Nov. 18, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - By: Kelsey Detweiler
Penn State Athletic Communications
The average college girl does not stand at 6-5 with a killer arm swing. Then again, Blair Brown is not your average college girl.
The redshirt senior has made more than a name for herself while she has been a part of the Penn State women's volleyball team - she has become a leader.
The 21-year-old middle hitter grew up in Purcellville, Va. and attended Loudon Valley High School. Not only did she lead her high school team to a Virginia State AA Championship in 2004, but Brown also holds the school record for kills at 1,463 and solo blocks at 307. Brown's outstanding play in high school earned her the name of Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year two times, Prep-Volleyball All-American twice and Virginia State Player of the Year once.
Brown redshirted her first year as a Nittany Lion, but turned heads the next year as she appeared in 110 of 122 sets in 2007. During her first year of play, Blair was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, provided 210 kills for the season and averaged 1.91 kills per game. Not too shabby for a freshman.
Brown said that when she came to Penn State, she quickly learned that playing volleyball at the collegiate level was much different than the way things ran in high school.
"I think this program made me way better than I could have been," said Brown. "Coming out of high school I don't think I understood exactly what it meant to play in a program like this and what you had to put into it and I'm so fortunate to have been able to go through it. I think especially with some of the girls I was able to play with, I was very, very lucky."
As a newcomer on the Penn State roster, Brown said that she had a lot of work to do her freshman and sophomore years of college.
"When I first started playing and was able to get playing time on the court, a lot of the older girls had to help me out because I didn't have a very high volleyball IQ," said Brown. "I didn't really know where the blockers were going to be and why they hit it here and things like that. They taught us the scouting report, as well as the things that we needed to know. Those things seemed so basic to the older girls and as the younger girls, we just didn't get it yet."
Now that she has learned how to handle the pressures of being a member of the Penn State team and earned a long list of awards for her accomplishments, Brown feels like it is her job to lead the team in the same manner.
"I think that at this point in my career my role hass just switched," said Brown. "Now I need to help the younger kids understand what I didn't understand when I was their age. I need to make sure that they understand it so later they can keep passing it on."
In particular, Brown said that she and her fellow seniors have been showing their younger teammates what it means to play for Penn State.
"I think one of the biggest things we want to impart in the younger players is kind of this tradition that we talked about earlier with the team," said Brown. "We want to make sure that when they step on the court they know that they're playing for a much bigger thing than just the team you know - it's a much bigger community. We want them to work hard every day and understand that mentality so that is continues on throughout the program."
Brown has continued to grow on and off of the court as a Nittany Lion. Besides becoming a Penn State starter and earning All-American status, Brown has become a fan favorite of the Nittany Lion faithful. She said that she is lucky to play for Penn State, because it is a program unlike any other.
"Coach recruits kids that want to work hard and I think that's what we kind of pride ourselves on," said Brown. "Being a part of this program, it really means something to each and every one of us individually and as a team especially. We want to work hard for each other, we want to work hard for the program and I think that's a really big thing. We really respect our coaches and how much work they put into it and everybody that's involved in the Penn State community - our boosters, our parents, our friends and everyone else that's involved."
Among some of Brown's most memorable moments as a Nittany Lion are the three national championships she has been a part of.
"At the end of the season when it happens it's a surreal, kind of relieving experience that everything that you worked for all season came together in that moment," said Brown. "I think they were all very different and they were all great in their own respective seasons, but it all boils down to the fact I feel so fortunate to have been able to be a part of this program."
Blair Brown is a name that will still be mentioned in Rec Hall and in Happy Valley long after she has graduated and moved on to bigger and better things. If you asked Brown what she will miss the most about Penn State women's volleyball and State College, her answer might be surprising.
"What will I miss?" laughed Brown. "South Gym. That's what I'll miss - I will miss South Gym."
The South Gym, where the Nittany Lions practice every week, is obviously a very special place for Brown. But besides her beloved practice space, Brown also said that she will miss the time she has spent as a student-athlete at Penn State.
"Playing the game here - you don't get this experience again," said Brown. "You don't get this four or five years back to do this again. You know it's a small amount of time to do incredible things and you have to take the time that you have and really make something of it with the people you have and that's what it's all about."