Freshman Q&A: Tabitha Brown
8/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Alabama volleyball welcomes three newcomers to the team this season and we will be posting a Question & Answer segment for all three. Our first freshman is outside hitter Tabitha Brown.
Tabitha Brown is a 5'10" outside hitter from Spring, Texas, which is less than 30 miles north of Houston. She played prep volleyball at Klein Collins High School where she was listed in the PrepVolleyball All-American Top 50 Volleyball Prospects and Senior Aces Top 100 lists in 2014-15. As a four-year starter, she tallied nearly 1,700 career kills along with 311 aces and 1,308 digs. Her club team, Asics Willowbrook, qualified for nationals in all four of her seasons with the team.
How did you get your start playing volleyball?
"My mom played volleyball in college at Houston and then coached at Rice. I played a lot of sports growing up. I started with soccer and basketball but neither one really worked out so I tried volleyball. Once I tried volleyball, I couldn't get enough of it. Drawing and volleyball were my two loves as a kid."
When did you realize playing in college was a possibility?
"The turning point came when I was about 12 years old. That summer, my mom and I got in the gym and I was training like crazy. After putting in all that work, it all went by so fast like a blur but I was apparently pretty good at volleyball. We did a lot of videos and a lot of plyometrics. At that point, coaches started contacting me."
What set Alabama apart from other colleges?
"Alabama came into play around the time I was a sophomore. I originally was looking for something in California, so Cal-Berkley was on my mind the entire time. My mom opened my eyes about a lot of other choices and when we put the pieces together, we knew that Alabama was perfect for everything I wanted."
Was there any concern moving out of state and relatively far away from home?
"I didn't necessarily care where the school was. I was originally looking at Houston or SMU and I thought I would be a lot more homesick at Alabama than I ended up being. Alabama seems like a home now even after just being here for only the summer."
What has the adjustment to college been like so far?
"My mom and I are very close so that is one thing that I miss. I was pretty independent before college anyway, so it hasn't been a huge adjustment in that regard. I'm already the kind of person that diligently gets my work done and can maintain my own living space, so it came naturally. So far, the workload had been manageable though I expect it to increase in the fall."
What advice do you have for young volleyball players looking to play in college?
"If you want to play volleyball, think about how much you love it. If you love it and want to do it the rest of your live, that's what gives it value. Even after the expenses and the hard work, as long as you love it then that's what really matters."
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