From NKU Athletics Communications
Reilly Briggs enjoyed a memorable rookie season for the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team. She earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and helped NKU earn its first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The 5-foot-11 Indiana native also recorded a career-high six blocks on Sept. 14 as NKU upset Cincinnati — an eventual Sweet 16 team in the NCAA Tournament — in Regents Hall. Briggs was placed on the right pin against the Bearcats and hit a scorching .409 with 11 kills.
Her six blocks also helped contain Maria Mallon — Cincinnati’s No. 2 attacker and an AVCA All-Region honoree — to a -.031 hitting percentage as NKU prevailed in a five-set thriller.
Reilly Briggs prepares to attack during NKU’s match against Cincinnati in Regents Hall. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Briggs’ niece, Norah, was born with cerebral palsy after suffering a stroke in the womb. While Briggs describes Norah as a happy kid who loves to laugh, she suffered from seizures that were worsening as she became more resistant to medications.
Norah was then scheduled to have a hemispherectomy, a procedure that involves removing, disconnecting or disabling half of the brain.
“It was scheduled a year in advance, so we knew about it for a long time,” Briggs said. “It went by so fast, and when it started building up to it, I just remember being so upset because I couldn’t go back (home) because we were traveling and playing.
“It was pretty hard to go through. It was a lot. The surgery was successful, but for the first couple days she didn’t talk and she slept a lot, so we didn’t know if everything was OK.”
The surgery happened while NKU was in Washington, D.C., between Sept. 6-7. Prior to that, Briggs’ coaches and teammates didn’t know anything about what was happening back home.
“At first, I just kept it in. I didn’t really think it was a huge deal, and as it got closer, I didn’t really say anything. I ended up telling (head coach) Liz (Hart) about it the day before,” she recalled. “We were about to go on the big trip to D.C., so obviously you need your I.D. I was looking for mine the night before, and I was just so stressed out with everything, and I couldn’t find it.
“I texted Liz, and I thought she was going to be so mad at me, but she was so nice and said we would go early and try to figure it out. So, we did that and it was this big ordeal; I eventually broke down and told her everything that was going on. She really helped me with it because I had just felt like I was alone.”
NKU’s Reilly Briggs (4) hammers an attack against Michigan during the NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Fortunately, Norah’s surgery was a success, and her seizures are gone. Briggs also notes that she has seen other improvements in her speech and movement.
After the procedure, Hart said that Briggs had a great week of practice, which set her up for becoming a key part of NKU’s 6-2 offense. Playing on the right pin for the first time in her career, Briggs finished the season with 154 kills and 52 blocks.
The hard-swinging lefty also helped NKU win its first-ever Horizon League championship and slammed down six kills against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.
As far as what comes after college, Briggs credits Norah as her inspiration. “I was in nursing, and now I’m in exercise science, and I want to be a physical therapist,” she said. “I was talking to my sister because I was on the fence, and I don’t think I liked the idea of seeing a patient maybe once or twice ever, and in physical therapy, I would see them on a weekly basis.
“My sister always said I would be really good at it because of how I interact with Norah, because the way she does everything is just a little bit different. So, I thought about it, and I decided that I wanted to do pediatric physical therapy.”
Briggs still has three more years with the Norse before she moves onto fulfilling her dream of becoming a physical therapist. Looking forward to next year, Briggs is expected to switch back to her natural position on the left pin.
As far as goals, she hopes to bring more consistency to her game, noting that, “At the beginning of the season, it was obviously way different than at the end, when I was getting more comfortable.” She also hopes to contribute more kills per set, improve her passing and follow up her All-Freshman Team honor by landing on an All-Horizon League team.
Briggs graduated from La Porte High School, where she was named the Duneland Conference Player of the Year in 2018. In her final three seasons at La Porte, Briggs tallied 996 kills, 126 blocks and 282 digs.
(Information compiled from NKU and staff reports)
