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Jaguar Volleyball Player Dives into College Life

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Posted on September 21, 2022

Thomas Becnel

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#FreshmanFocus is a series of stories on incoming students at the University of South Alabama.

In women鈥檚 volleyball, a sport dominated by 6-foot-3 hitters and blockers, Bri Wilson is a 5-foot-4 defensive specialist.

The freshman from Alabaster, Alabama, plays along the back row, passing the ball to taller teammates. On defense, she scrambles to return 50-mph serves and spikes.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to stick it,鈥� she said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 move your arms too much. Absorb the ball.鈥�

The 18-year-old also is learning to control her nerves in the opening weeks of her first college season.

鈥淭he very first time I went in, I thought I was seeing stars, I was so nervous,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淭he first time I served, I got my serve in, but we lost the point. Every time I come off the court, I鈥檓 still shaking.鈥�

Bri 鈥� it鈥檚 short for Briana 鈥� lives in the Stokes Residence Hall. Her roommate is a nursing student. She鈥檚 a computer science major.

鈥淚 like coding,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n school, we did the code.org program and that was fun. This semester at South, I鈥檝e got CSC 120 鈥� Problem Solving and Computer Concepts. We do labs every Thursday and I like them. Once you get it, once you figure out a problem, it鈥檚 really satisfying.鈥�

Your sports bio on the says you met Oprah Winfrey. Tell us your Oprah story.

鈥淢y first year playing club volleyball, I was 9 or 10 years old, and we played a tournament in Montgomery around the time they were filming the movie 鈥淪elma,鈥� and they were staying at the same hotel that we played at and stayed at. We had just gotten done playing for the weekend and everybody was running around because they realized Oprah was about to come downstairs. So she comes down and says, 鈥楬ow was the tournament?鈥� We all said 鈥楪ood鈥� and I held up a No. 1, because we鈥檇 just taken first place in the tournament, so she gave me a high-five and then we went in front of the hotel and took pictures. And that鈥檚 my Oprah story.鈥�

What鈥檚 your schedule like as college athlete?

鈥淥n Mondays and Wednesdays, we go to weightlifting at 6:45 a.m. Yeah, that鈥檚 early, but I don鈥檛 mind. It makes me feel better, knowing that I was productive in the morning. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to class at 9:30, but I don鈥檛 even sleep in, because I鈥檓 already up. On Fridays, I don鈥檛 have class until noon. We have practice and games most days and I鈥檝e been gone the last three weekends.鈥�

Was that a big adjustment for you?

鈥淚 adapted more than I thought I would. Freshmen have to do six study hall hours each week. It鈥檚 out by the football stadium. I usually go in the morning when there aren鈥檛 that many people.鈥�

What about when you鈥檙e not training or studying?

鈥淚 like to sew. I actually brought my sewing machine with me to South. It鈥檚 the same kind they used on 鈥楶roject Runway.鈥� Most of the time, I鈥檓 just fixing things, like if my pants don鈥檛 fit, or if I鈥檝e got a tear in my shirt. Once people found out, they wanted me to sew things. One of my teammates brought me a dress that had a hole in it.鈥�

How much do you charge?

鈥淔ree. Free.99.鈥�

What was it like growing up in Alabaster?

鈥淭here鈥檚 not much to do, but I did get to go to a new high school 鈥� an $88 million high school. We called it Thompson University, rather than Thompson High School, because it was so nice. Our gym, we couldn鈥檛 call it a gym. It was called the arena, because it was so big.鈥�

Were you always a volleyball player?

鈥淚 started out in gymnastics. I was pretty good. I could do a back handspring in the third grade. Then I started going to volleyball practices with my big sister, Germashia. I would pick up a ball and pass it against the wall.

鈥淢y sister wore number 13, so that鈥檚 the number I took in middle school. It鈥檚 been pretty good for me. I鈥檓 not superstitious, but I do like to do everything the same way. Like, I have to put on my right knee pad before my left one.鈥�

Your sister went on to play college volleyball. Did she have any advice for you at South?

鈥淏e yourself. That鈥檚 all she told me. Don鈥檛 change for anybody. Have fun.鈥�

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