranked that high in assists is pretty remarkable, considering we’re a rebuilding program. It kind of shows what kind of offensive player he can become. I’m extremely happy to have him on the team.”
Zornig was a standout volleyball player and basketball player at Tesoro High School in California, helping his volleyball team to a league championship and a state sectional final.
“I am real optimistic about the future and I think the success I had in high school helped me,” Zornig said. “I love playing volleyball. I was obviously a little nervous making the jump into college and I felt a lot of pressure starting right away. I really didn’t know if I was ready for college volleyball.
Added Zornig, “But now I feel real comfortable and I guess I’m doing alright.”
He guesses? Zornig is one of the top setters in the nation according to the NCAA Division I statistics and he thinks he’s doing fine.
“Actually, that kind of shocked me,” Zornig said of the national ranking. “Karl brought it to my attention and I couldn’t believe it, because I felt like I wasn’t doing that well.”
France said that there’s only one aspect to Zornig’s game that may need a little work.
“Jeff is not a vocal person,” France said. “He’s basically a shy guy and that’s not good in his position as a setter. Being quiet causes a bit of a problem. We’re working around that. We have to make sure he becomes more vocal. We need him to take command of things. The quicker he can emote, the better we’ll all be.”
Needless to say, Zornig is pleased he made the choice to come east to Rutgers-Newark.
“I love the team and I love playing volleyball,” Zornig said. “I am happy about coming here. I guess I’ve set the bar high for myself for the next three years.”
Zornig said that he plans on majoring in business at R-N, but hasn’t officially declared his major just yet.
“I want to do something in the business field,” Zornig said. “I think that’s right for me.”
Zornig also knows what else is right for him – playing summer volleyball on the beaches of California.
“I’m going back home as soon as school is over,” Zornig said. “I honestly can’t wait. Not like I don’t like it here, but it’s home. I’ll absolutely play beach volleyball all summer long.”
And he’ll be working on that southern California tan.
“It’s going to fade quickly as the school year goes on,” Zornig said.
So it looks like this laid-back California kid can handle the Jersey hustle and bustle.
“I guess you can say that,” Zornig said.
