Rams' Kienle takes volleyball career to Arizona, commits to OUAZ

RIO RANCHO — Six years ago, Briland Kienle started playing volleyball as a hobby. Her soccer season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and she needed something to fill the void.

Now, that hobby has turned into a collegiate athletic career.

On Oct. 30, the Rio Rancho senior announced her commitment to Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona, to play volleyball at the collegiate level.

“Since I started, I just kind of fell in love with it,” Kienle said. “I knew I wanted to pursue it in college. Even when I played soccer, I wanted to play soccer in college. It was never really a thought to not play sports. Once I started getting into high school, it became more of a reality. I had coaches who were kind of asking me like, 'Hey, are you looking at playing college?'”

Her collegiate pursuit required persistence. Reaching out to schools sometimes meant rejection, making it that much rewarding when she found her home at Ottawa.

“It was super rewarding, honestly,” Kienle said. “Some of the rejection was definitely a little hard to deal with. Getting turned away for my height or not being in the right position. That was a little bit upsetting. But when I did get accepted to OUAZ, which is a really good school, I think that really kind of just made me feel very blessed and grateful.”

Ottawa may feel blessed as well, as they are getting a player who finished top three on the Rams in kills and second in blocks. Kienle recorded three double-digit kill matches in her career-high 134-kill season.

Kienle credits a lot of her journey to the Rams program and Head Coach Toby Manzanares.

“He hasn't taught me just about volleyball; he's taught me a lot about life,” Kienle said. “When I've had my slip-ups, he's given me opportunities to correct them. He's just really helped me learn from my mistakes and grow as a person. I think that's the biggest thing that has helped me.”

Kienle’s run of great coaching may continue, as OUAZ Head Coach Olivia Afusia was one of the many positive takeaways on her recruiting trip out west.

“Coach Liv, she is literally the kindest person I've ever met. She was very welcoming,” Kienle said. “Another thing I really like about her is that she's not biased in any way. If you put in the work, then you'll succeed in her program, and that's exactly what I wanted. The campus itself is gorgeous, and the players that I've met were super sweet. I went out there and actually stayed in the dorms and got to see what they do around campus, and even though it's a smaller school, they had a lot to do. They had good energy.”

Rio Rancho volleyball will have quite a different look next year, losing a large group of seniors. Kienle’s advice for these future Rams? Put the work in.

“My advice would be to just send those emails, because unless you are a top player in the region, top player in the state, a really big name, these schools won't really be reaching out to you unless you reach out to them first. And it's not because they don't want you, right?” Kienle said. “It's just because they don't know you're there. So always work hard, send those emails, and just don't let anyone get you down. Don't let anyone tell you you can't pursue something, because no matter the skill you're at now, there's always room for improvement.”