San José State Women's volleyball junior setter Brooke Slusser finished her first season at the university.
After playing at the University of Alabama the previous two seasons, Slusser played in 31 matches and 115 sets this season.
She finished the season with 85 kills, 753 assists, 252 digs and an average of 0.209 blocks per set, according to SJSU athletics.
Slusser said she picked up volleyball when she was four years old and over several years started to develop an interest in playing competitively.
Slusser attended John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas and at age 14 she started receiving recognition from collegiate recruiters.
“I played for a club volleyball team that had really good coaching,” Slusser said. “Because of the good coaching, I started to realize I could do something with volleyball.”
She said over the years, she would play on the top club team consistently and it prompted her to realize her own potential.
By the end of her senior year in high school, Slusser ultimately signed with the University of Alabama.
“At the time, it just seemed like a great opportunity because ‘Bama’ had so many resources for all of their athletes,” Slusser said.
After two seasons with Alabama, Slusser transferred to SJSU.
“It was really scary deciding to leave Alabama, but transferring to SJSU was the best decision I ever made," Slusser said. "I'm happier than ever and back to loving volleyball again.”
Slusser said she loves the support she gets from the SJSU community and from her teammates.
Current teammate and roommate, junior middle blocker Brooke Bryant said Slusser has a similar personality to herself on the court, but off the court their personalities are different.
Bryant said that off the court, Slusser is sweet and very goofy. She said it's funny to see her get in a bad mood because when Slusser is mad, she doesn’t want to be bothered by anyone.
“We're very similar when it comes to the way we train. Both our work ethic is intense, and the way we show love and energy for our teammates is very similar,” Bryant said.
Bryant said she admires the way Slusser has been able to navigate through her volleyball journey, especially transferring from a school like Alabama.
“She’s grown from those experiences so much, and the way she would come in everyday and work hard is admirable,” Bryant said.
SJSU volleyball head coach Todd Kress said his first impressions of Slusser when she transferred into San José State was her sense of leadership, especially vocally.
Kress said Slusser has a high volleyball IQ and that was a key attribute their coaching staff was looking for when recruiting Slusser.
“Slusser is a big point-scorer for us. Anytime she goes back to the endline, I have total confidence that she’s going to score some points for us,” Kress said.
Kress said Slusser is very driven and likes to win. Slusser’s communication and her ability to be direct with her teammates is what allows her to bring leadership on and off the court.
Slusser grew up as a big Texas Longhorns fan, and gained inspiration from her favorite player, outside hitter Khat Bell.
She said she looked up to (Bell) a lot because she used to play for T.I.V. club volleyball back when she was a teenager. Slusser said Bell would always come back to help the team and show support.
“At some point, I got to really know her and fell in love with her drive and work ethic,” Slusser said.
Slussser said regaining her love for volleyball and sticking through difficult times in college helped her grow as an individual.
Slusser said when she graduates from SJSU, she wants to pursue a professional volleyball career in Europe or possibly coaching.
“I easily could get club coaching jobs just with my connections from growing up in volleyball," Slusser said. "If I actually do pursue coaching in the long run, I want to focus on coaching at the college level.”
