At the age of 15, sophomore Brynn Carrick has accepted a full academic/athletic scholarship offer to play sand volleyball at Stetson University, a Division I university located in DeLand, Florida.

Coach Cynthia Terrell, who coaches Carrick for indoor volleyball, explained what sets Brynn apart from other players across the country.

“She’s got great endurance and stamina,” said Terrell.  “She’s also got good court sense and great elevation.”

On top of being a good player, future Stetson Hatter Brynn Carrick went through a short and exciting recruiting process.

“I was going to a recruit camp and we sent out my information to all the colleges that would be there,” said Carrick.  “The next day my coach contacted me and let me know that Stetson was interested.”

Once she discovered that Stetson was interested, Carrick’s decision to commit was fairly simple.

“I went down there twice and it was a perfect fit for me,” said Carrick.  “It’s not a big school but it was a good fit.”

Gentry Benda, another volleyball player at Wakefield, has been playing volleyball since she was six years old and has played alongside Carrick.  Benda understands the value of sharing a partnership in athletics over the years.

“She’s a smart player which really helps in the sand,” said Benda.  “It helps to know where to place the ball.”

Carrick has enjoyed her visits to Stetson and she is looking forward to all the great facilities for athletes on campus.

“It was cool because we got to go around on a golf cart and they took us around and showed us the new workout facility,” she said.  It’s really nice, with all kinds of machines that we’d be using.”

While being recruited is always difficult, Carrick’s decision to play sand volleyball possibly helped her get noticed by Stetson.  Many college caliber recruits may get looked over each and every year on an indoor volleyball court.

“I think there are more opportunities for college coaches to see you since there are only two players when you’re playing sand,” said Benda.  “She [Carrick] was able to go to bigger tournaments because her and her partner both played really well.”

Stetson’s offer also answered a question that she had been considering over the summer- whether to focus on sand or indoor volleyball.

“This summer I was debating whether going all sand or indoor,” said Carrick.  “When I got that offer, I was like, ‘well there’s my decision!’  This new court opened in Apex called Southern Sand Volleyball, so now I train there year-round, so that made my decision a lot easier to go all sand.”

One of her favorite experiences as a sand volleyball player came when she was selected to go to the AAU Junior Olympic National Championship in Hermosa Beach, CA.  After placing first in the 16U Open DVA Beach Bash as well as the 16U open district championship, she made her way out west to California to compete.

“When we were in that tournament in California we got to watch the pro Olympic players play,” said Carrick.  “I got my phone autographed and it was a fun experience.”

Carrick and her partner finished as quarterfinalists in the 16U open bracket.  Carrick was only 15 at the time.

“It was a really good experience I think,” said Carrick.  “I thought we did pretty good.  It was fun.”

Carrick credits her success and the opportunities that she has earned to her parents, and their encouragement that has helped her grow as a player.

“I wasn’t even going to try out in seventh grade,” said Carrick.  “I asked my mom, ‘do you think I should?’ She said, ‘just go for it, have fun.’  Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have even tried.”

While she may be one of the best sand players around, Carrick started out just having fun with playing.

“It was honestly just a fun thing,” said Carrick.  “I tried out at triangle and I made the lowest team but I was just so excited to make any team.  I just learned from there and I really just blossomed as a player.”

Being a full scholarship recruit to a Division I school, Brynn Carrick knows the importance of giving the college recruitment process a shot.

“Definitely try because it’s a lot of fun,” said Carrick.  “You’ll learn within just by trying and having fun and you have others to keep you up and coaches to really push you.  For the recruiting, make sure that you have to have a good attitude.  That’s what coaches like in players, so as long as you do that and you have fun with what you’re doing, you’re golden.”