MSUB SPORTS – Miranda McConnell is admittedly not an archer, and she's never been one to ride horses.
 
"Other than that, it's pretty close," the senior middle blocker on the Montana State University Billings volleyball team said.
 
When Walt Disney Pictures released its 2012 animated drama/fantasy movie Brave, it was hard at first to fathom that she hadn't been the human subject of the now-beloved character. Even the main character's name – Merida – could be easily mistaken for her own.
 
Some sports nicknames have intricate origins, the foundation of which can only be understood by teammates or close friends to the individual. Others, like 'Brave,' come so naturally that beyond introduction to the animated character no explanation is needed. "Calling her Brave is second nature now," said MSUB head coach Casey Williams. "She is the spitting image of the character and has a lot of the same personality traits."
 
The likeness extends well beyond the court. "It started in club volleyball my junior year of high school, right after the movie came out," McConnell said. "I remember some of my club teammates and parents didn't know my actual name. Here (at MSUB) it has just carried over. Moving to a new state and community made it really take off, and now all my teammates and even some of my professors call me Brave."
 
But it doesn't stop there. "We love it," said Tim McConnell, who has fully embraced his daughter's doppelganger. "It is what her teammates and even little kids started calling her. It is a nickname that has stuck for good reason."
 

🏐Volleyball gameday today! See you at Alterowitz gym but just in case you can't make it, there's a live stream...
📺- https://t.co/OpqDyZRrha pic.twitter.com/2T2heVuyeB

— MSUB Volleyball (@MSUBVB) September 15, 2018

 
One of the rare places you'll see McConnell's given name listed is in the MSUB record books, where the fruits of a four-year starting career are being represented among the Yellowjackets' all-time statistical leaders.
 
Entering this week, McConnell is No. 4 in MSUB history with 228 block assists, and with her next full block she will reach top-10 status as she currently sits at 242. She is seven sets played away (363) from reaching the top-10 in that category as well.

Rank	Player	Block Assists	Seasons
1	Alicia Cazemeir	353	2004-07
2	Jody Newberry	285	1996-99
3	Jody Lutz	252	2009-12
4	Miranda McConnell	228	2015-18
5	Katrina Dahlgren	223	2000-03
6	Tegan Harris	212	1998-01
7	Melissa Porter	203	2008-11
8	Jessica Lechner	199	2005-08
9	Chelsey Walter	196	2011-14
10	Ashlynn Ward	181	2013-16

 
McConnell is on pace to have her best season yet as a Yellowjacket, as she is just 17 kills away from her personal best (158 in 2016) and is averaging 1.86 kills per set. Her hitting percentage of .278 leads the team and ranks No. 11 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and she is well on pace to have her best blocking year yet with 59 total blocks and a personal-best mark of 0.78 blocks per set.
 
The playing time has been there since the start of her career, but the growth McConnell has experienced has her head and shoulders above where she was as a freshman in 2015. "My speed has improved, with things like getting set in transition after going for a block and being in the middle of plays," McConnell commented on her areas of improvement. "Also being smarter on offense has been a big key. My hitting percentages have been higher this year, and that is because I am seeing the court a lot better. I have realized that you're not able to slam every ball, and you have to be smart with your placement. You have to look at where the other team's defense is set up and place the ball effectively."
 
She has played 176 consecutive sets dating back to the beginning of last year, and has become a staple in the Yellowjackets' lineup. "Brave has been a four-year starter here and she has gotten statistically better with each year," said Williams. "She has become one of the top blockers on our team. This year, she has been very efficient both offensively and at the block."
 
Considering the impressive career McConnell has constructed during her time at MSUB, it comes as a surprise that her label as a volleyball player is not much older than that of her moniker Brave. "One of the things we encouraged her to do was try out a variety of different sports and activities," McConnell's father Tim said. "Based on the skill level she started to demonstrate, it was clear that volleyball was going to be the way for her to continue her athletic career."
 
McConnell had reached her current height of 6-foot-1 by the beginning of her time at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, which is when she got her start on the volleyball court. "Ever since I was young, basketball was definitely my main sport," McConnell explained. "I pitched for a while in softball and ran cross country just to stay in shape, but I didn't get into volleyball until high school."
 
Part of McConnell's rapid adjustment to volleyball has to do with her genetic roots, with her father playing basketball at Creighton University. From 1974-78 the 6-foot-7 Tim scored 472 points and grabbed 247 rebounds while playing in 86 games for the Blue Jays. That parlayed into a brief professional career in France for a club team just outside of Paris for two seasons.
 
"I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps, and play sports at a high level," McConnell said.
 
 McConnell admits being somewhat skeptical upon her first visit to MSUB, but credits the players in the program with helping her establish a level of comfort that ultimately led to her becoming a Yellowjacket. "Kimmy (Kirk) was the first player I met, and rooming with her made me feel at home and like I was part of the family," McConnell said. "Off the court she was my mentor, and I knew I could go to her for anything. I also really looked up to Stormy (Siemion), Kyndal (Williams), and Ashlynn (Ward), and they really knew how to carry a team."
 
