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12/19/2023 11:01 AMOnce Riley O’Brien first stepped foot onto a volleyball court, she saw the sport as a ladder to success, and was eager to climb it. Now, only about seven years into it, she has fully engrossed herself in the game and conquered many rungs, and is ready to keep scaling new heights.
The Branford High School junior was born into a lacrosse-heavy faction and played it herself in first grade, before discovering volleyball about four years later. She eventually enveloped a passion for it about one year following that in sixth grade. This fall, the libero helped the Hornets qualify for both the SCC and Class L State Tournaments. Riley was additionally selected to Second Team All-SCC.
“I love how I can keep pushing myself and can become more than a mid-level player. My family has always been supportive of me, and they have always pushed me to push myself,” says Riley. “My friends have been very encouraging, and I am always ready to ask them about a skill to learn it. I love the level of passion for the game you can create in your own head, and discover the reason why you are at practice. My biggest motivating factor has been just to get better.”
Riley wound up starting her Hornets’ tenure as a setter, before her mentors observed that she could serve in a better role with her fantastic facilitating abilities. From there, Riley was off and running–putting in the work year-round, both with the weights and with the ball, to become the most well-rounded competitor she could be.
“I started out as a setter, and I just went with what the coaches told me. They saw I was a good passer, so they put me over at libero,” Riley says. “I did extra ladder drills and sprints during the offseason, and my club team always plays hard and serious as well. I changed how I worked out as time went on. I knew I needed to work on my strength rather than just my legs to improve my endurance. I also just keep making sure to get extra reps in practice.”
Any kill and subsequent point victory for Branford begins with Riley at libero, which makes her find her hardwood assignment very rewarding. Yet quite often, the squad’s production goes as her personal production does, though Riley counteracts that with brimming mental optimism.
“I love getting a good pass that leads to a good play and realizing that I started that play,” says Riley. “I also know I need to be better for the team to be better, and then that pressure can be tough. But it has helped me get the hang of the mental component of the game. I have to act out what I say and stay together, and keep a positive mindset to keep up the energy on the court for everyone.”
The cerebral component of Riley’s game diffused throughout to her teammates, as the Hornets had a sort of coming of age campaign in the fall of 2023. They realized that if they believe it and can see it, then they can achieve any level of success that they each so desire.
“It was a really exciting year for us. We got to the point where we saw that if we want to move forward, we saw we can absolutely do it,” Riley says. “We have the skill, talent, and strength. We played so cohesive, and I think this was the best team I have been on since I have been in high school. We just played together.”
Branford volleyball Head Coach Mike Martone explains that Riley has displayed an incredibly high level of smarts on the court, but is always willing to take risks physically and push her body to the limit, while also showing herself as one of the toughest and more durable players in the SCC.
“Riley is one of the most intelligent players on the floor. She is never afraid to sacrifice her body to make a play,” says Martone. “She had an outstanding season this year. Riley is one of the hardest working kids I know, and she has dealt with a lot personally and has overcome all of the adversity.”
Riley’s efforts and guidance to her younger peers earned her quite a noble and honorable distinction already for the upcoming senior season for her a year from now. She explains that while the Hornets will look to build upon the ground struck this year within the confines of competition, her and her colleagues are looking to construct an even closer collective unit that houses the right mind frame to contend for championships.
“I will be a team captain next year,” says Riley. “ I am beyond excited to create an even more family atmosphere on the team. We are ready to push binding and creating a winning mentality. We want to win more next year, and we know we can win.”