Fulton volleyball coach Holly Malek realizes she has a special senior four-year in Brittany Barrus.
“Brittany has had a great season so far,” Malek said. “She is one of our team captains, and she definitely sets an example of leadership on and off the court. We are running a 5-1 this year, and she is our main setter. She has a phenomenal serve, digs up a ton of balls and sets her teammates up consistently.”
As of mid-September, Barrus currently has 282 assists averaging 7.42 assists per set. She is leading the team with 29 aces averaging 0.76 aces per set. She has 98 digs averaging 2.58 digs per set with only one teammate ahead of her in that stat category. She has played in all 38 of our sets.
“Many factors have contributed to Brittany’s success in volleyball,” Malek said. “First of all, she is an extremely hard worker. We graduated some great passers last year, so we have struggled a little bit with passing this year. There are many moments when Brittany is running all over the place to set the ball. Second, she is a positive teammate and does her best to pick her teammates up when they have a bad play. If they make a mistake, she takes a moment to let them know it’s ok, and they’ll get the next one.
“Brittany is a very skilled volleyball player. She has great hands, digs up some hard hit balls, and earns us points with her great serves. Brittany has definitely stepped up to be more of a leader this year than last year. She has also taken on more responsibility running our 5-1.”
Malek recalls a memorable moment from a team meeting. “One athlete thanked Brittany for reaching out to her after she made a mistake,” Malek said. “Instead of getting frustrated and mad at the athlete, she chose to try and pick her up. That athlete was very appreciative of that. I was also thankful to hear that because as a coach you don’t always see or hear everything that happens on the court between athletes.
“I expect Brittany to continue working hard. I would expect that she continues to lead our team and set a great example in the gym, in the hallways, and in every facet of her life.”