BRYANT — Coach Leigh Ann Back and the Bryant Hornets volleyball team ended last season with a 19-10 record and a second-place finish in the conference. The Hornets nearly tied for first but lost a close five-set match to Conway in the final game of the season.
The team graduated several experienced players, including three four-year starters. Still, a number of returning and new athletes are eager to step into bigger roles as they prepare during the offseason. Leadership and team culture are key themes for the Hornets heading into 2025.
Even though this year’s squad is fairly young and in a rebuilding phase, Back said there are still players to watch.
“Our senior libero, Breanna Williamson, is an incredible lib with incredible energy and range. She’s fun to watch; you can hear her a mile away. She’s loud and proud and will probably, by the end of the season, hold a lot of records. Taylor Lease, split time with another player last year; this year, she looks to lead the team out of the middle. Graci Lewis is one of our pin hitters, very powerful, and she will make a difference. Oakley Escobar is one of our utility players. She plays a little bit as a hitter and a little as a defensive specialist or whatever we need her to be at that point in time,” Back said.
Bryant volleyball is heading in a strong direction this offseason, with players embracing high expectations and working hard to master the team’s fast-paced style.
“It has gone well. When you walk into our gym, it’s not ever a play-land kind of situation. It’s more of a, ‘it’s time to get to work.’ We talk a lot about the difference between seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade types of play into the big jump to high school. The difference between the speeds of play. I don’t give them an opportunity to doubt me on that. I make sure they understand immediately. We play really fast and really hard, and we move forward from there,” Back said.
Team chemistry has already developed early, with strong leadership emerging in the locker room and a clear standard being set for accountability. Back praised her players for stepping into leadership roles following the graduation of seven to eight seniors last year.
“I have been really impressed with our leadership, with losing seven to eight seniors last year. A lot of people have stepped into leadership roles and have done a phenomenal job of that. The team chemistry has really jelled a lot sooner than I expected it to. The hard work has not been a big-time hard sell to get from them. They’ve just stepped in there and gone. Our coaching staff always talks about how everyone on the team is a leader. You just have to figure out what your leadership role is. Are you a leader in the locker room? Are you a leader during practice? Are you a leader wherever, and I think for the first time in many years, a lot of those players have already stepped into whatever their leadership role is. It makes things work a lot better. We’re also big on accountability. Make sure you don’t lose the message in the delivery. If somebody’s trying to hold you accountable, remember why they’re doing it and what they’re saying to you, not how they’re saying it to you. The sooner everybody buys into that, the sooner we can move forward,” she said.
Back added that team culture plays a central role in the program’s success and identity. It defines leadership, helps clarify roles, and often determines the tone of a season.
“Culture is a very important thing, especially here at Bryant. It’s an ongoing process. It’s a constant change. How are we going to get to where we need to go? What am I going to give? What am I going to take? It’s not all just you have to do it my way, this is the way it’s going to be. It’s a lot of adjustments and a lot of how much I’m willing to give up and how much I’m not willing to give up,” Back said.
