New Mexico State University Volleyball

There's nothing like being a New Mexico State Aggie.  As a freshmen very few people plan to be a redshirt athlete.  Nobody says "Oh boy, I get to sit out for a full year!!!?? This is great!" And that's exactly how I felt when I learned that returning to NMSU after playing a season at Florida would only come with a consequence. 

I’m the oldest player on the team, I recently turned 23.  My bones and muscles (or lack thereof) are feeling the toll of old age.  I once asked Coach Jordan if I could have 15 extra minutes to warm up before matches to get the blood flowing again haha.  So being older has its obvious disadvantages.  On the other hand, the advantages are serious profit in terms of maturity.  I’m expected to be a leader on our team and a very consistent player.  These are examples of two responsibilities I fully accept.  I also know the way things have been run for the past five years so it comes in handy when my younger teammates have questions about college, coaches, traveling, scheduling, Las Cruces, boys and life in general.  I’m proud to have this responsibility and thanks to old age the past several years have taught me how to handle all these aspects of life. And I hope that I can pass these skills onto my younger teammates so they may have the greatest five years of their life too.

This fifth year of being  a part of the Aggie volleyball team has been a real blessing.  And I truly feel like my transfer and redshirt season were divine intervention so that I could be an Aggie just one more year. Getting a chance to play with this year’s freshmen is such a privilege.  They are dynamic and athletic, a fantastic bunch that I know I can help grow as players on the court.  I love to coach just as much as I love to play so getting the chance to watch and help them develop skills and mentalities that they might not have had during high school is a benefit I would not have had if I didn’t stay at NMSU for an extra year.

While I’m thrilled to play with the freshmen I’m unexplainable blessed to play with the rest of my teammates again as well, for I missed them more than anything while I was away at Florida.  The relationships on this team thrive with time and that’s exactly what I’m experiencing with each and every one of my teammates.  I know these young women will be people I will have lifelong connections with and I’m thankful for their friendship, support and most of all laughter.

So transferring cost me a year of the uniform but like I said, there is nothing like being an Aggie.


#3 Brynja Rodgers


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