When Brittnay Estes left Lipscomb University’s volleyball program she almost needed an extra truck to transport all of her accolades. Estes, a TV broadcasting and communications major, capped off her volleyball career at Lipscomb as the ASUN Conference’s Most Valuable Player and as the tournament MVP. She helped lead the Bisons to the tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. She is still playing volleyball, but it is the beach style of the game, while working as a graduate student at Loyola Marymount. This weekend she will make her debut at a tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, She spent some time after conditioning drills talking with Lipscombsports.com.
What years did you play at Lipscomb? Who were your coaches?
“From 2012 through 2015. Brandon Rosenthal was my head coach. The assistants were Billy Ebel, Ann (Armes) Toy, Justin Beachy and Jeff Wismer.”
Why did you choose to attend Lipscomb?
“I chose Lipscomb because they were a winning volleyball program and I wanted to have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament every year.
“I liked that it was a smaller school for academics. And I loved the fact that the team was very family-oriented.”
What is your fondest athletic memory at Lipscomb?
“The first one was winning the ASUN Tournament my senior year.
“There are some I can’t say because I don’t want to break tradition. But another one would be riding in Billy Ebel’s van on road trips. No matter what that is one of my favorites. We called him `DJ dolla Billz (sic).’ He would be the DJ.
“I introduced Chloe Rogers, Brittany Thomas and Jenny Phelan into the van. That was fun. It was kind of like a privilege to ride in his van.
“There was also the time we got locked in the locker room my senior year. It was media day. The door got jammed. A guy had to come through the roof to get us out. Brandon was definitely not happy about that one.”
Who had the biggest influence on you during your athletic career at Lipscomb? How?
“Probably both Billy and Brandon. They really taught me a lot having a proper skill set and mindset. I had a hard time as a player because I would make a lot of errors my sophomore year.
“Brandon made me stand on a box and hit balls at me to the corners left and right. He helped me on the hitting aspect and helped me become a more mature hitter.
“Billy helped me with defense and serve-receive. Ann helped me with blocking. Never in my life did I block so well. Today I still use what I learned.”
What is your fondest non-athletic memory from your time at Lipscomb?
“We had an off day. Chloe Rogers and Brittany Thomas dyed my hair purple. We were watching a documentary on Katy Perry. I said I was going to dye my hair pink. We ended up going to Walgreen’s and getting a dye kit and dyeing my hair purple.”
What is the most valuable thing you gained or learned from your time at Lipscomb?
“I definitely grew up as a person. I matured a lot. It was about being kinder to people and that kind of thing. I learned a lot about time management.
“It was about becoming a big family. I still talk to the girls. I just talked to Brittany Thomas this past week. Brandon was like a second Dad for me. I talk to Brandon and Billy all the time. It is a lasting family.”
Who was your favorite professor? Why?
“Aaron Burtch. I love him. We both are baseball lovers. I would go to every single Lipscomb baseball game and either be working the games or writing about the games and we would talk baseball.
“In class we would talk about baseball. He was a great teacher to have. He is very knowledgeable about the world of sports.”
Where do you live now?
“I live in Playa Vista, California, about a mile from the beach.”
Why did you decide to attend Loyola Marymount?
“I played beach volleyball growing up in Florida. We did it to condition for high school (indoor) volleyball.
“I had another year of eligibility in another sport, so I thought, shoot why not play beach volleyball.
“I had a friend at Loyola Marymount I played club volleyball with in Florida. I emailed her and asked for the email of the beach volleyball coach.
“It happened very quickly. I knew I was going to be getting some top coaching. John Mayer is the head coach for beach volleyball and he has been a champion in AVP Beach Volleyball. Betsi Flint is a member of the USA Beach Volleyball team and an AVP champion. The indoor coach is Tom Black who works with the USA women’s indoor team. Those were big factors because I knew I was going to get top coaching.
“Volleyball is my passion. I would like to continue to play and try to play AVP beach volleyball. I felt like this was the best place for me."
What are the main differences between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball?
“The big difference is you are touching every ball. The sand is deeper out here so it is hard to jump out of it. It is a lot more challenging.
“I love to be social. I love to meet new people. This has been real exciting because you don’t know what is going to happen. It is going to be fun to make that first road trip and start making memories like I did at Lipscomb.”
What are your plans after graduation?
“I am getting my master’s in the education studies program. It is a single-year program I will graduate this May. I love it. It is a mix of counseling and teaching. You can make an impact in the lives of students.”
Tell us about your family.
“My parents are Lynda and Michael Estes. I have one sister, Lyndsie, who played softball at Stetson.”
