BRIANNE W.
Defender
Class of 2023
2021 Team Ontario Beach
Canadian National Champion
Six Pack Beach Volleyball
Get discovered. commit.
Height: 5’8″
Vertical:31″
DUE TO COVID – TOURNAMENT PLAY POSTPONED FOR NOW
Five words you can use to describe yourself on the court.
- Focused
- Competitive
- Aggressive
- Fearless
- Driven
Five words you can use to describe yourself off the court.
- Funny
- Cooperative
- Easy Going
- Modest
- Poised
Describe how you work in a team with your partners.
I keep a positive attitude which is especially important when the game is not going our way. I encourage my teammates/ partner by reassuring them that we are in this together.
Athletic highlights and how you felt when you received them.
Winning Provincials 3x (2X Beach, 1x Indoor), Winning Nationals (Beach), winning BVNE tournament (California)
During the games that are outlined above, I was left with extreme emotions, I was a whole bunch of things;
- Excited
- Proud
- Accomplished
What are your interests outside of sports? Why do you like them?
I love to spend time with my family and friends. I also love to constantly redecorate my room and play with my dog
Who are your role models and why?
Volleyball Canada’s Beach Athlete and Olympian, Heather Bansley because I feel we play the same way. We are the same size and both play fiercely
Involvement in other sports or extracurricular. Why is it important for you?
I am typically a joiner of all sports. Throughout grade school I played;
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Football
- Soccer
- Cross Country
I also played AAA Baseball Competitive
Academic highlights and how you felt when you received them?
- Grade 8 Honor Roll – Accomplished
- Grade 8 Citizenship Award – Humbled
- Highschool Honor Roll – Relieved
What program would you like to attend in school?
I’m leaning towards a Business Degree
How do you envision your school life in college/university?
I envision myself remaining accomplished throughout my school life, whether it be in the classroom, or on the court. I look forward to taking in the whole University experience by making new lifetime friends. Maintaining a well-rounded balance of school, sport and life is the goal.
My volleyball career started in 12U both on the court and in the sand. On the court every year I have been named team captain, either chosen by my teammates or coaches. I have led my team to the Provincial championships three times, winning the provincial title once and coming third once. We then took our talents to the National Championships where we came home with a silver as the second best team in Canada. On the sand, I have won either a Provincial or National title every year I have played and done it in multiple age groups. I have been recognized and selected by Team Ontario Beach, becoming a team member in 2020. I was selected to represent Canada in 2020 at the International Children’s Games in Kecskemet Hungary, but due to Covid-19 the games were cancelled. My passion is on the beach and I feel my best years of beach volleyball are still ahead of me.
I have accomplished a lot in my short volleyball career while accomplishing and maintaining honors in my academics. I have taken my drive and determination to be the best on the court and brought my competitiveness into the classroom.
2019
- GOLD at 14U Division 1 Tier 1 Nationals (National Champion)
- GOLD at 14U Premier Event X2 – OVA Beach Tour Tournaments
- GOLD at 15U Premier Event X2 – OVA Beach Tour Tournaments
- Gold at BVNE Kauai Bikini Tournament – California
2018
- 10th at US Nationals in the 15U division as a 13 year old
- GOLD at 13U Premier Provincials – Beach Volleyball (from 45 teams)
- GOLD at 14U Premier Sunshine Event (June) – OVA Beach Tour
- GOLD at 13U Premier Sunshine Event X2 – OVA Beach Tour
2017
- 1st at 12U Premier Provincials (30 teams)
- 2nd in 13U Premier Provincials (73 teams)
- Won GOLD at 7 OVA Tour tournaments
brianne w.
Defender
Athletic Accomplishments
Team Ontario Beach
2021 Team Ontario Beach High Performance Team
- 2020 Beach 16U
- Defender
2019 Canadian National Championships
- Gold medalist 14U D1T1
- Reigning champion
2020 BVNE / Sixpackrecruiting International Event
- 2020 International Event – Toronto, Ontario Canada
- Gold Medalist 16U event
2019 BVNE Kauai Bikini Tournament
- 2019 Gold Medalist – California
- 14U Event
Westmount Secondary School
- Class of 2023
- Honours student
Interested in pursuing a degree in Business followed by Interior Design
Mountain Volleyball Club
- 2 year club member
- Outside / Defensive Specialist
Hamilton Smash Volleyball Club
- 3 year club member
- 12U – 14U athlete
Awards and recognition High School
- Junior Girls Volleyball MVP
- Junior Girls All-around Athlete of the Year
Awards and Recognition Club
- 2018 OVA Award of Excellence
- 2017 OVA Award of Excellence
Multi Sport athlete and participation:
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Beach Volleyball
- Soccer
Instagram: @Brianne.whalen
Beach Events 2020
Brianne’s willingness to go after every ball does not go unnoticed by her teammates and she will work as hard in a simple drill as she will in playing for a Provincial Championship. At least once a practice she will leave me shaking my head and saying a simple “Wow” as she somehow digs up a ball that seemed undiggable.
Her coachability and willingness to learn is second to none. Perhaps most impressive is the way she has adopted her style of attacking. At the beginning of her volleyball odyssey she was purely about power but as the net has got higher and the block bigger, she has worked diligently to have a full arsenal of shots and is unafraid to use them at any point.
She is one of the few players on a volleyball court talented enough that can turn it on and off and still win and yet she never ever turns it off. She plays without excuses and works equally hard on all areas of her game.
We were extremely fortunate she chose to play indoor for our team and I feel whatever college/university she chooses to attend will be equally lucky to have her.
WORKOUTS 2020
I have had the pleasure of working with Brianne for the past summer. Our competition schedule was cut short due to Covid 19 so most of our time was spent together training. Brianne is constantly striving for perfection and ways to improve her game. She reads the play well on defence and has a quick and explosive first step that allows her to get to balls on defense. Brianne is very stable in serve receive which allows her to use her great vision when shot making. She also possesses some put away power to take advantage of opportunities when her opponents decide to peel off the net. Brianne has the ability to both hand and bumpset and excels in transition setting. She is also starting to learn how to use the wind to her advantage in all aspects of the game including from the service line.
Although there were not many competition events there were three events that she competed in and she won all of them. It was remarkable that although she was at the 15u age level she was beating players who were at the 18u level. Some of these athletes are D 1 volleyball athletes who have committed to an NCAA program already. The most impressive piece for me was that aftercompeting all day and playing and winning 6 matches, Brianne and her partner showed up bright in early the next day to work hard and continue to improve. That type of desire and determination is quite frankly something you can’t teach, and it occurred on more than one occasion this past summer. Brianne will be an asset to whatever beach volleyball program that is lucky enough to sign her.