Student Athlete of the Week: Brenna Rea
PALMYRA, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- Between volleyball and school, Brenna Rea has always enjoyed helping others.
"I've got to see people's best days and worst days and with volleyball, I get to see that joy and that love and being able to show that to someone who is having their worst day just warms my heart," Rea said.
"She walks the road less traveled and there's a reason why it's the road less traveled because it's a harder road to be on sometimes," Fluvanna County volleyball coach Christi Harlowe said. "She's constantly trying to pick people up and make people feel better all the time."
That passion for service extends to fire service, where she's a junior member at the Lake Monticello Fire Department.
"My dad is a career firefighter in Charlottesville and I've really taken a passion to most of my family members have something to do with it," Rea said. "We've connected over the sports aspect of father-daughter, but also in a different sense that we are family more than the biological connection but through the fire service."
And she says that help keep things in perspective on the volleyball court.
"I can look at my teammates that may be young and learning the sport and say 'hey take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay,'" Rea said. "And give them a nice 'ole smile and be like 'just smile, enjoy the moment and live out the happy times.'"
The Flucos recently wrapped up their season last week after falling to Liberty Christian in the quarterfinals of the Region 3C playoffs. Her high school career may be over, but Rea will be continuing her volleyball career at Hollins University next year.
"I'm so excited. It's really a dream come true for me when me and Coach McGee came into contact, I instantly felt comfortable with him as a coach and appreciated his coaching style," she said.
"She might not be the flashiest player, but she's going to work harder than any five kids in the gym and I think that is going to serve her and that makes her a huge asset to their program that they're working on building," Harlowe said.