By Christopher Tremblay

It took until her final game of her senior campaign to make it to the top of the mountain, but Norwood’s Colleen Brady made it, and was able to surpass 1000 assists during her volleyball career as the Mustangs setter. When all was said and done, the Norwood athlete concluded her illustrious career with 1011 total assists over her four years on the team.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that this was something possible. Entering this, her final season on the court, Brady would begin the season with 761 assists. The senior would record 250 assists this season to eclipse the milestone, but was not even aware of the possibility.

“I really didn’t know about it until it actually happened,” Brady said. “Originally, I wasn’t even sure that I would make it, and no one had said anything about it getting close nor was I paying attention to it. When it happened, they stopped the game and I didn’t know why they were doing that until I saw the sign. I was totally surprised but very grateful for all my teammates for helping me get there.”

It was at that point that Brady realized that all the hard work she had put into the game had paid off and she was ecstatic that she was able to connect with her teammates and hitters on the court.

When Brady began playing the sport, she never thought about eclipsing 1000 assists; she was just thrilled to be on the team.

Coach Paulk Nimblett was proud of the work that the senior had put in over the years to get to this point.

“She [Brady] has been playing setter for us since her freshman year and each year she increased her role,”Nimblett said. “When you look back at what she accomplished, you see that it was very difficult to do considering there are only 20 games a season; it’s a huge accomplishment.”

Having recorded 250 assists in 62 sets left her in 10th place in the Tri-Valley League, 29th in Division 2 play, and 105th overall in the state. She also had 147 digs, a hitting percentage of 78, 45 aces, 53 kills and a 92 percent serving average on the year. 

Her interest in volleyball began when she watched her older sister (Shannon) playing and thought that it looked like fun. Soon after, she realized that it was much more than fun, but something that she truly loved taking part in. One of her fondest memories is getting to play on the varsity team with Shannon for two years.

During her first club tryouts, it was the coaches that saw setter potential in the young volleyballer.

“I knew nothing about the position, but the coaches saw something and I didn’t care where I was playing as long as I was on the court getting involved in any way that I could,” Brady said. “Occasionally, I felt like switching it up playing right side or designated passer, but I always realized that setter is where I belonged.”

Brady came to realize that being the team’s setter allowed her to become involved in each and every play and she got to decide who was going to get the ball.

As a freshman, Brady was looking to make a team, any team, but to earn a spot on the varsity team was more than she could have ever imagined. 

“That first year I was much more timid and felt that the other girls were much more experienced, but I eventually grew out of my shell and by the end of my sophomore year was taking on a leadership role,” Brady said. “The next year (her junior season), I was named a captain for the first time and had to step up my game to help the rest of the team.”

According to the Norwood Coach, Brady is not just a setter, although that is her most prominent asset.

“She does everything; setting is an important piece on the team, but Colleen can do other things,” Nimblett said. “She is one of four seniors. We have setters coming up, but it’s going to be difficult to lose someone of her caliber.”

While the team was not that successful this season and unable to make a run through the tournament, Brady and her teammates at least got a chance to participate in the Division 2 State Tournament last year. Norwood defeated Chelsea, then lost to Duxbury in the next round.

“It was really exciting to be there as Norwood had not been there a lot in the past,” Brady said. “But we were disappointed this year that we didn’t make it. We felt that we had the potential but we just came up short in a lot of sets.”

Something that began by watching her sister ended with a milestone; something that Brady will never forget while playing volleyball for Norwood High School under coach Nimblett.