Francis Lewis’ Dortch becomes assists king

Arnie Rosenbaum knew he was getting a solid volleyball player when Jen Dortch entered Francis Lewis as a freshman. Her father, Perry, a physical education teacher at the school and now the basketball coach, had tipped off Rosenbaum that his daughter had ability.
Neither could have predicted such a career, however.
Four years later — two division titles, two semifinal appearances, and one finals berth - the 5-foot-3-inch setter has become the all-time assists leader in Francis Lewis history, recently surpassing former teammate Emmelyn Acosta, and is the first Patriot player to eclipse 1,000 assists. Her total now stands at 1,047.
“I’m just really proud of myself,” she said. “When you set for a team for almost four years, you’re bound to get a lot of assists. I’ve had good hitters to help me out. It’s an accomplishment.”
“It’s really exciting,” she later added, “to know that I reached 1,000.”
It hasn’t come without an intense work ethic. Rosenbaum said the only practices she has missed in four seasons were due to Jewish holidays. Even when she was sick last week and couldn’t participate, Dortch showed up and sat on the sideline, her body wrapped in a blanket.
“There’s no reason to miss practice,” she said. “If you’re working hard and doing what you have to do, that’s the only way a team is going to work.”
“She didn’t say I have a little sniff and cough and went home,” Rosenbaum said, later adding: “I would have to scrape her off the floor for her not to play.”
Dortch has improved leaps and bounds since she started playing club ball with the Queens College team, Creole Big Apple. She began in seventh grade and is a vital member to the 18-and-under team.
“Club [competition] has helped immensely; if you don’t play club, you don’t play in college,” she said. “I learned everything from club. I learned the rotations, I learned my technique. It’s not just club, but all the camps I’ve gone to. But club was definitely the major thing to help me.”
Because of her diminutive stature, Dortch isn’t likely to play high Division I ball. She has looked at Quinnipiac, Cortland, Binghamton, Northeastern, and Southern Connecticut State. Wherever she winds up, Rosenbaum is confident she will make an impact.
“It’s just her ability to get to the ball and make something good out of something that is not so good,” Rosenbaum said. “She really moved very well, and she’s aware of the other hitters on the team. That’s where she’s far ahead of a lot of other kids.”