Hamilton, ON- One day earlier this year, Jenna Woock was scrolling through her camera roll on her phone. She found one photo from way back when she committed to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. 

Her older sister Rachel was playing for the McMaster Marauders at the time. They thought it would be funny to take a photo of themselves staring down at each other because they would be playing against one another soon. 

When that photo popped up on her screen so many years later, Woock thought: That’s funny. I’m now playing at McMaster. She wanted to do something special with it. 

So, she posted on her Instagram story, the day before playing the Varsity Blues on Jan. 20, the original photo of her and her sister along with an edited photo of her in 2024 staring at her former self. “Full circle tomorrow at 6 pm in the burr!!” she wrote as the caption. 

As the fifth-year middle prepared to play her former team, those photos symbolized where she was back then and where she is now. They symbolize the different person she is. They symbolize how special it all is. 

“I’m really glad I found the photo and could recreate that,” Woock said. 

Woock knows the significance of that image. It represents the seven years since she made her debut for the Varsity Blues to her possible last ever match against them. 

When she thinks about her time there, she’s thankful. The experience shaped her as a person and a volleyball player. “I wouldn’t be who I was without any of them,” she noted. 

She remembers coming into her first year at Toronto in 2017. A shy teenager from Richmond Hill who didn’t talk much – she called herself “a mute” back then – Woock was living away from home for the first time. Her team became her family. 

Day after day, week after week, month after month, her teammates and coaches kept encouraging her to be more outgoing. When she heard them say that, she knew she could depend on them. Knowing that, she started to come out of her shell more and more. 

Woock started to open up and talk more – both on the court and off. She would communicate with her teammates and coaches. She wouldn’t be afraid to ask them what they need from her – and tell them what she needs from them. 

She would lock eyes with them and get close to them. “Willing to be more vulnerable with people,” Woock said. 

When she made a mistake, they didn’t judge her for that. She found she didn’t need to be shy anymore. She could depend on them. She could open up to them. 

“There’s no need for me to hold back and be scared of making mistakes because they, like, accept me no matter what,” she said. 

All her teammates she’s played with at Toronto have impacted her. From those veterans she looked up to in her first year to those in her same class – Hayley Goodwin and Mia Workman among others – to those she played against on Saturday. 

Woock looked up to those senior players in her rookie season. She saw how they carried themselves and wanted to be just like them. They made her a better person. She relied on Goodwin and Workman through all those years while they relied on her.

Then there’s long-time head coach Kristine Drakich. Imagine all the thoughts going through Woock’s head as she ponders the impact Drakich has had on her. “I can’t even like overstate how much of an impact she’s had on me,” Woock noted. “I don’t even have the words.” 

Drakich helped her with her discipline and the details that go with it. She learned how to treat every practice like a championship game. Never slack off. Always be on it. 

Her coach kept encouraging her to come out of her shell. She kept encouraging her to connect with others, network with people and push herself in school and in her career. She kept pushing her to be a better player on the court. 

All that encouragement paid off. When Woock left Toronto in 2022, she was an OUA East Player of the Year, a U SPORTS first-team All-Canadian and an OUA All-Star. She was a back-to-back OUA champion in 2019 and 2020, celebrating alongside Drakich, Goodwin, Workman and all her teammates. 

She became more confident in herself. When she’s talking and expressive, she found she wasn’t caught in what she was doing. Woock was interacting with her teammates and bringing them together. That helped her play. 

When Woock left Toronto in 2022 to pursue a professional career, she was a different person than when she came in. 

After playing professionally in Hungary last season, Woock returned to McMaster, a program she’s been around since she was a kid. 

Woock felt the nerves of coming into a new team. She soon felt how welcoming her new teammates were. How much she could depend on them. 

Those at McMaster have felt the difference all those years have had on Woock. 

Middle Ellie Hatashita recalls playing against Woock as a rookie in her first regular season game in 2019. She lined up across from her on the Burridge Gym court. Hatashita soon found out how hard it was to play against her. Woock’s teammates kept setting for her and she kept scoring as the Varsity Blues won the game in three sets. 

“Almost unstoppable,” Hatashita noted. She remembers how intimidating she was to play against. 

Four years later, when she found out she would be teammates with Woock, Hatashita didn’t know what to expect. After spending time with her and getting to know her, Hatashita found Woock to be an absolute joy to have as a teammate. 

Look how committed she is to making her teammates better. Look how selfless she is. Look how calm and collected she is under pressure. Hatashita sees all that. 

Look how eager she is learn from Hatashita as much as Hatashita is to learn from her. The two middles share insights with each other. They both look to each other for guidance. 

Look at Woock five years later playing against the Varsity Blues. She’s making the kills and blocks like she’s done before. She’s vocal and talking with her teammates and coaches. She’s telling McMaster head coach Nathan Janzen during the game: “We got this. It’s all good.” That helped Janzen be more emotionally centered.  

She’s locking eyes with her teammates time and time again. 

Before the game, Woock knew how special it would be. In their first match against Toronto in their home opener, she could only watch from the sidelines as she was injured. 

She talked with Janzen about how tough the game would be for her. How personal it would be. Not because she wanted revenge but because of the great experience she had there with those people. 

Woock focused on finding a way to focus on her team when the whistle blew – instead of who was across from her. 

The Marauders won three sets to one as Woock finished with six kills and six digs. She found it fun to play against her old teammates and coaches. As they shaked hands afterwards, she had a smile on her face. She caught up with them after the game as well. 

Woock understands how special the moment is. She doesn’t get to see her former teammates and coaches too often anyone. She’s thankful for the chance to play them one last time – unless they meet in the OUA playoffs or nationals – in her final season of university volleyball. 

“It’s emotional,” Woock said. She thought of the great experience she’s had. Of all the memories she’s made, people she’s met and the person she’s become. Of the photo she found and posted. 

Just like the caption stated, everything came full circle. 

Featured Image: Kevin Lassel/McMaster Athletics