It was a long-established family motto that sealed the deal for senior volleyball player Brittnay Estes when she made the decision to commit her life to Christ.
She was 18-years-old at the time on a two-week mission trip to Brazil with the Lipscomb volleyball team, ministering to a group of children in the Villas.
Estes was rooming with the athletic department’s Women’s Spiritual Formation Leader, Shannon O’Brien, who led a conversation of faith with the girls each night before bed.
“One night when we were talking, we professed ourselves to Jesus,” Estes said. “I just kept thinking ‘You’re right, Shannon. I want to change the way I’m living.’”
A few days after this conversation, the girls passed by a waterfall tucked in the trees of a forest in the Villas. Both Estes and long-time friend and fellow volleyball player Molly Spitznagle ran into the water for their baptisms, performed by Garner Goode.
“In my family, butterflies mean angels,” Estes said. “When you see a butterfly, it means an angel is there. I saw so many butterflies that day.”
Estes met Spitznagel because of Lipscomb athletics and credits the department for bringing her several other close friends.
The A-Sun Player of the Year said that being on the team for last four years has prepared her for life after college as well as in-game situations.
“Volleyball is only going to be four years of your life and then you have to go into the real world,” Estes said. “[Coach Brandon] Rosenthal tries to prepare us for real-world situations — how to live our lives off the court, how to conduct ourselves, how to manage our time. It builds a lot of character.”
To date, Estes has competed 169 kills and 153 digs. She plays the right-side position but can rotate into several other areas if needed.
“I block, hit, pass, serve – I do everything. They call it a six rotation player,” Estes said.
Being a part of a Lipscomb sports team means committing to academics as well as athletics. Estes credits her newfound time management and organizational skills to the athletic department, without which she would have easily fallen behind.
“I was not an organized person before volleyball and now I’m almost OCD,” Estes said. “You’re forced to be ahead of schedule on everything.”
Estes said that while traveling to Brazil was an amazing international experience, her senior year has been the best overall travel year with Lipscomb athletics – having visited New York, Salt Lake City and Omaha for away games.
As a senior in the department, Estes nears the end of her collegiate availability to play volleyball. She has the availability to play one more year in a different sport after her senior year at Lipscomb.
According to Estes, once the season is over she will begin applying for graduate school with hopes of playing sand volleyball for one year.
Estes will graduate from Lispcomb in May with a degree in Journalism and New Media. She said she would love to work in sports communications, sideline reporting or sports commentating once she completes her career as a volleyball player.
“I want to play volleyball for as long as I can,” Estes said. “Sitting in an office all day just isn’t me. I’m more of a creative mind and a free spirit. Before anything, I want to become a professional beach volleyball player.”
Estes is currently documenting her last year as a Lipscomb athlete. Visit her blog to follow more of her journey.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics