Volleyball Senior Day First Step In Brenner's Swan Song

By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

The crowd at Matthew Knight Arena stayed patient as long as it could. As a student manager and the rest of the Oregon volleyball team’s senior class was introduced prior to a match Sunday, fans warmly applauded each name.

Ultimately, the waiting proved too much. As the last player prepared to be introduced, the crowd erupted in a roar. This was before the final senior’s family could even be introduced, much less the player herself: Liz Brenner.

There’s still plenty left for Brenner to do in the coming months for the Ducks, beginning with the volleyball team’s final week of the regular season, starting Tuesday at Utah. Then comes the NCAA volleyball tournament, potentially back in Matt Arena. But Sunday’s senior day was a reminder that the career of one of the most beloved UO student-athletes in recent memory is drawing to a close.

Brenner surely has done enough on the court – and various fields – to cement her legacy at Oregon. The Portland native is a two-time second-team all-American in volleyball, a former starter for the women’s basketball team, an all-American javelin thrower and, in a pinch, an injury fill-in for the softball team as a freshman.

She was a finalist for the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete in 2013, and has been the subject of various Twitter hashtags. Some are rooted in fact (#BrennerSMASH), some a bit over the top (#LizBrennerFacts).

The daughter of former collegiate swimmers, Brenner was a world champion in racquetball. Her older sister, Mary Claire, played softball at Oregon State. Her younger brother, Doug, made his first career start for the UO football as a redshirt freshman offensive lineman on Saturday.

But all those accomplishments only start to explain Brenner’s place in the hearts of Oregon fans. “Her personality is infectious,” said UO volleyball coach Jim Moore. “She’s just a happy kid. Everybody loves watching her play. And then doing as much as she did, they got to watch her all the time. You’re always watching her play and it’s like, ‘Really? Really? Is this really happening?’ But I think most of it has to do with her personality.”

Some athletes shy away from being role models. Brenner has embraced it. “It’s so cool – so cool,” she said. “When little girls come up to me and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re my idol,’ there’s no words for that. I get a huge smile on my face. It’s so cool to be a part of that.”

Brenner’s easygoing nature with the public belies an intensely competitive streak that teammates say is her defining feature. In practice, Brenner isn’t afraid to let it be known when she thinks effort is lagging. “They know I expect a lot of them,” she said. “And they get it done.”

In turn, Brenner handles her own business on the court. She’s second on the team with 2.92 kills per game, averages 3.41 digs per game and has received 824 serves with just 28 errors. Brenner leads the Ducks with 24 service aces, and is fourth with 42 assists. If it seems like she does a little bit of everything, well, she does.

Oregon’s fans recognize the breadth of her contributions. Brenner’s game doesn’t have the flash of a Martenne Bettendorf, the team’s kills leader. She can’t jump out of the gym like freshmen Frankie Shebby or Taylor Agost. That hasn’t kept Brenner from becoming a fan favorite.

“I think people respect that I’m scrappy,” Brenner said. “I’m the one that’s always on the floor. I get some balls up that get everyone going.” With a smile, she continues: “And probably because I hit so hard. Everyone likes to see that, too.”

Brenner’s power is only one of her invaluable attributes. “There’s so much to being a great athlete,” Moore said. “She obviously has the strength. She has unbelievable, uncanny hand-eye coordination. But her athleticism comes from her brain. She has an unbelievably athletic brain. She can just see things. She has great spatial awareness, and that’s what makes the difference, I believe.”

Brenner intends to keep putting those skills to use in an Oregon uniform for the next few months. She will play sand volleyball in the spring, and throw the javelin. She’s been in conversations with new UO women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves about returning to that program some time this winter. But first things first – there’s the rest of this indoor volleyball season.

Brenner’s best memory so far, she said, was reaching the 2012 NCAA final. “That group of girls, we worked so hard together and we were also such good friends, it was just an unreal experience,” Brenner said. “I’m never going to forget that.”

Recently, Brenner has begun to see the 2014 team come together in similar fashion. Following the senior day ceremony Sunday, Oregon beat USC in four sets, giving the No. 13 Ducks three straight wins over top-25 teams. “I think we’re getting there, slowly but surely,” Brenner said. “These last three matches I’ve been really impressed, by our fight, by our ability to stay focused and execute. We haven’t been giving up, and I think that’s huge going into the tournament.”

Giving up isn’t in the vocabulary of a player always willing to add a little more to her plate. Set the tone on the volleyball court through defense, passing and serves, the little things that win matches? That’s Brenner. Add basketball, softball and javelin to her resume? Bring it on, Brenner has said.

There’s been plenty to cheer, and the fans at Sunday’s volleyball match were happy to oblige.