Freshman outside hitter Brenna Garrigan had already planned on following the high school path of her brothers, Brayden and Blake. By last fall, Brenna knew she wanted to attend Providence.
But in eighth grade, she also went to the Class 3A Washington Supersectional and saw the Celtics qualify for state in girls volleyball with a two-game win. And that confirmed her decision.
“That was really fun to watch,” she said. “It was a great team. I couldn’t wait to be a part of it.”
As a varsity rookie, the 5-foot-5 Garrigan is definitely a part of it. A huge part.
Garrigan, Providence’s leading hitter so far this season, produced seven kills Wednesday night to lead the Celtics to a 25-13, 25-14 nonconference victory over Andrew in Tinley Park.
Kennady Kotowski picked up six kills for Providence (8-1), while Olivia Healy handed out 20 assists. Lily Lipke chalked up five aces and Juju Batshon added four.
Sophomore outside hitter Lainey Pranckus came through with five kills for Andrew (3-5), with Kodi Campbell adding three.
Garrigan, meanwhile, plans on playing both basketball and softball at Providence. That’s a busy schedule, but she’s already making a big impression in volleyball.
“Having a 5-5 player who can jump over me made it a lot easier to decide she can play in the front row,” Providence coach Lee Rucinski said. “Seven years ago, I told everybody we’re going to put the best girls in the program at the varsity level
“If I pull up an underclassman, they are going to start. There’s no reason to bury an underclassman on the bench. That’s a bad philosophy.”
Garrigan plays libero in club, so she’s dangerous in both the back row and the front row.
“She could have been our starting libero when she was in sixth grade,” Rucinski said. “Her ball control and volleyball IQ are off the charts, and you can see it in the way she started her volleyball career in these first nine games.”
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Garrigan entered the match against Andrew with a team-high 67 kills and 69 serve receptions and was second with 39 digs and 12 aces.
It didn’t take Healy long to figure out what type of a weapon Garrigan was going to be.
“Where do I start? She’s amazing,” Healy said of Garrigan. “I know that when I set her the ball, she’s going to do something with it.
“I never set her before, but our connection was fast and she picks up tempo so easily. And she can jump out of her shoes. It’s incredible to watch her on the court, and I’m excited to have the next two years with her.”
Garrigan was a key player last season for Oak Prairie and helped lead the team to a third-place finish in Class 4A in the Illinois Elementary School Association state finals.
Playing varsity is not daunting for her, either. She has played up an age group — sometimes even two age groups — during club season. She started her career playing against older athletes.
Garrigan’s mother, Jane, was asked to coach a fourth-grade rec league team in Homer Glen.
“I was in kindergarten at the time and my mom said she would coach but wanted me to play with her team,” Brenna said.
Doctors have told Brenna she may grow a little bit more, but if she doesn’t, she pointed out that she’s ready to prove any doubters wrong.
“I love the challenge,” she said. “I love the adversity with it. People come in and look at me and say, ‘Aw, you’re not very tall.’
“I just love rising to the challenge and the adrenaline is what really gets me going.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.