Volleyball: Camryn Brooks commits to UWF on Gulf Breeze's senior night
Gulf Breeze's Camryn Brooks called her volleyball commitment to the University of West Florida a 'dream come true.'
The senior outside hitter announced her college plans during the Dolphins' senior night on Wednesday. That served as a leadup to the action on the court as a packed house witnessed the home team cruise past South Walton in a three-set triumph at Gulf Breeze High School. Set scores were 25-14, 25-21 and 25-10.
The victory improved the Dolphins' record to 18-3 and extended their current winning streak to 13, but that wasn't the evening's headline. On a roster that features eight seniors, Brooks thought that celebratory moment in front of her home crowd would be the perfect night to reveal the big news.
She held offers from Division II schools University of Alabama-Huntsville and University of Mobile, but decided to stay closer to home and play under longtime Argos head coach Melissa Wolter.
"At first, UAH had me, but Melissa emailed me and texted Coach Jas (Dolphins head coach Jasmine King) showing strong interest and that was all I needed," Brooks said. "I was like, 'I'm in, I'm in.'"
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This was a full circle moment for Brooks and her family. She's attended several summer volleyball camps at UWF and developed a good relationship with Wolter throughout the years.
"I always wanted to go to UWF every since I started going to camps there when I was younger. It has always been my dream to play for Melissa," the Dolphins senior said. "I like their culture and the way she coached her team. Just really an honor to for them to want me."
It is an honor indeed. The Division II powerhouse had a 35-2 record a season ago and hosted the NCAA Division II South Regional tournament as the No. 1 seed. This season, West Florida has won 15 of its 19 matches and is ranked 13th in the country.
Since Wolter took over the program in 2003, the Argos' volleyball program has produced six Gulf South Conference Players of the Year, 65 All-GSC Team selections, 16 seasons with 20 or more wins and 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances just to name a few of their accolades.
The team that Brooks currently plays on hasn't been too shabby, either.
After three consecutive district titles, Gulf Breeze is currently ranked ninth in the state according the latest FHSAA rankings. Brooks has contributed to that success since being called up from junior varsity midway through her sophomore season and hasn't looked back.
"Because of Camryn's size, she tends to get overlooked. Her ball control is unmatched and she does so much for the team, people just don't even realize," King said. "Her serving is incredible, her defense is incredible and she can also put the ball down. Seeing how far she has come from freshman year to now committing to play in college has been incredible."
Standing at 5-foot-8, the fiery outside hitter and defensive specialist has been a full-time starter for the past two seasons; she hasn't missed a start during that stretch. Her passion and competitiveness is what fuels her and makes up for her smaller frame.
Named a PNJ Super Senior in 2022, Brooks so far has compiled in her career 412 kills, 24 aces, 54 blocks, 308 digs, and 28 assists. She still has three more games left in the regular season, along with the district tournament and state playoffs, so those numbers will surely rise.
Despite all of Brooks' success on the court, she did have some things to work on as a younger player; the biggest was her attitude.
A lot of smaller players make up for their lack of size with aggression and attitude that can be detrimental to the team's success if it is not channeled in a good way. Her mother, Roxanne Brooks, and Gulf Breeze junior varsity head coach Steven Clay helped her focus that energy into something positive on the court.
"Her skill and ability has never been in question. She is like three different players on the court," Clay said. "Her biggest growth without a doubt is what she gets all the credit for: It's her maturity. When she was young, she had a hard time keeping her emotions and feelings under control. A lot of times it leaked out, but she has grown and taken advice from her coaches."
Brooks has been a passionate athlete all of her life and has always loved sports. It started with softball, but it was love at first sight when she picked up a volleyball for the first time in the fourth grade.
"Her first year here when we moved to Gulf Breeze, she played at the rec center and I coached her," Roxanne Brooks said. "Every since she touched a ball, she was an athlete from the start. From softball to volleyball, she loved it and was 110 percent all the time."
Brooks attitude, maturity, thunderous spike and work ethic is going to be a huge asset to the Argos' volleyball program.
Greg Hollis is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at ghollis@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Volleyball: Camryn Brooks commits to UWF on Gulf Breeze's senior night
