Brianna Tilton, the newly hired junior varsity volleyball coach, is a role model for all players, building relationships while also refining players’ skills on the court. For Tilton, volleyball is not only a sport she used to play, but a part of her life. After spending countless amounts of commitments and efforts exclusively focused on volleyball, she decided it would be only right to continue her legacy in the coaching world, sustaining active engagement in the deeply cherished sport of volleyball.
“My favorite part of coaching is the relationships I build with the girls and getting to know them off the court,” Tilton said. “I felt like I was not done with volleyball, I knew my playing days competitively were over, but I still wanted volleyball to be a huge part of my life.”
As she started volleyball at such a young age, Tilton has always been familiar with the ethics of coaching. For 17 years she was surrounded by adults that she was supposed to look up to. Even though Tilton has had her fair share of coaches she did not necessarily love, she strived to be like the coaches she idolized by utilizing their tactics and tricks to increase her player’s overall skill level.
“Chip Will was probably my biggest influence,” Tilton said. “He coached me during my 17’s club year, and he was super strategic and crazy, but I learned so much and [my teammates and I] respected him as a person and as a coach. Anything he said and did we trusted.”
The majority of all athletic endeavors have a “utility player.” This means someone who can show up and show out in any position you put them in. During the event club or school volleyball, Tilton was that athlete. Being a setter, she had many responsibilities. Whether it was assisting her teammates in the front row or going up on the right-side block, she could do it all.
“[My position in volleyball] was a setter, but I also played DS/libero on a few teams,” Tilton said. “I was a really competitive person, super competitive, and brought that out in my teammates a lot too. I was really fun, really joking on the court in a way, but also very, very engaged and focused on the game. [I knew that] there was a job to be done.”
Outside of coaching at Forest Hills Central High School, club volleyball is another place where Tilton cultivates for connections with her young competitors. This upcoming season she will be guiding her sister, Kinzi Tilton, on Rise Academy 82’s team. As soon as she started her coaching career, she knew she was destined to mentor girls at an older age. Nonetheless, she still has dabbled in other age groups, but high school will always be her favorite.
“[The ideal age I would coach is] high school,” Tilton said. “I do not think I could go younger, and I have done it before, but [the high school age] is my bread and butter. I am really good at this age, and I like the skill level, especially in high school. I like coaching club too, but high school specifically is my favorite.”
Although Tilton is occupied with various commitments such as graduating from chiropractic school this fall or getting married in several months, coaching volleyball remains unchanged through every significant milestone in her life. Regardless of where her path leads her, she is looking forward to continuing to mentor young women through the whirlwind of her favorite sport: volleyball.
“Always show up to compete, make yourself one percent better each day, and you will find success,” Tilton said. “Cherish every moment you have on the court, you never know when it may be your last.”
