As more and more FHC seniors continue to sign letters that will send them off to play collegiate sports next fall, only one comes from the volleyball court. Four years of varsity volleyball has provided enough evidence for many colleges to be observant of a new prospect. Yet, one college stood out for senior Brooklyn Conner; she knew Clemson University was the right choice.

“Their [The Tigers] coaching staff is awesome, and I just clicked with them immediately. Their mindset is very similar to mine, and I could see myself really improving there and helping their program,” Brooklyn said. “The school has an amazing support system for athletes, and seeing how well they set them up for success in their sports and post-grad made me really want to be there.”

The dream of becoming a player started for her in seventh grade. The FHC Middle School offered students their first opportunity to represent their school in sports, and with friends joining, Brooklyn knew volleyball was something she would be willing to try. After her first season on the middle school team, she joined a club called Michigan Volleyball Academy. MVA offered fundamental improvement training that would help push its athletes towards the college level. MVA also helps young athletes progress well early, and that fit seemed to mesh perfectly with what Brooklyn wanted.

“I never thought about college until my club coaches reached out to my parents and me and told me that it was a real option for me; I would have continued either way because I loved it, but it did give me the motivation to push myself to be the best,” Brooklyn said. “A bunch of my friends from seventh grade convinced me to try volleyball. I would say that my club coaches, Mayme and Craig Vlietstra, were the ones who made me love the sport.”

Although, Conner had two other influences that remained much closer than her friends and coaches. As always, parents will be their child’s number one supporters. Brooklyn’s mom and dad have helped tremendously with building her work ethic and pushing her to become a college athlete.

“I want to thank my mom for signing me up to play club, even when my dad said no, and being my biggest support since day one. My dad, for giving me the motivation to continue when things got tough,” Brooklyn said. “I also want to thank all the coaches I’ve had over the last six years who never let me settle for anything less than the best.”

In her senior year at FHC, Brooklyn led her team with 104 solo blocks. Along with that, she had the second-most kills on the team with 402 kills and finished with 44 aces, 72 digs, 9 assists, and 12 receptions in 124 sets played. Those stats were good enough to earn her recognition at the national level, as she earned All-American honors, being named to the team. As she moves forward in her career, FHC’s future Tiger will now face off against top ACC opponents and many other big-name volleyball programs in her collegiate career.

“It makes me very excited to play against some of the best competition; playing good fundamental players helps me motivate myself to be the best I can be,” Brooklyn said. “Playing on such a high level will really help me to improve and grow as a player.”