When Brooke Nuneviller was 7 years old, her mom, Beth, asked her if she wanted to play club volleyball.
The first thing Nuneviller said was, “Oh yes, mom. I want to play.”
Beth asked Nuneviller again, wanting to make sure she was positive about playing — given her lack of experience in the sport and the time commitment club volleyball required.
Nuneviller replied again, “I want to play.”
Starting with her mom’s coaching, Nuneviller would play through successful club and high school careers. A change in position from outside hitter to libero would not only see her through multiple appearances on the United States National teams, but give her the chance to play collegiately at Oregon.
And now, just two months into her time as a Duck, she leads the team with 206 total digs and is the program’s first true freshman to start in the libero position since the 2013 season.
“When someone like Brooke decides to be a part of your program, you know you’re doing things the right way,” head coach Matt Ulmer told Go Ducks prior to the season. “Brooke plays with an energy that I’ve never seen before and that will automatically enhance our culture.”
After committing to Oregon, Nuneviller knew she wanted to compete for the starting libero position on Oregon’s lineup, especially after Alex Hojnar, last season’s libero, graduated.
Libero wasn’t always Nuneviller’s position. The Chandler, Arizona, native switched from outside hitter to libero when she made the U.S.A. Youth and Junior National teams while in high school.
Since earning the spot this preseason, Nuneviller has started every match and played in every set. She leads the team in averaging 4.79 digs per set, one of the most vital defensive stats.
In Sunday’s match against Washington State, Nuneviller recorded the most digs in a match (35) since Amanda Benson in 2015, which ties the freshman for seventh on Oregon’s single-match most-dig record list.
“I’ve never seen a more experienced freshman,” Ulmer said. “Even though she’s a freshman, she’s been doing it and at a high level.”
With the strong start to her collegiate career, Nuneviller has laid down a solid foundation for her personal goals. Yet, for her, she’d much rather see the team succeed.
“A goal in college for me is to be an All-American,” Nuneviller said. “But ultimately, I’d much rather win a National Championship than be an All-American.”
Prior to Oregon, Nuneviller’s passion for the sport developed while growing up in a family in which her mom, dad and brother all played volleyball.
“I couldn’t see myself just not playing volleyball ever,” Nuneviller said. “Volleyball is just something of importance, it’s like my life. Anything I do revolves around it.”
Nuneviller was coached by her mom for 11 years on various club teams, something she believes has one of the biggest impacts on her volleyball career.
“I think that she is a really big reason how I play the way I play, how I am the way I am,” Nuneviller said. “Sometimes it was hard to differentiate between the mom and the coach, but I would not want her to be the coach that was easier on her kid than any other kid, because I just don’t think I would be as strong as I am.”
Even though Nuneviller was never the tallest on the team, her mom always knew she could count on her to attack every play with a driven mindset.
“It didn’t matter who she was playing, she just thought she was going to win,” Beth said. “It isn’t necessarily the skills that have made her better, it’s the determination. She just feels like she’s going to win, and she competes like it and that’s something you can’t really teach.”
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni