Bixby High School senior Brylee Hancock has grown up in the Spartans volleyball program, and as she enters her final season on the varsity squad, she is focused on leading from the back row and representing something bigger than herself. A defensive specialist and libero, Hancock has been playing volleyball for eight years, starting when she was nine, and has built her game around effort, communication and a refusal to concede any play.
Hancock said the most challenging part of her role comes before the ball even hits the floor. “The hardest part of being a DS/L for me is communication, you have to communicate every ball to the back row and make sure everyone knows where the ball will go,” she said. That constant talking has also helped shape her into one of the team’s vocal leaders. From last season, she said the biggest lesson was learning to “become more vocal and more of a leader” and to give maximum effort every day, no matter the circumstances.
That competitive mindset shows up in the way she approaches tough plays. Hancock describes her strength as “making plays that seem impossible,” and said she has always believed that if the ball is playable, she will chase it “until something stops” her, even if it is behind the bench. She is still working on sharpening her communication to help her teammates feel even more confident in her and in the team’s overall defensive cohesion.
Hancock’s love for the game is matched by her love for the people around her. She said the thing she values most about the Bixby volleyball team is how much everyone stands behind one another, regardless of the situation. One teammate in particular, Brooklyn Wallace, has been “my person in this program since 7th grade,” Hancock said, adding that starting the journey together and now finishing it side by side has left a permanent impact on her volleyball career.
Representing Bixby, she said, is “so special” because it means playing for her team, school and community, and it motivates her to work harder and be a positive role model. Away from the fall season, her summer is packed with Bixby youth camps, summer league, open gyms and senior-year planning. Inspired by her dad and grandma, who always pushed through hard things with a smile, Hancock hopes to continue volleyball in college, and if that does not happen, she plans to attend the University of Arkansas to pursue a career as a therapist and help others in need as much as she can.
