WILLIAMSBURG,VA. - When the NCAA announced last August that all fall sport athletes would receive an extra season of eligibility in the wake of Covid-19 Tribe head coach Tim Doyle faced the unique challenge of recruiting one of the most dominant players in the CAA, one who just happened to already be on his roster, Julia Brown. "This was like the recruiting process I never had with Julia," said Doyle. 
 
"It was a no-brainer from our end, Julia is one of the most dominant players in any gym in the CAA. Eventually, Julia and I hopped on the phone and I expressed the privilege it would be to coach her for another year, so we 'offered' her as you'd say in the recruiting world."
 
With uncertainty surrounding her senior season and future at William & Mary the middle blocker began to test the waters of the NCAA Transfer Portal. "I discovered some really exciting opportunities for the last year of my collegiate volleyball career. When we were reinstated I had to decide between those other choices and staying here at William & Mary to finish my career," said Brown. 
 
After careful consideration and long conversations with coaches, friends, and family Brown who graduated in May with a degree in Biology and Management & Organizational Leadership decided to return to William & Mary to pursue her MBA while playing one final year in the Green and Gold. "My loyalty to this program comes from my love for the school and the people I've met here, as well as my belief in the culture we have been building over the past four years."
 
Brown has been a large part of that culture Coach Doyle has implemented in his first three years on campus. Julia excels on the court and in the classroom. Following the shortened 2021 season, she was named First Team All-CAA and to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. 
 
Since landing in Williamsburg, the Chicago native has played in 327 of a possible 334 sets for the Tribe. Brown has rewritten the William & Mary record books ranking second under the current scoring format with 301 blocks, sixth with 703 kills, and 10th with 47 total aces since earning All-Rookie honors in the 2017 season. In the 2019 season Brown hit .326 at the net, the fifth best single-season percentage in program history. 
 
Brown's impact on the team is not solely felt when she is jousting with opponents at the net. The middle blocker also acts as an extra set of eyes for the coaching staff. "I told someone recently she's basically an extra coach on the team. I email and text back and forth with her with such regularity that she may as well be. She anticipates problems and troubleshoots them with us before they occur," said Doyle. 
 
The all-conference standout is joined by senior Madeleine Bertz as the only other upperclassman in a young middle blocker position group. The two have taken it upon themselves to lead by example in hopes of empowering the next generation of William & Mary middle blockers. "JB & Bertz both obsessively watch film. They labor over the small details. They constantly seek feedback. They think of everything they need to do to perform well on match day, then they do it."
 
For Brown, the hope is that her leadership on and off the floor will be ingrained in William & Mary volleyball long after she says her final goodbyes to Kaplan Arena. "I am looking forward to my last year working with this amazing group. We've spent a lot of time cultivating the culture within our position group as well and are a very cohesive and dedicated group. I am especially excited to continue to work with my teammates on our culture and performance so that I can be confident in the strength of this program and the legacy we will leave behind."
 
While Brown's name will be found in the record book and her presence felt in the locker room for years to come, a CAA Championship is the main goal for the Tribe middle blocker. "This season I hope to leave behind a championship team with a strong culture built on hard work, collaboration, and humility. I'm very proud of the work this team has done. We are working hard to compete at a high level and I am looking forward to working towards our performance goals this season."