A New Ace In Town: Bryaunea Hall Named Redwood’s New Volleyball Coach

New Redwood Volleyball Head Coach Bryaunea Hall’s debut with the Rangers was pure domination as the Rangers swept Clovis South 3-0. With college experience under her belt, Hall brings great promise to the team.

By: Fabian Anguiano and Ariana Lopez

Coach Hall was introduced to the game of volleyball her sophomore year, attending Copperas Cove High School in Texas. Her best friend played it at the time, with both being the top athletes in their school; she figured that she should join.

Hall got her time to shine when her team’s middle blocker got hurt; she stepped up and never looked back, becoming an instant standout on the team.

Hall was also a standout player in college, playing for the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, as a middle blocker from 2014-2017. She was a starter all three years she played.

Hall believes the biggest difference between high school volleyball and college volleyball is, “In high school, I was naturally good at volleyball. In college, everybody was naturally good at it. So in college, everyone’s good, and I had to reclaim and earn my position,” said Hall.

Overall, the biggest difference between the two is being more exposed to the elements of the game.

Hall’s first coaching experience was at a local club in her city where she went to college, which paid her to coach clinics and other things like that.

Being a first-time head coach came with some problems for Hall, “I was very quirky. I started playing late, so I thought the game was fun, and therefore there was really no seriousness to it.”

Hall added to this, “I had to understand early that there are people who are good at volleyball because they train to be good at volleyball, and then there are people who are natural athletes and can figure out the sport. I don’t think I was exposed to that at a young age.”

Hall found her niche in coaching when it came to coaching younger kids. Hall won her first bid and went to nationals with a group of 12-year-olds, which was an eye-opener for her.

One thing that has changed in Hall’s coaching philosophy over the years is her competitiveness. When she is running in-game simulations at practice, she has to put herself back in the jersey so she can remember what it feels like as a player in that situation, rather than from a coaching standpoint.

Before arriving at Redwood, Hall was an assistant volleyball coach at Lemoore College.

Being a coach at Lemoore College helped Hall as a coach, “We tend to get some of the underdog kids, meaning undersized, maybe not the best vertical, but the work ethic is for sure there. I think being exposed to that group of kids really helped me be able to adapt in a realm of coaching, starting back from the basics and remembering my roots,” said Hall

Now, as a head Coach for Redwood girls volleyball, Hall says, “The foundation is for sure there, and skill can be added in building a different culture.”

“I’m a believer of God,” said Hall. “So I think the opportunity found me, versus me finding the opportunity.”

Hall was already familiar with a lot of the players as she coaches for the Dinamite Volleyball Club. She says, “It was something I couldn’t miss out on.”

After finding out she got the position as the head coach, Hall says, “I was ecstatic, but I don’t think I was ecstatic as the community.”

As the new season starts up, Hall is “excited to be here. I’m ready to get things going. Hopefully, I live up to the expectation.”

For Hall’s first season, her biggest goal is to be better than what the team was last year. 

After losing impactful seniors from last year, Hall emphasizes the need to focus on filling some holes. 

She said, “We’re asking a lot of young kids to step up and fulfill some of those roles that we were missing out on. So we’re definitely going to go through a learning curve.”

 The ultimate goal is to have a winning season, and for Hall, “that can look like just getting better throughout the season.” 

Hall says one of her lifetime goals as the head coach of Redwood is to have the team win state. She says, “I’m excited to be here. It’s a Ranger era.”

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