(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)
TEMPE-Brynn Covell’s stat line may not be the most impressive. Her name may not pop out on the score sheet, and she may not be the main player to watch on the court. But Covell is making her mark on every game she plays, contributing greatly to Arizona State’s success so far this season.
The redshirt freshman from Raleigh, North Carolina, originally committed to ASU as a setter. Now, she plays three rotations in the back row, pulling double duty as a defensive specialist for Bailey Miller and backup setter to Argentina Ung when the team needs to switch things up.
In her second year in Tempe, Covell is finally getting her first real taste of collegiate volleyball action, and her progress has been clear.
“(Covell) has improved a ton,” head coach JJ Van Niel said. “I really think Brynn’s defense has probably improved more than any phase of her game, especially in the fall.”
Coming into the season, the decision to have Argentina Ung, the graduate student transfer from Washington State, be the primary setter was an easy one for the coaching staff. Despite this, the decision on what to do for a defensive specialist was less clear.
In the 2023 season, opposite hitter Marta Levinska played six rotations, hitting from the front and back row, but with the switch in personnel on the right side, a defensive specialist was necessary, but the decision of who it would be was unclear. However, Covell’s performance throughout the summer and beginning of the fall solidified the decision in the eyes of the coaching staff.
“In the spring, though, this wasn’t like a contemplated role,” Van Niel said. “We were never thinking like, oh, we’re gonna kind of have Brynn play the defensive specialist/flex in the back row.”
During Friday night’s matchup Big 12 against the Colorado Buffaloes at Mullett Arena, Covell showed exactly why the team has had so much faith in her and her ability so far this season.
Playing back row for Bailey Miller, Covell primarily served as a defensive specialist, focused on digging and occasionally setting when the team was in an out-of-system situation. As the game progressed, she stepped in to set more often, running the court and giving the Sun Devils another option from a hitting standpoint, with Ung hitting on the right side.
Covell’s 7 assists and 3 aces were second most on the team, and her 6 digs tied for third most on the team. She served a stretch of nine points during the third set, and had three aces in five serves during the second set.
The three aces came at a critical time for the Sun Devils, as they were only leading by two points, 14-12, and had been trading scores with the Buffs all game long. Her first two aces came at the expense of sophomore defensive specialist Avery Bolles, with both catching her off-guard. Covell’s third ace came against Ana Burilović, the sophomore outside hitter. By the end of her run, the Devils led 19-13.
Her nine serves in the third set also helped to widen the gap between Arizona State and Colorado, giving the Sun Devils some much needed breathing room after the back and forth beginning of the set. When Covell took over serving, Arizona State only led 7-5. Covell provided length from the service line, giving the team the ability to build up momentum and points, and her serving helped to stretch the lead to ten points, 15-5.
For Covell, she is using this new role as an opportunity to learn from the upperclassmen on her team, and build her skillset.
“I think with me never playing DS before, I was like, All right, let’s do this,” Covell said. “I kind of jumped into it. I wanted to play and was grateful for the opportunity. So I think just learning from my team and having fun in that new role has been really cool.”
In addition to providing stability in the defensive aspect of the game, she also brings an edge from her serving and setting abilities, giving Van Niel and the Sun Devils more options on the court. Her progress was noted by Van Niel, who pointed out the factor of her age and lack of collegiate experience prior to this season.
“I think she’s done a really nice job,” Van Niel said. “And I’ve been very impressed, for someone who didn’t play last year because she red shirted, she’s been very composed. I mean, she’s a freshman, so she’s our youngest kid on the court, for sure.”
Additionally, the opportunity to learn from Ung has been invaluable to Covell. Seeing the work that Ung puts in on the court from up close has helped her build her own skillset and become a better setter and all-around volleyball player.
“There’s so much that Argentina does that is just so good,” Covell said. “It’s really cool for me to get to see the blockers on the other side when she makes decisions, like there’s a lot of small decisions that people don’t realize when she dumps a certain way, serving, digging, everything. So I’m grateful to play with her.”
She has also gotten the opportunity to set Ung during matches, and four of Ung’s seven kills came from Covell assists. The chance to run the court for a few points also has helped to build up Covell’s confidence and energy on the court.
Covell’s performance has not gone unnoticed, as her teammates have also picked up on her resilience and devotion to getting better.
“Yeah, I’m so proud of her,’” senior outside hitter Geli Cyr said. “She’s been giving it 110% in the gym when no one’s watching and when everyone’s watching. So it’s been really great to see.”
Even with all her improvements on the court, Covell remains focused on the team and doing all she can to help the team win.
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence that we know what we need to do,” Covell said. “Every day, we have the same routine, and then we get in the game and we know what to do. We’ve worked for this type of mentality. And [Van Niel] also does a really good job with numbers. You know your stats. You know where you are matched up against other teams, other players. And I think that helps a lot. We know exactly what the plan is.”
