Bowie State Volleyball Players Look Forward to Spring Practice

Freshmen duo Madyson Brinson and Nina Edwards Believe Team Chemistry is Top Priority

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) – The Bowie State University volleyball team is a squad on the rise. Despite playing last season with a roster that featured 13 freshmen, the Bulldogs made the CIAA conference tournament for the first time since 2019, and two freshmen, Nina Edwards and Madyson Brinson, earned All-Conference and All-Rookie honors along the way. 

Edwards, a 6-2 middle blocker from Matthews, NC, made the All-CIAA first team after leading the Bulldogs with 74 blocks while also finishing second on the team with 170 kills. Brinson led Bowie State with 233 kills and finished third overall with 34 blocks last season, which netted the Jacksonville, FL native with All-CIAA second team honors.  

For Brinson, her first college season felt like an extension of her time playing club volleyball in Florida, where she frequently traveled to face other highly ranked teams during the season. 

“I played on a national level team,” said Brinson. “So with that, you play high-level competition across the country. The season reminded me of that competition and how competitive you need to be.” 

Edwards admitted that it took some time for her to get used to the pace of play at the college level, but she was able to adjust as her fitness level increased while also working on developing her awareness of what was happening on the court at any given time. 

“I had to teach myself how to be at 100 percent, no matter how tired I am,” said Edwards. “The pace of college volleyball is so much faster. If you’re not looking everywhere and moving as fast as you can all the time, that’s how you get caught up and you’re not where you need to be.” 

While Edwards and Brinson are proud of what they accomplished individually last year, they both have shifted their focus towards what comes next for the Bulldogs. The team will begin spring practice in March, and both players feel that a top priority is developing the strong chemistry that allows teammates to set each other up for more scoring opportunities as well as endure and finish strong during some of the more grueling matches they’ll play during the season. With the conference championship coming back to Bowie State, that’s extra motivation for the Bulldogs to realize their potential. 

“We’ll be even better if we keep continuing to work hard and keep gelling as a team,” said Brinson. “The sky is the limit for us. We can make the playoffs again and go further. We would love to keep playing and fighting in the championship.” 

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.