Moon Township, Pa. – On her first day of volleyball practice,
Brianna Frakes turned to her mother and purposefully told her what position she wanted to play.
"Setter," Frakes said, reminiscing about that day in fifth grade. "I knew it right away."
Why setter, as opposed to, say, hitter or blocker?
"Because I liked the idea of giving the ball up to the hitters," she said. "That was exciting to me."
Hard to argue the results, given Frakes has evolved into one of the great setters in RMU history.
On Friday, she became just the fourth student-athlete at
Robert Morris University to record 3,000 career assists during a thrilling, come-from-behind victory at Sacred Heart. She finished the memorable day with 44 assists, joining Darcey Miller, Tawnya Storino and Hannah Hoffman in the exclusive 3,000 Club.
"I'm proud of the accomplishment, especially because of where I came from," said Frakes, named the Molten/Northeast Conference Player of the Week Oct. 21. "I've had some ups and downs, so it's great to have been able to push through these four years and get to where I wanted to be."
The ups (an NCAA Tournament trip in 2015) far outweigh the downs (shoulder surgery after her sophomore season) for this four-year starter.
Since arriving on campus from Clarkson, Mich., Frakes has essentially served as the Colonials' on-court quarterback. She is entrusted with delivering crisp, accurate and decisive passes, much like Ben Roethlisberger does with the Steelers.
Difference is, quarterbacks get top billing. Setters? Not so much.
"They're kind of the forgotten people," said Robert Morris head coach
Dale Starr, a setter in his playing days. "The hitters and the blockers get all the publicity and they rack up all the stats. The setter is in the background. So you have to be a selfless person and enjoy other peoples' success to play the position."
For Frakes, she wouldn't want it any other way.
"It's rewarding to give the hitter an opportunity to score," she said. "And when they get a kill, I feel good about myself. Whether I get stats or recognition, I feel good knowing that I can help the others be the best they can be."
Among her voluminous list of highlights, Frakes said one stands out above all others. It was a leaping, one-handed pass in the 2015 NEC Tournament championship game that led to a momentum-changing point against LIU Brooklyn. The Colonials would go on to win the match and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"It's great when you can start a rally," said Frakes, who played through a severe shoulder injury that season. "It was a group effort, and it was a great moment for us."
Frakes averages 8.68 assists per game this season, which ranks third in the NEC. She finished first in that category as a sophomore and second last season.
As one of only two seniors on the roster (
Deja Tamlin is the other), Frakes has emerged as a leader, on and off the floor. She has demonstrated toughness by overcoming the shoulder woes and a commitment to winning with hard-charging practice habits.
"We're a young team," Frakes said. "So it's the job of the upperclassmen to let everyone understand what this program is about."
Despite featuring eight freshmen, RMU (13-13, 7-4 NEC) is in fourth place in the league, trailing Bryant and Central Connecticut by a half-game. The Colonials have won four league games in a row.
???????Frakes is setting the tone.
"She's modeling all the behaviors that we wanted her to model as a senior," said Starr, whose team has three regular-season games remaining. "It's a great thing for me to see how she's grown and matured as a strong leader for this program."
A strong leader on campus, too. Frakes is the president of the Association of Future Accountants, has served on the student-athlete advisory committee and already has a job lined up in technology development at PNC after graduation.
She is majoring in accounting with a minor in computer information systems.
"Everything about this school is amazing," Frakes said. "We're like family here. My coaches have been great, my teammates are great and the whole community has created a home for me. I'll remember those things for the rest of my life."
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