University of British Columbia volleyball phenom Briana Liau Kent is soaring into her final UBC tournaments as a T-bird.
This is Kent’s fifth and final season as libero on the No. 1-ranked Thunderbirds (18-4) and by all accounts it has been a successful run for the five-foot-six defensive specialist.
She has racked up three Final Four championship gold medals and has four national championship titles under her belt. She also has a team-leading 271 digs with the T-birds this season.
Her final regular season now over, Kent is focused on lacing up her court shoes for the Canada West Final Four championship tournament this weekend at UBC’s War Memorial Gym.
The top three teams from this tournament, of which UBC is sure to be included, will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Womens volleyball championship.
For Kent, the ultimate would be to leave UBC with its seventh — and national record breaking, — CIS championship in a row.
“Nationals is the big thing we are all gunning for. That is going to be really, really big,” Kent said.
But once that competition is behind her and she’s donned her cap and gown to receive her degree in kinesiology in May, she isn’t sure if competitive volleyball will play a role in her future.
Kent, 22, said she has toyed with the idea of quitting volleyball for years. Back when she graduated from Eric Hamber secondary, she planned to quit but then got the offer she couldn’t refuse to play for UBC.
For the last couple of years the thought of quitting entered her mind at the end of every season, but each time coaches and teammates talked her out of it.
They are trying to talk her out of it still.
If she does continue on the court after grad, one option — and the option her supporters are pushing for — is to try out for the national team again.
Kent tried out for Canada’s Women’s National Volleyball team last year in Manitoba but fell short.
“They are still pushing me to try again this year, they think it will be good for me,” she said. She is definitely considering it.
Her roommate and T-bird teammate Lisa Barclay has played on the national team the last three summers and is encouraging Kent to go for it.
“I think she is definitely one of the strongest liberos in Canada and she has a really good shot at making the national team and it would be a really good opportunity for her,” she said.
Kent said she recognizes the connections and opportunities the sport brought her and could bring her.
Her closest friends and best memories are from volleyball, she said.
But volleyball has also cost her a lot of time and other opportunities, too.
“I was always scared to play other sports or do other things, just in case I got injured,” she said.
“Being done in volleyball, I can go back to playing other sports — I love snowboarding, too — so I would try those things again. And have a lot more time to maybe travel as well … With volleyball you have to commit a fair amount of time and be around practicing and stuff so if I was done with volleyball, I could explore a lot of other things.” she said.
Kent said she will make up her mind about her future after the national championship.
In the meantime she is focused on tallying a few more wins at her final Final Four.
For more info go to: gothunderbirds.ca/volleyballfinalfour
