Brannon awarded Player of the Week

Berry athlete recognized

The Southern States Athletic Conference office announced Monday that junior Grace Brannon earned player-of-the-week honors and that her performance at the SSAC Volleyball Tournament at Brewton-Parker earned her a position on the All-SSAC Tournament team.

Brannon, 20, an outside hitter for the team, also earned the nickname “the Rocket” from her teammates because of her skills on the court.

Junior Grace Brannon
Photo courtesy of Erin Oakley

All for the team
While the honors are rewarding for Brannon, she is quick to clarify that her motivations lie in the success of the team rather than the spotlight.

“You never expect something like that, but that’s not what I’m playing for,” said Brannon.

For Brannon, the real joy of the sport comes in the relationships between players and when the team can act as a unit rather than be built around just one player.

“For me, it’s certain games that would be considered my better games—when there’s great success as a team," she said. "Like last year when we played the No. 18 team in the nation and beat them. I love the team, and I love just being here with the girls.”

Brannon considers the event one of the highlights of the season; however, her excitement lies in how well the team performed rather than receiving an award.

“My season highlight was at the conference last week when we meshed as a team,” said Brannon.

Singing her praises
Though Grace was disinclined to celebrate her award, her teammates and friends were enthusiastic about praising her for this achievement.

“Every one was very excited about it,” said sophomore teammate Nikki Weaver. “We were all glad the see her get rewarded for being such a good player.”

“She’s one we all look to because she makes good decisions on the court,” said sophomore teammate Betsy Bowers. “She is great as an outside hitter and back row. She’s good all around.”

Off-court
When not dominating the court, the Alabama resident and Animal Science major can be found hanging out with her teammates and making people laugh.

“Grace brings a really good energy to the team,” said Bowers. “At the beginning of the season when all the new players might feel intimidated, Grace is the first to quickly break the ice.”

“She's the kind of person who can always bring a laugh when anyone is down," said Weaver. "She’s a fun person to play with.”

{K. K.}