Texas Tech University Athletics
Faces In The Crowd: Jill Burness
June 28, 2007 | Women's Volleyball
June 28, 2007
June 21, 2007
By Wes Skipwith, Texas Tech Media Relations
As a middle blocker for the Texas Tech volleyball team, Jill (Burness) Stowe schooled opponents while amassing huge statistics. Today, Dr. Stowe continues holding class, teaching statistics as a professor at Duke University.
After being a standout player in both basketball and volleyball at Kentucky Wesleyan, Stowe transferred to Tech in 1995 and immediately began making her impact on the team. In her first season, Stowe overcame injuries to lead the team in hitting percentage with .298. In 1996, Stowe had one of the best seasons in Tech volleyball history as she led the team in seven different statistical categories and was named AVCA All-Region District Five and First Team All-Big 12. In just two seasons, Stowe earned a spot in the top-10 in eight different categories in the Tech record books. She was named to the Tech All-Millennium Team and her No. 16 jersey is the only one to be retired in Red Raider Volleyball history.
"I was only at Tech for two years," Stowe said. "I really wish it would have been longer because it was such a great experience. But I was really fortunate to have met a lot of wonderful friends there and to have great teammates and a great coach."
The Corrales, N.M., native also excelled in the classroom while at Tech. Stowe was named GTE-CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1995 and1996. Her senior season, Stowe was named Volleyball Academic All-American of the Year and earned a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship while becoming a Rhodes Scholar finalist. Stowe said it was easy for her do well in school while competing in Division I athletics because she enjoyed performing at a high level in both of those aspects.
"I loved playing and I loved to be able to compete at a higher level and push myself to see what I can learn, accomplish and execute on the court," Stowe said. "I felt the same way about the stuff I did off the court. I was and still am a nerd and just enjoyed doing as well as I could in the classroom."
After graduating from Tech in 1997 with a degree in mathematics, Stowe enrolled at Texas A&M and began working on her Ph. D. in economics. While in College Station, she volunteered as an assistant for the A&M women's volleyball team. That is where she met her husband Keith, who was also attending A&M.
Stowe and her husband have been married since 2000 and have two sons, Zack and Josh. Stowe said her family gives her the most joy in her life and she relishes every moment she spends with them.
"It's just a huge blessing to be married to your best friend who supports you and who you enjoy spending a lot of time with," Stowe said. "It's really is a miracle to have kids. It probably sounds cliché, but I really can't describe how wonderful it is to have children and have the opportunity to raise them."
After finishing her Ph. D. in 2002, Stowe and her husband moved to Rougemont, N.C., where she accepted her current job as an assistant professor and researcher at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Stowe is a researcher with the decision science's group and she teaches statistics to the school's MBA students. Stowe said she enjoys the fortuities and possibilities her job provides.
"In academia you generally have the freedom to research topics that are of interest to you," she said. "So it's nice to have that flexibility. I also really enjoy teaching and the opportunity to establish a report with the students that I meet. Here at Duke, as in anywhere, you just have a lot of interesting people with very diverse backgrounds coming together. I feel selfish in a sense because it gives me unique opportunities to learn from my students while all I teach them is basic business statistics."
It was announced this month that Stowe will be among eight former Red Raider athletes inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor. Stowe said she is thrilled to be among the people receiving this prestigious acknowledgement.
"It's very humbling because there are some many talented athletes, not only athletically but as people, who have been at Texas Tech and they have had the opportunity to leave their impact not only on the athletic program at Texas Tech and Tech in general but also in whatever walk of life that they have chosen," Stowe said. "It sets the bar high for me because I too want to make a positive difference in this world. I want to leave things a little better than I found them."
Stowe will be returning to Lubbock with her husband during Texas Tech-Texas A&M football weekend Oct. 12-13 where she will be inducted into the Hall of Honor.
"I look forward to being at Tech in October," she said. "I told my husband that he doesn't have to where Red and Black but he couldn't wear maroon."