The group of upperclassmen in McConnell's initial season were vital in what felt in many ways like a catch-up year in the fall of 2015. Despite it being just her fifth year of organized volleyball, McConnell racked up 133 kills for an average of 1.48 per set, and was one of the squad's top statistical defensive players as she ranked second with 61 blocks and an average of 0.68 per set. "Coming in and not having played at this level, the speed was a lot faster and I don't think I was quite ready for it," McConnell recalled. "I realized how big of a role I was playing as a freshman, and knew that the team was relying on me."
 
Her role has only grown over the past three seasons, as she has been among the top-three on the team in combined kills and blocks. Even more important has been her impact as a leader on the younger players, as she drew on the inspiration of the upperclassmen who she relied so heavily upon initially. "Brave has been voted a team captain for the past two years," Williams said. "She has a such a calming presence on the team, and she does a great job of being a leader and being a voice on the court."
 
 McConnell sees the potential of this year's squad, and can feel the Yellowjackets turning a major corner as they reach the midway point of the season. After enduring a tough eight-match losing skid, McConnell and the 'Jackets broke out with a five-set win over Saint Martin's University on September 22. Last week, the team added a pair of landmark victories with five-set triumphs at home over Northwest Nazarene University and second-place Central Washington.
 
Next up is a trip to Alaska, where MSUB will face the University of Alaska on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Alaska/9 p.m. Mountain, and the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at the same time. "The win over Saint Martin's was definitely a turning point for us, and most teams have a dip at some point in the season," McConnell said. "We are finally starting to come together and realize that we have to go out and work hard the entire game. Being the underdog is fun, coming in and knowing the other team isn't going to expect much from us. If we have our mental game up, that's when we play our best. We have the talent, and it is more about who is mentally ready on any given night."
 
As the team looks to avenge a pair of 3-0 losses to the Alaska schools from earlier in the year at home, McConnell has come to fully embrace her role on the other end of the spectrum in helping lay the groundwork for success in future years. The 'Jackets are already just one win away from their first double-digit win total since the 2014 season, as McConnell is poised to finish her career with the team's best performance yet.
 
"It has been fun helping lead this group, and thinking about what they are going to do here when I leave," McConnell said.
 
By her side since the beginning of her career has been fellow senior Taylor Sherman, a fellow four-year player who has been perhaps the most constant layer of support for McConnell. "She has made me better as a player and a person," McConnell said. "For us to stick together and not give up, and to persevere through every obstacle that came upon us really brought us close."
 
McConnell is a health and human performance major at MSUB, working on completing prerequisites for a nursing program. A job as a labor and delivery nurse is what McConnell envisions on her horizon, and she credits the solid academic foundation she received at MSUB with helping her hit the ground running as she looks into applying for nursing school.
 
"Dr. (Alex) Shafer is my advisor and he has really helped shape my education because he is so knowledgeable and understanding," McConnell said. "Dr. Jeff Willardson is also very knowledgeable, and it has been great having him as our strength coach and as a professor in a bunch of classes."
 
 Those influencing McConnell's education have done their part, as she is a two-time academic all-GNAC achiever and is in line to win the award for a third time this fall with a grade point average of 3.40.
 
After this week's road trip, seven of the team's final nine matches will take place in the friendly confines of Alterowitz Gym. Tim and his wife Bambi McConnell have their calendars marked, as they plan to make the familiar journey from their home town to Billings at least two more times during the 2018 season. Since the beginning of their daughter's career, the two have dedicated their vacation days to making sure they don't miss a moment of action on the court.
 
"One thing you never know is how long it is going to last," Tim said. "Bambi and I decided that as long as she was healthy and playing, we were going to try to make as many trips as we could during the season. It's not just to support Miranda, but the team too."
 
It's easy to pick Tim out of the crowd at Alterowitz Gym, equally because of his constant cheers of encouragement and his Division-I basketball frame.
 
"Let's go Sherm! Good job Maddi!" The words carry strongly in his deep, friendly voice. "I call them all out by their names and cheer for them, because it is important to provide support to everybody on the team. Throughout my own athletic career I was always someone who cheered on my teammates. I have always been a talkative one encouraging people to play hard and do well. My wife and I just really enjoy getting to know the girls and their families."
 
"Having my parents be in close proximity has been really nice, and they have been supportive of me throughout my whole career," McConnell commented on her parents. "When they're not here, they watch every single game, and they are always excited to support us. I get texts after every game no matter what."
 
One of the highlight moments in McConnell's career came on the final weekend of the 2017 season, when the 'Jackets stunned UAA with a 3-1 victory their last time visiting Anchorage. Now as she and the team arrive at the site of one of the most exciting wins in her career, she can't help but reflect on how the last four years have shaped her.
 
"I have built a foundation (at MSUB) and it just feels so homey to me," McConnell said. "I have met friends here that I will have for a lifetime, and the community aspect of the school has been awesome as well."