High School Preview – Brianna McDonald 2022 Right Side
This month I will be rolling out some articles that are a little different than we have been writing for the past couple of months. I will still be doing our regular highlight articles on multiple athletes for exposure, however…
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Continue ReadingThis month I will be rolling out some articles that are a little different than we have been writing for the past couple of months. I will still be doing our regular highlight articles on multiple athletes for exposure, however I wanted to do some special articles on a few special athletes that we are getting to know quite well with Prep Dig TX. These young ladies volunteered to discuss their upcoming high school season and how they are planning on getting ready for it. Brianna was picked because of her right side position on her high school team and what they are facing coming into this coming year. I thought it would be a good idea for our readers to get some insight into what a right side pin hitter of a team thinks about in regards to her upcoming high school season and a new district. Without further ado, here is our article on Miss Brianna McDonald Brianna McDonald 5'7" | RS FB Travis | 2022 State TX .
Brianna McDonald Brianna McDonald 5'7" | RS FB Travis | 2022 State TX [2022] 5-8 Outside/Right Side/Defensive Specialist (HS: FB Travis/Club: Texas Tornados/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Brianna is currently ranked as the 72nd best prospect in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. I recently wrote an article on her and here is a little of what I wrote, “This little lefty is a firecracker of a player. She has some serious bounce to her game and plays with tons of heart. She is able to play all the way around on the court and excels in a variety of fashions for her Tornados club out of Houston. I love covering smaller players because they know they must outwork taller competition. Brianna is this type of player. In order for her to compete, she must master the art of timing her attack. This gives her a smaller window to hit into in order to score, but she doesn’t shy away from wanting to attack the ball. She hits well on both pins and has a great back row game also. She contacts the ball very high and hits at the peak of her reach very well to get every inch out of her approach touch. Don’t sleep on this kid just because she isn’t as tall. She will wow you with her ability to press on the block and shut down opposing outsides.” At Fort Bend Travis, Brianna is relied on heavily for her attacking ability. No one truly understands how hard it is for smaller players to have to be perfect in their timing in order to attack at a high level consistently. Brianna is one of those players who is a master at her craft and will continue to excel at her sport in the coming years.
We sat down with Brianna and asked her a few questions about volleyball, dealing with Covid-19 and the upcoming high school season. Here is a little bit of the conversation we had. We hope you enjoy.
Prep Dig TX: Why volleyball? Why is it so important to you? What do you love about it?
Brianna: I tried multiple sports but none of them ever stuck with me like volleyball did. It’s funny because over the years my mom actually tried to get me into basketball because I come from a basketball family. When I was 8 years old, I was introduced to volleyball by my mom and fell in love with the game right away. I started playing at our local YMCA where my mom coached my team for 3 years. When I was 11 my mom created a club for me and my friends that played at the YMCA. We played together for 4 years and that made my love for the game grow even more because of the lifelong friendships and memories that were made. Volleyball is so important to me because of how the sport itself shaped me into such a strong person both mentally and physically. Most importantly it is so important to me because of the sacrifices that were made for me in order to play all these years. It has given me confidence and the mentality that has made me a better person, not only on but off the court. From the wins and memories that were created to all the friends and all the lessons learned, volleyball will always hold a special place in my heart.
Prep Dig TX: Tell me what you love about your position on the court the most.
Brianna: I have played almost every position on the court over the years, but I am now primarily a pin hitter and DS. The thing I love most about being a pin hitter is having the opportunity to put away a point with a crazy kill for your team, while feeling the excitement from your whole team and the crowd celebrating. When I am playing the position of a DS I just love the thrill I get from keeping the ball in play by any means necessary and getting that one pass to set my team up for the winning point.
Prep Dig TX: What are you looking forward to the most this school season?
Brianna: This school season I am looking forward to all the competition and focusing on winning one game at a time with my team to compete for the district title. I think Travis is going to surprise a lot people this season. Last year we were a young team when we made it to the playoffs. This year we are just going to build on that success. We are returning our entire starting lineup and we will be deep in every position. There’s something exciting about being the underdog and as a team we are just excited about making a name for ourselves in a very tough district. Every match is going to be a battle this season; there’s going to be some great volleyball played each and every game night and I look forward to it. I am also looking forward to being able to play another season with girls that I have been playing with for many years. Competing and having fun with girls who are your friends just makes the game even more enjoyable.
Prep Dig TX: What do you think is your biggest obstacle this year compared to last year’s school season? How do you plan to overcome it?
Brianna: This season COVID will definitely be the biggest obstacle because of all the unknowns. It’s not just about not playing as many games this season, but how the game will be played. The thought of playing without fans or a student section or without being able to high five teammates in celebration will all take some getting used to. I think the only way to overcome it is to just be happy we get the opportunity to play the game this season.
Prep Dig TX: What are three individual goals that you have for this high school season?
Brianna: This season I want to improve my hitting percentages and defensive skills. I usually hit from the right side, but I am working on hitting from the left pin.
Prep Dig TX: Finish this sentence…this school volleyball season
Brianna: I’m am going to be the best leader and teammate I can be on and off the court in order to aid the success of team
Prep Dig TX: What did covid do you you mentally during this long shutdown? How have you coped with it?
Brianna: This long shut down from COVID at first made me feel helpless and frustrated. Schools were shut down, our club season got cut short, and places like gyms were closed. I didn’t touch a volleyball for a long period of time, and I couldn’t go to work out at the gym anymore. I knew this year was one of the most crucial years of my volleyball career, so the longer we had to be quarantined the more worried I became. After the first 2 months of quarantine I decided not to let this time be a bad thing and realized that I was not the only one stuck in this situation. I began calling and emailing college coaches and putting the film I had to use. Working out was one thing that really helped me cope with everything that was happening. Since my gym shut down, I adjusted by going running on my neighborhood trail in the mornings and then out to the hills. Recently, I was able to transform my garage into a home gym. We invested in weights and other gym equipment that would help me stay in shape for next season. It’s also been hard not being able to see my friends in person. I play PlayStation with my friends virtually and do zoom movie nights with my best friend. These things help and I just look forward to the day we can all hang out together again.
This young lady is a special person and a special player and I think that schools should take notice of players such as her. I decided to write a few articles on players such as her so that our readers can get a true understanding of what these athletes go through and how volleyball is a passion for them like it is for many of us. These players deserve all of the recognition that they can get. I will be rolling these out throughout the month along with our regular highlight articles that contain multiple athletes.
We will be publishing more articles daily to give the recognition to each athlete that has earned the right to be called a top 100 Texas Volleyball Player. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for or that you think have what it takes to be added to our database, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com