Second-year outside hitter Jake Read has established himself as a powerful player on the men’s volleyball team.
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Second-year outside hitter Jake Read has established himself as a powerful player on the men’s volleyball team.
Jake Read has quickly established himself as a key player with Loyola men’s volleyball. The Newport Beach, Calif. native and second-year outside hitter played in 83 sets and started 22 matches as a first-year, finishing with a .458 hitting percentage — third-best on the team.
From his journey to Loyola as a dominant high school athlete, to his recent matchup against his older brother—fourth-year libero Brendan Read at Pepperdine University— Jake has highlighted his rise as a competitor in the sport.
Jake wasn’t initially on the volleyball track, as he grew up a multi-sport athlete with a large passion for basketball. His brother said he excelled in every sport he played growing up.
“He’s always been one of the bigger kids in his age group, and he always kind of dominated,” Brendan said. “Basketball, soccer and whatever other sports — he was always pretty good.”
In seventh grade, Jake said he made a pivotal decision which defined his future and followed his brother’s footsteps — quitting baseball in pursuit of playing for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club.
Jake said he originally had dreams of playing basketball at the collegiate level, but soon realized where his future lay.
“I wanted to go to college and play basketball, but those dreams were kind of crushed,” Jake said with a laugh. “Once I realized there was kinda levels to it and I started playing well in club volleyball.”
Jake recalls coaches beginning to find interest in him as a player in volleyball instead of basketball during recruiting season.
“I got some coaches reaching out to me and I’m like, okay, this is legit, without even kind of having it on my mind, I got some offers and coaches looking in my direction,” he said.
His talent on the volleyball court quickly became evident with back-to-back All-California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I First Team honors and leading Newport Harbor High School to consecutive CIF State Southern California Regional Final appearances. In 2022, he capped off his high school career with 18 kills in the championship match to secure the state title.
Despite high school success, Jake’s recruiting process wasn’t straightforward. Instead of receiving formal scholarship offers early in his high school career as a typical top-ranking highschool recruit would, he verbally gauged interest from various programs before making his choice.
“I didn’t have a bunch of official offers, but I had coaches reaching out,” Jake said. “I visualized where I’d fit best and where I’d get on the court the quickest.”
His final decision came down to Loyola, Ohio State University and the University of Southern California. Despite the natural draw of the California option, Read said he wanted to leave the state and do something different.
As a program with a rich volleyball history, the Ramblers, currently ranked ninth in the country, welcomed back Hall of Fame coach Shane Davis this season, adding even more excitement to the program’s trajectory.
“I knew volleyball was going to be a lot of work in college, so I wanted to go somewhere I could start or play as soon as possible,” Jake said. “As of now, I think I made the right decision.”
One of the most anticipated matches for Jake came Jan. 30, when Loyola faced Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. Starting on the other side of the net was Brendan, in a new iteration of a family reunion.
“It was exciting,” Jake said. “We’ve played together before, but never against each other. It was cool to be on the court with him at this level.”
The match, played at Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse, was a hard-fought battle, with Loyola eventually securing a thrilling five-set victory.
Brendan said the matchup brought out some familiar brotherly competition, but everything was cordial this time around. Their family was in attendance, making the moment even more special.
“It felt kind of weird,” Brendan said. “But it was really cool. Our whole family was there with custom shirts.”
With the season in full swing, Jake said he’s focused on how Loyola will respond to the challenges ahead. Recent losses to No. 11 McKendree University and No. 15 Lewis University were setbacks, but he remains optimistic.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how things shake out,” Jake said. “This conference has a bunch of good teams, so it’ll be fun to see how everything plays out going into the playoffs.”
Now mid-season, Jake’s impact on the team has been undeniable, as he ranks third in kills with 84 and has recorded 19 service aces at Loyola.
Brendan said as he continues to watch his younger brother’s rise in volleyball, he sees the same competitive spirit that has driven him since childhood.
“He’s always been a competitor,” Brendan said. “He knows when to turn it on in big moments. It’s been cool to see how well he’s doing.”
Jake’s journey — from a middle schooler following in Brendan’s footsteps to a collegiate athlete forging his own path — has always been fueled by their brotherly competition.
As the Ramblers push forward in conference play, Jake said he’s excited for what’s shaping up to be an extremely competitive season for Loyola’s Program.
“I’m excited to play some volleyball and see which team comes out on top,” Jake said.
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