Scholar In Focus: Isabel Brown

Hi Isabel, it’d be great to firstly learn more about you and how you got into your sport?

I’m originally from the Essex area and theirs is usually quite a lot of volleyball activity that goes on there, including playing at my school. I also have an older brother who played so it was something that I ended up playing too! I’ve always been sporty and tried lots of different sports, but once I started playing volleyball though, I really got into it and enjoyed it. From there, I started playing competitively through the school and started getting recognised at those competitions by cadet England coaches.

What is it about the sport that you enjoy?

I think that the team aspect of the sport is a big part of it for me. You must be able to play with everyone on the court and it really is a team sport that requires everyone to contribute if you want to be successful. On the court you also get the opportunity to express yourself and show off the strengths to your game when playing, so I really enjoy that aspect too.

What position is it that you play?

I play middle or opposite at the moment. This means that I am usually playing at the net and involved with the action, whether it’s blocking or hitting – all the fun stuff! I’ve always played these positions and I think you need to be able to jump high and hit hard, as well as have quick reactions so it can be a difficult position to play sometimes but I find it really rewarding too.

Why did you choose to come to Nottingham to play volleyball and continue your studies?

When I was going through the application process, I actually had an England camp that was based here so I’d seen the facilities here and thought that this would be a great place to come. I really liked the experience, and as such decided to study Biochemistry here. I enjoyed Biology and Chemistry at school so I thought why not just put the two together?! I have found the course very interesting and now being in my third year of study I’m glad I made that decision. I’m looking at possibly moving into nutrition after I finish, because I’ve enjoyed finding out more about that aspect of how the body functions and have also definitely taken some of that into my own habits.

How have you found balancing being a sport scholar and your academics during your time here?

It can be a lot sometimes! My usual schedule is to train twice on Monday, with strength and conditioning on Tuesday before a match on Wednesday. We use the plunge pool and clinic facilities for recovery on Thursday’s, with another training session on Friday before our National League weekend matches. So, it does get busy, but with the amount of people who are around to support such as coaches and academic tutors, it makes it so much easier to balance everything and find time to make sure that everything is covered. It’s full on but it’s also so much fun! I wasn’t actually a scholar in my first year, and I have definitely felt the difference in my last two years with the amount of support you receive.

I think that when you start university everything can be new, exciting, but also quite daunting. However, there is so much support and along the way you meet so many different people and being a part of sport here at Nottingham really helps. There’s so many instant friendships and support systems that you can find.

You’ve also had commitments outside of campus with the national set-up, how has your progression within England been going?

It’s been really cool. In January, we played in a five nations tournament which was a great experience and event to play in. It’s nice to see the programme pushing to get more players involved and also expand the amount of tournaments that we play in so it’s positive and there’s hopefully more exciting opportunities coming up.

You’re a team captain here at the University, how do you find that role?

I really enjoy it. I was a team captain last year too, so this year I feel that this year I think the leadership aspect has come a bit more naturally. I have quite a big voice on court and I find it quite easy to offer motivation for the rest of the team. I enjoy being in tight pressure situations and aiming to be a bit of a role model and someone people can look to during those moments.

How has it been to be a part of and see the growth of the volleyball club during your time here?

It’s definitely grown a lot! In one of my first years here the club added the fourth teams which has given more members the opportunity to play, and now it’s so cool to see everyone supporting each other on Wednesday’s. Because volleyball is a really social sport, people also just love to book out courts and play for fun whenever they can outside of matches too.

How has the season been going in the Super League so far?

Unfortunately, we’ve had quite a few injuries in the team this year, so we’ve had a few matches that didn’t go our way by the tightest margins. We’re coming into the final rounds of the season so we’re aiming to pick up as many points as possible to push us up the table.

You’re next Super League fixture will be a Headliner event, why should people who haven’t watched the sport before come down to support the team?

As a sport, volleyball is just so good to watch! Because it’s such a noisy and action packed sport, you can really participate in the game even if you’re just in the crowd. The matches will be fast paced and I think that it’s pretty impossible to get bored watching Super League volleyball because there’s so many things that happen throughout the match.

I think it should be a really good game for us. Last time we played against our opponents the match went to a deciding five sets so we’re quite closely matched. However, I think that if we play our best volleyball we can improve on that result and get the victory in slightly easier fashion!

Is there anything away from the court that you enjoy to take your mind of sport and academics?

I would say that I love to draw. I did art at school and did pretty well, and I find it really relaxing. When I get time to draw – usually out of season - I find it a release from a lot of things that are going on and always enjoy finding time to draw.

We thank Isabel for speaking with us, and look forward to supporting her and her team mates as they compete in the Super League Headliner event at David Ross Sports Village this weekend.

You can get your tickets to see Isabel and both of our volleyball teams in action here; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1130410571449

You can find out more about our volleyball programme here; Performance Volleyball, and you can find out more about the sports scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham here; Sports Scholarships at the University of Nottingham.