Feeling like a family member can be an important part of choosing a college for a student-athlete.

Having a family member already at Kansas University helped Kansas City (Mo.) O’Hara High junior volleyball standout Tessa Jones’ decision to commit to KU.

Trent Jones, Tessa’s brother, is a student manager for the Jayhawks, and that connection helped make Tessa’s choice of Kansas over Missouri easier.

“I got used to the coaches and players through him and got comfortable with the team,” she said.

A first-team all-metro selection the past two seasons, Jones led the Celtics with 471 kills, 94 blocks and a .517 hitting efficiency last season.

O’Hara won the Missouri Class 3A state volleyball title, and Jones set a tournament record with a .336 hitting efficiency.

Jones said she didn’t see a need to wait until her senior season to commit to KU.

“I knew I was going to go there, and there weren’t any more questions to be answered,” she said. “It’s nice to let the coaches know, both KU’s coaches and the other coaches that were recruiting me.”