Valparaiso senior is fine without as much attention as her classmates

VALPARAISO | She may not have the college scholarship of Kate Workman or the height of Carrie and Sara Clark, but Brigid Scannell is every bit as important to the success of the Valparaiso volleyball team.

While the other three seniors have made plenty of headlines throughout their career, Scannell has quietly led the team in both blocks and kills while helping the Vikings to their first sectional title since 2005.

Scannell's style of play has earned her the nickname "Silent Assassin" from Valparaiso coach Katie Lenard's mother and has caused fits for the opposition which often overlooks the diminutive outside hitter.

"I'm not as tall as the twins, but that's never really bothered me," Scannell said. "I still go after the ball and I'm always playing hard."

Scannell had seven kills in the sectional championship against LaPorte on Saturday night. The match may very well had been Scannell's last organized volleyball contest if the Vikings (33-4) would've lost. While Workman is set to play libero at Purdue next year, and the Clark twins are weighing the possibility of playing collegiate volleyball, Scannell will be ending her career whenever Valparaiso ends its season.

"Winning the sectional was really exciting, especially because of how long it had been and because it was against our rivals," Scannell said. "We got excited when it looked like it would be against LaPorte in the title match. It worked out perfectly."

The Vikings will travel to Munster (30-7) for the Class 4A Regional tonight and Lenard is expecting another big performance from Scannell, even if the opposition doesn't always.

"You don't really hear Brigid and she's not always seen," Lenard said. "I think teams have keyed in on other players and then she just kind of surprises you. Teams can't key on everybody and people don't always focus on Brigid."

Lenard certainly focuses on Scannell during every game and every practice, in part because the coach never knows what her senior will say next. Scannell is known among her teammates as the player who will constantly come up with the most obscure things to say during competition which always lightens the mood.

"She's always saying the most interesting things," Lenard said. "When she's gone, that's what I'm going to miss about her."

One of the reasons for Scannell's taste for witty statements comes from her love of academics. The senior was recently named an All-State Academic Honorable Mention recipient. Scannell has designs on a liberal arts degree and may follow in the footsteps of her mother, Nancy, as a college professor.

"Academics have always been very important to me and you have to have that balance," Scannell said. "We have a lot of fun on the court, but we work very hard off the court as well."