Everything was working for Brynna Deluzio on Thursday. The senior outside hitter started the Class 4A state championship match on fire, registering 11 kills in the first set against The Benjamin School.
“She’s an impressive player and she has been all season,” First Academy head coach Haley Malone said. “But I’m like 11 successful kills against a team who is pretty giant in the front row is awesome. That means that she’s doing everything that we practiced and it showed tonight which is the perfect time to put it all out there on the floor.”
“I had been thinking all day about how could I make this last one so sweet,” Deluzio said. “It was so great for our whole team because we had been working so hard for it, and we just knew that come game time, especially after that first set, we wanted it, we wanted it so bad.”
The Royals took the first set 26-24 and never looked back, winning the next two sets as Deluzio powered TFA on offense and defense, with 23 kills to go along with 25 digs, ending her high school career a state champion.
“It just made it so much easier having such a great team, and set of hitters,” Deluzio said. “They honestly make it so easy because they’re all getting these amazing kills, they’re opening up shots for me, and it helps when you have two amazing setters.”
TFA last won a state title in 2012, Deluzio was an 8th grader on that team.
“We’ve been trying ever since, and finally I was like, Brynna, this is your last chance, we gotta do it, and she put it all out there,” Malone said.
“After five years, getting it back, and bringing it back, it’s a good one,” Deluzio said. “I don’t even know how to describe it.”
Next up, Deluzio will head off to the University of Colorado to continue her volleyball career.