Footer Producing Powerful Peaceful Passionate Players

Tennessee Athletics Honors April Chapple at Champions Weekend for Legendary Volleyball Achievements

Laurel Brassey Iversen, A Girl Volleyball Player Better Than The Boys

Volleyball Stories Laurel Brassey Iversen

When I was in elementary school, I loved all sports. I had a brother, three years older whom I loved to tag along with, much to his dismay.

His friends never wanted me around and would always complain saying "Can't you get rid of the runt?"

I was little, but tenacious. I absolutely hated the nickname and they always called me that. The more they tried to lose me, the harder I fought to stay close to them.

My greatest satisfaction however was that I was always one of the first chosen when we were forming teams to play baseball, or touch football or other neighborhood games.

At the same time, at school, I was labeled a tomboy, which in the sixties, was not really a popular designation. I didn't mind at all, but I was also called that because I was very skinny.

As a young child I hated those names and I was very conscious about my body. It seems silly now to think those things bothered me so much that I cried often about it, but kids can be very cruel to each other, when we are young, being accepted is so important.

My parents encouraged me to participate in sports and never discouraged me from playing with the boys or from playing sports for that matter.

My mother was an athlete in her day, playing lots of sports and my Dad played semi-pro baseball.

Volleyball Stories
Laurel Brassey Iversen

My Mom was a great role model for me.

Also when I was in the fourth grade, we learned about the Olympic Games and I became enraptured with Wilma Rudolph.

Wilma overcame great adversity to become an Olympic champion, winning gold medals in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

I wanted to be like her and run in the Olympic Stadium with thousands cheering as I broke the finish line tape first.

I loved all sports, but I didn't even know about volleyball until I reached high school. This sport was different.

I soon realized that I loved to JUMP! I also loved to get down on the floor and dig, roll and dive for the ball.

This was my Sport.

I got more satisfaction and had more fun playing volleyball than any of the other sports I had played.

I also remember the frustration of learning some of the volleyball skills, spiking in particular.

But it seemed that I was always driven harder to excel at things that were difficult. If I couldn't do something, it just made me want to do it even more.

Volleyball Stories
Laurel Brassey Iversen

I was also constantly told that I was too small to play volleyball. That just made me want to prove them all wrong

I really believe that fighting to keep up with my brother all those years and be accepted as one of the best players in the neighborhood are some of the elements that helped me strive for excellence in volleyball later on.

Laurel Brassey was

the first woman to play on a men's NCAA varsity team,
member of the 1980 USA Women's National team that boycotted the Moscow Olympics and
member of the 1988 USA Women's team that competed in Seoul, Korea.
University of New Mexico's winningest coach with a record of 290-210, over 17 seasons. 1983-86, 1988 - 2000

Volleyball Stories Laurel Brassey Iversen was written by former professional player and one of the world's top setters Laurel Brassey Iversen exclusively for the Volleyball Voices project created and produced by April Chapple.

Sources

GoLobos.com

San Diego Tribune

From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Honored At UTK Champions Weekend

Lady Vol volleyball legend and record holder Coach April Chapple a University of Tennessee, Knoxville Hall of Fame Inductee, 3-time All American, 3-time SEC Champion, SEC Tournament MVP, 2-time All SEC Team is celebrated with her 1984 SEC champion teammates at Neyland Stadium during Champions Weekend on November 1-2, 2024.

utkaprilcollegepiconneylandstadiumvideoboard

Tennessee Hall of Fame inductee, Coach April Chapple is

the first First Round Draft Pick for the first American pro indoor women's league
named to the first First Team All-Pro team for Major League Volleyball in USA volleyball history
former USA National team member
one of the few American women players named as an Italian Pro League D-I Championship Finalist, Italian Cup Finalist and Cup of Cups Tournament Finalist

April Chapple The first First round Draft Pick For Major League Volleyball the first American Women's Pro League Honored At Athlete Unlimited Pro Volleyball Match

Coach April's 2025 Private and Semi private Volleyball Training

Pre-Registration now open for 2025 Private and Semiprivate Training Sessions with Coach April . Get prepared for club tryouts or train with me during club season!

Email now for information on semiprivate or private indoor skills, individual or small group training volleyball classes and my Breakfast Club for College Players training for 2025.

Invest in your improvement while preepping for your next level and college goals while working hard and training smart.

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Serving slang is not just about individual techniques; it also relates to overall game strategy. A coach might instruct a player to serve a "short serve" or a "deep serve" to target specific areas of the opponent's court or exploit weaknesses in their serve receive formation.

Ari, my private training client and I are working specifically on serving on jump float cross court serves ...short to Zone 2

There's so much we work on to get to this point where she can contact the ball with

the same toss height and same toss location
the same armswing speed
the same timing for when her serving hand contacts the ball
the middle of the hand contacting the middle of the ball every single time
getting use to watching her serving hand contact the ball at the highest point of her jump ...before she starts to land
and finally contacting the ball in the precise spot on the ball so it goes where the coach wants the player to put it so in this case ..a short serve in the farthest short right corner on the court also called Zone 2.

kamiminerpac12setteroftheyearformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

Tommi Stockham All Big West Conference sophomore former Coach April Chapple private client 3 years

katepriorallwestcoastconferencebyufreshmanformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

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Dear Vegas Parent

Read my open letter to Las Vegas Jr high/high school volleyball parents about my predictions on individual and small group volleyball training trends for 2019/2021