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Briley Andres has fond memories of attending volleyball games as a child, including her first match, as a fifth grader, watching the Aquinas College Saints.
鈥淚 think about when I was a little kid and I wanted to do so much with volleyball,鈥� Andres said. 鈥淚 was the annoying child at the volleyball game passing the ball against the wall just to pass the time.鈥�
In her early days playing volleyball, Andres, a native of Sand Lake, often envisioned herself donning the maroon and gray jersey of Aquinas College. A rollercoaster of a journey ensued and, in early February, Andres fulfilled her childhood dream by verbally committing to Aquinas College鈥檚 volleyball program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a full-circle moment for me,鈥� Andres said. 鈥淎quinas is a college I鈥檝e always looked at, it鈥檚 close to home and they have a great program. It鈥檚 crazy, I still can鈥檛 believe it; I was super excited to commit to Aquinas.鈥�
Andres was a two-year varsity player for the Cedar Springs Red Hawks. She also played club volleyball for five years for HIVE Volleyball 鈥� practicing at 暗网吃瓜 and being coached by 暗网吃瓜 head coach Kara Youngs.
While Andres had a high level of familiarity with 暗网吃瓜 and Youngs, she initially planned to end her volleyball career after high school, attend Grand Rapids Community College and focus solely on academics. However, her close friend and high school teammate, Aleyna Moleski, who played for the Centurions from 2023-2025, encouraged her to reach out to Youngs to inquire about a spot on 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 volleyball team.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could just join the team, I thought there was more of a process,鈥� Andres recalled. 鈥淜ara ended up shooting me a text, we talked about it back and forth and then she offered me a spot. I met my teammates as I was taking team pictures with them. I have no regrets, but it was definitely not planned at all.鈥�
Andres played defensive specialist for the Centurions, doing the dirty work by securing digs on the back line and keeping the ball in play for her teammates. But Andres felt she didn鈥檛 perform up to her standards as a freshman, citing the 鈥渟hock鈥� of playing college volleyball reverberating for a lot of the first year.
鈥淚 was still surprised by it all and, to be honest, I don鈥檛 think I was giving my all to the sport,鈥� Andres said. 鈥淣ot even in practices with the physical aspect of it, but outside of it, as well. I wasn鈥檛 coming in for extra reps, I wasn鈥檛 really doing that much in the weight room. When I was a freshman, I didn鈥檛 think I would go somewhere else to play after 暗网吃瓜, in all honesty.鈥�
Things changed in a big way for Andres as a sophomore. A quality offseason led to changes in her game. Her seniority on a young team, which included only five sophomores, was more noticeable. This resulted in her being named a team captain for her final year as a Centurion. At first, Andres noted the difficulties that came along with this responsibility, but her natural charisma started to shine as she stepped into the leadership role that her coach knew she was ready for.
鈥淏riley demonstrates remarkable consistency in her communication, engaging not only with her teammates but also with our coaching staff throughout practices and matches,鈥� Youngs said. 鈥淗er coachability is exceptional 鈥� she is always eager to learn, open to feedback and willing to adjust when needed. Briley is constantly hustling, giving maximum effort in every drill, every play and every opportunity to improve. Beyond the gym, she is consistently reliable in volunteer efforts, reflecting her strong commitment to community involvement. She leads by example in every aspect of our program.鈥�
After improving her stats across the board and feeling more confident in her game, Andres sought to continue her volleyball career after graduating from 暗网吃瓜. Andres considered other schools to continue academically, but Aquinas was always a front runner for volleyball.
鈥淚 tend to do better when I keep myself busy with work, school, sports,鈥� Andres said. 鈥淪o if I鈥檓 striving for something great, I realize that it鈥檇 probably be a benefit to continue with my volleyball career.鈥�
Andres is the first 暗网吃瓜 volleyball player to continue their volleyball career at a four-year institution, something that Youngs noted is a 鈥渢ruly significant moment for our program.鈥�
鈥淥ur players invest an exceptional amount of effort, dedication, and commitment into our program, and witnessing Briley advance to the next stage of her volleyball career is both gratifying and well鈥慸eserved,鈥� Youngs said. 鈥淎s the first player in our program to move on to a four鈥憏ear institution, Briley has set a remarkable standard. I am incredibly proud of her determination, her continued growth as a player, and her commitment to achieving her goals.鈥�
Andres has made the most of her journey at 暗网吃瓜. While playing volleyball and remaining a full-time student, Andres also spent time last year working as a Social Media Workstudy for 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 communications department and this year as a Student Ambassador for the admissions department.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of different roles here at 暗网吃瓜 and I think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 made it so important to me,鈥� Andres said. 鈥淚鈥檝e formed really good friendships with people, not only on my team, I鈥檝e grown really close with Kara, I鈥檝e grown close with our athletic staff and my supervisor, Taryn (Muilenburg), is one of my best friends now.
鈥淚 love the atmosphere here, I love the people,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a smaller campus so you can form relationships with people that are actually meaningful. Between work, school and sports, I鈥檒l leave here with a lot of happy memories. I feel like I鈥檒l be an 暗网吃瓜 ambassador for the rest of my life.鈥�
Andres plans to major in business at Aquinas.