photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State freshman Brinley Whitney, right, watches the ball in a 3-0 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Lawrence.

Free State’s volleyball team is a veteran group with 10 upperclassmen on the 12-player roster, including seven seniors. With a team dominated by older players, it is a challenge for young players to carve out an important role.

Yet, in the starting lineup among the seniors, 5-foot-5 freshman Brinley Whitney is in the rotation. Whitney. the lone freshman on the varsity team, has built a role just a few months into her Free State career.

“I knew I was going to have to work my way into (the lineup), and that I was going to have to prove myself,” Whitney said. “I feel like I can help control the flow of the defense and really communicate with the team.”

Free State coach Jayme Savage knew about Whitney heading into the summer, but once she started coaching her in practice, she realized the potential Whitney had.

“Lawrence is a small town,” Savage said. “I knew a little bit about her from the middle school scene. Once she stepped foot (at Free State) over the summer, is really when I got eyes on her for the first time. From the get-go, she’s worked hard, she’s been present, she’s embraced the culture of this program.”

The Firebirds are a strong serving team. Their aggressive serving style leads to points, and the team rarely makes a mistake with a serving error.

Whitney is right there with the best on the team in serving, despite being a freshman. At the end of Tuesday’s loss to Olathe West, Whitney was the last Firebird to serve and faced the pressure of a do-or-die situation with a calm demeanor.

“She’s got ice in her veins,” Savage said. “She’s confident in her ability, and her teammates know that. They absolutely back her in her game, and we’re excited she was one of the ones late in the game to be back there.”

Whitney started playing volleyball through local youth leagues in fourth grade, and she started to play club volleyball in sixth grade. Whitney made the decision to focus on the sport a year into her club career, and since then, her game has grown exponentially.

What makes Whitney stand out from other young varsity players is how quickly she has earned the trust of her team. It’s something that Savage has seen through the first month of the season.

“She adds trust already,” Savage said. “She’s acclimated really well to this level. She’s doing and bringing some amazing fundamentals and composure in tight moments, and the team responds to that.”

Still, it was a challenge for the incoming freshman to break into a new team that is filled with players who have spent years playing alongside each other. It takes time to build chemistry and trust, and with so many players on the team already having that with each other, it wasn’t easy for someone new to step in and earn a spot.

But Whitney was able to do so over the summer and her team has been there to support her from the start.

“They’re always there for me and they’ve helped me along the way,” Whitney said. “I feel like it builds a lot of character (playing with mostly upperclassmen), and it helps me play up to them. It was hard at first, but they’re all very welcoming.”

Whitney’s skill set shined over the summer and showed that she was someone the team could rely on early in her career.

“The team has embraced her from the get-go,” Savage said. “They’ve worked to elevate and make her feel confident and be immersed in this team. She’s done a great job.

“Her ceiling is very high, and her future is very bright.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State freshman Brinley Whitney sets the ball in a 3-0 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Lawrence.