The Paedons Bring Family Ties to Boise State Volleyball
By Dain Solberg
Bronco Volleyball Associate Head Coach Candy Murphy and freshman outside hitter Giselle Paedon have two things in common: one is Boise State volleyball, and the other is Jen Paedon. For Murphy, Jen is someone she got to know while coaching at Sacramento State. For Giselle, Jen is the woman she calls mom.
This year has been a full-circle moment for Murphy and both the Paedons. Jen was one of Murphy’s first athletes as she began her coaching career in the 1990s at Sacramento State.
“Jen played for me at Sacramento State in 1993-94," said Murphy. " She was a player who was very thoughtful and a hard worker, and Giselle is the same way. She was always asking questions and thinking about her technique as a player.”
“My mom has such a great sense of humor, and honestly, she is so comforting, and like coach Candy, she is my biggest supporter. She is genuinely one of my best friends. It has also been great having that kind of support from a coach, like Candy, when my mom is not here. They are so similar."Giselle Paedon
For Giselle, Jen has always been mom and a supporter throughout her volleyball career, as she climbed the ranks to the NCAA Division I level at Boise State.
“My mom never wanted to push me into anything," Giselle said. "I went to a camp in eighth grade and then started playing club. She’s been one of my biggest supporters. During fall camp (at Boise State), I’d call her to talk; she knows exactly what to say. The words of encouragement have been great.”
The San Jose, California, native has fit in well with the Division I style of play as fall camp progressed, and through the Utah Valley Invitational.
“The transition from high school to college has definitely helped me," said Giselle. "It’s a higher level, but the same game. Everyone is so much faster and more skilled. I like the challenge.”
“Giselle is a really bouncy and dynamic player,” said Murphy. ” Not that Jen wasn’t since she statistically did fantastic as she was on top of blocks, hitting percentages, and a lot of other categories. But they are just different, I would say Giselle is a higher, more dynamic athlete.”
While at Sacramento State, Murphy remembers stellar defensive play from Jen for the Hornets.
“She was a really good blocker. I remember Jen being very focused on blocking, and we were a good team at that time. We just had that winning mentality. Our record was good. In our first year, our team went pretty deep into the NIVC tournament. She was just a solid player for us in the middle. We had some talented players around her.”
She was just a solid player for us in the middle. We had some talented players around her.”
Murphy recognized Jen's drive as a student-athlete when coaching her at Sacramento State. When Jen's collegiate career came to an end, Murphy knew she would be successful in whatever she did in life.
“The attention to detail and wanting to do what is right is big," Murphy said. "She’s a great person and wants to be a good teammate. She needed to get up to speed when she reached this level. Giselle is in a very similar situation. They are just good people and overall, a great family.”
"Jen was a good student and worked hard. When you see those traits, you knew she was going to be great in life."
Fall Camp-
Giselle's talent has consistently stood out during practice, impressing the coaching staff with her effort. As a young player, she has excelled and will play a key role for Boise State this season.
“She is doing great and learning new things all the time. It’s a very different game; the blockers are way bigger," said Murphy. "She was facing really good competition when her club played, but the pressure you see at the net is totally different at the collegiate level than what she saw in the club gym.
“She is learning new techniques and doing very well. Sometimes it is overwhelming for a freshman to come in. She's taking all of the information in and adding it to her game.”
Recruiting Path-
Jen Paedon and her husband supported Giselle's decision to play for Boise State. Giselle enjoyed her time in Boise and was impressed with what she saw in the team and community.
She spent time touring academic buildings, and loved the community feel of the campus. Paedon toured campus on a day where football was not playing, and was still very much impressed.
"The familiarity (with coach Murphy) was definitely kind of a part of my decision. But I also think that everyone here was just amazing, like Shawn and Candy, who are amazing coaches. I liked everyone here; the whole community is so supportive of the program."
Jen realized Boise State was interested in her daughter after seeing Garus at a junior tournament. She also knew that Candy was now coaching at Boise State, before they crossed paths at two club volleyball tournaments.
“The first indication that Boise State was interested in Giselle was during her 16’s year, when coach Shawn Garus was watching her club volleyball. The club coach mentioned that the Broncos were watching Giselle at junior nationals. Before that, Giselle attended a college club camp where Candy was there watching.”
Jen's familiarity with Candy has been beneficial for the Paedon family when Giselle was considering committing to play volleyball for the Broncos.
“For me, this was a huge positive. Knowing what kind of person she (coach Murphy) was and the coach she had been gave me great comfort. My husband (Grant) and I tried to give Giselle advice and guidance. Ultimately, we let her make her own decision.”
Jen believes that Giselle's choice to attend Boise State was a full-circle moment; there was a comfort level that both Giselle and Jen were able to bond over.
“I was thrilled for Giselle," said Jen. "The recruiting process is very overwhelming; you can sort through and pick out what you want in a school. You take into account location, coaches, and teams.”
“I think Giselle was leaning towards Boise, but still had a little bit of uncertainty.”, Giselle and her dad made a trip up to Boise on a regular school day, which is what sealed the decision. She really felt the warmth of the community, and they didn’t even know that she was a recruit.”
Jen’s Influence on Giselle-
Jen states that she has received updates from Giselle every day during fall camp. She is happy with her daughter’s decision to become a Bronco.
“Getting to know the girls and the coaches better has been a huge positive," Jen said. "She lives with her teammates, they have floated the river and done all the fun Boise activities on campus and in town.”
Giselle cherishes her mother's support in her decision to attend Boise State, just as she has always been there for Giselle throughout her volleyball career.
“My mom has such a great sense of humor, and honestly, she is so comforting, and like coach Candy, she is my biggest supporter. She is genuinely one of my best friends. It has also been great having that kind of support from a coach, like Candy, when my mom is not here. They are so similar.”
Jen believes that coach Murphy is motivating and a very good coach for players to learn from and improve. Murphy's 26 years of experience have made her a knowledgeable and demanding coach who only wants to see her student-athletes compete and improve while in the Boise State program.
“She is direct, as a player, you may not want to hear it, but you need to hear it," Jen said. "I appreciated being able to learn from her and improve my game.”
Giselle has enjoyed bonding with her team out of the gym and also balancing her experience by putting in the work once the team enters Bronco Gym.
“The community is so great, Boise is such a nice change of pace, especially coming from NorCal," said Giselle. "Then we get in the volleyball gym, and it’s so lively when everyone is competing. I love being a part of it because everybody is pushing you and holding you accountable. You are just able to be a better version of yourself!”
Time will tell how Giselle's career at Boise State unfolds. But in the early going, things are looking bright for the true-freshman from San Jose.
Boise State opened the season last week with a 3-0 record at the Utah Valley Invitational with victories over Navy, Montana and Utah Valley.
Following the tournament at Utah Valley, the Broncos open up the season at home tonight against UC San Diego on the first day of the Boise State Classic, featuring Arizona, Oregon State and UC San Diego.
