By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
The adjectives chosen by William & Mary volleyball coach
Tim Doyle, a man not prone to hyperbole, included "legendary" and "astounding."
In a five-set win over Elon on Sunday, middle blocker
Julia Brown tied her career high of 21 kills with three errors in 32 total attempts. That's an attack percentage of .563, which is practically unheard of. It came in her final home match as the Tribe ended a difficult stretch of games on a high note.
It was a "legendary" and "astounding" performance. But Brown was more interested in spreading the credit than taking it.
"A lot of it was our passing, which was on point that game," she said. "It was so good. Our back row was doing really well and Amy (Schwem, 46 assists) was putting up some really good balls for me. She was giving me a lot of space to work with.
"It really was the perfect storm. Our defense was great, our setting was great, and we were up there at the right time ready to put it away. I don't think we've been that consistent in a long time, so it felt really good to have all those options and just go swing at it."
Swing at it she did. Brown's parents, Mary Pat and Thomas, were in Kaplan's stands. So was her boyfriend, Tribe football player Lachlan Pitts. Former teammates
Kate Dedrick and Autumn Brenner had come back to town.
They saw Brown simply take over.
"After the first three to five swings, it was, 'OK, J.B.'s brought a different level today,'" Doyle said. "It was so impressive. All eyes were on her, it's been a hectic weekend, it's her last match in Kaplan. And she just played free like the great player she is.
"It was astounding, especially for a middle blocker. Middles are always going to hit for a higher efficiency, ideally .300 or .400. For her to hit in the .500s with the kill percentage she had with almost no errors was a legendary performance."
With four matches remaining in her final season, Brown is all over the Tribe's record book. On the career list, she is second in blocks (353) and attack percentage (.270), fourth in kills (895) and points (1,155) and fifth in points per set (2.99). This is under the current 25-point format, which began in 2008.
"We always talk about legacy, and we want to be remembered for how we played the game," Doyle said. "Julia will be remembered as one of the most memorable middle blockers of all time here."
That legacy is important to Brown, but she doesn't measure it by numbers.
"When I think of leaving a legacy, I tend to focus more on the cultural legacy and personal impacts on the individuals I've played with, especially the younger girls," she said. "Just making sure that I've made their experience better and impacted their lives positively in some way.
"When you think about the record books, it's exciting. I'm competitive with myself in that I want to keep doing better than I did the season before. But I'm more focused on how I can help build a cultural foundation and strong work ethic in the team I'm leaving behind."
From suburban Chicago, Brown earned her B.S. in biology last spring with a 3.87 grade-point average. With the NCAA's extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, she returned as a graduate student while beginning work on her M.B.A. in the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
In addition to the court and classroom, Brown does plenty in the community. Last month, she was selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which goes to a senior or grad student who represents the total package as a college athlete.
Brown has coordinated food and clothing drives, coached youth volleyball and participated in Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protests. On campus, she was service chair of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and now heads its Student Athlete Services department.
"Community service is definitely one of the things I'm most passionate about," she said. "Williamsburg has really welcomed me with open arms. I've gotten close to a lot of families I've coached, so I definitely feel at home here.
"I'm very grateful to be able to give back. That's been one of my favorite parts of my time here, to be able to get involved in the greater Williamsburg community. And I think some of those opportunities would have been limited without athletics."
As of Nov. 15, Brown will no longer be a student athlete. She will remain a William & Mary student with a year and a half remaining in the Mason School of Business. She's already wondering how strange it will feel to no longer have workouts and practice on her plate.
"Something that's fun about collegiate athletics is that you get a new team every year," Brown said. "I've been lucky to be here five years and be with so many different classes and groups of people. I'm really thankful for this group and that I get to go out with them.
"I was telling them yesterday that I'll be really excited to come back and be in the stands. It's going to be weird, but it's going to be so much fun watching all these girls out there continue what we've been building."
