University of Georgia Athletics
Brower Is A ‘Constant’ For Bulldogs
October 03, 2024 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Clara Brower is a connector — by personality and position.
As the Georgia volleyball team's setter, it's Brower's job to feed the ball to her teammates for good kill opportunities. As the setter, it's her job to be the glue that connects everyone on the floor.
"I've noticed that all the best setters that I've coached, just how much extra they do. It's kind of the nature of the position," Georgia head coach Tom Black said. "You're really the connector for the passers and the hitters, and you've got to make everybody better. And she's always embraced that work."
A four-year starter, Brower has been "a constant" for the Bulldogs throughout her career, Black said. Brower, from The Woodlands, Texas, enrolled early, in January 2021, and played in every match, starting all but seven, as a freshman. She started every match but one as a sophomore, and started all 31 matches, and played in all 110 sets as a junior last season.
"She represents the program well in so many ways. She's been through some really low lows and she's a huge reason why this program's been able to grow through that and get better," Black said. "She's been a constant over these past four years."
"It's flown by," she said of her career. "It's crazy."
The Bulldogs, who play at No. 24 Auburn on Friday and at Alabama on Sunday, haven't had many constants this season. Injuries have ravaged the roster, to the point that having enough bodies on hand to practice 6-on-6 has been a challenge. Brower has been out there for all 47 sets so far, along with star outside hitter Sophie Fischer, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, and libero Bailey Cox. Transfer Bianna Muoneke, whose 3.73 points per set are second on the team to Fischer's 4.29, has played in every match but one.
Being there for her team and her teammates, on and off the court, is something Brower thrives on and enjoys. It's part of why practice is often the highlight of her day.
"I definitely love seeing everyone," she said.
As a freshman in 2021, Brower had 790 assists. She had 684 as a sophomore and 1,171 last season. Through 11 matches this season, she has 447, giving her 3,092 for her career, which ranks eighth all-time at Georgia.
"She's just gotten so much better each year," Black said.
Brower said she's grown the most during her time at Georgia in two very different ways that actually go hand-in-hand for her. One, she said, was realizing "the importance of connections" and how to prioritize her relationships with teammates, coaches and staff members. And through doing that she has seen significant growth in the other area, dealing with failure.
"When I was a freshman, that was a really hard thing for me to wrap my head around," she said of dealing with failures. "I think using those connections and having that as your support system as you fail and fail and fail, until you see that progress and get better. I feel like that has taught me a lot and will be really valuable, too, when I'm done playing volleyball."
Brower said she came to Georgia afraid of failure. But now she understands better that successes are built upon failures and the things we learn from our setbacks.
"I'm not afraid of it anymore," she said. "It's something that, when I do fail, it's not this big, scary obstacle, it's more of an opportunity to address an area that I can get better at.
"I just think I've grown so much as a person through all of the things that' UGA's taught me. Reflecting from who I was freshman year to who I am now, I think a lot of that has to do with the acceptance of failure and being in uncomfortable situations, which I think is really cool to see."
Brower and the Bulldogs will be back at Stegeman Coliseum next Friday to take on South Carolina. It will be 10K Day, with the UGA Athletic Association pushing to get 10,000 fans at the match. Last month, Georgia had a school-record 4,022 fans on hand for its match against Georgia Tech. That was a year after 5,303 fans, the largest to ever see a volleyball match in the state of Georgia, attended the Bulldogs' match against Tech at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
Staff Writer
Clara Brower is a connector — by personality and position.
As the Georgia volleyball team's setter, it's Brower's job to feed the ball to her teammates for good kill opportunities. As the setter, it's her job to be the glue that connects everyone on the floor.
"I've noticed that all the best setters that I've coached, just how much extra they do. It's kind of the nature of the position," Georgia head coach Tom Black said. "You're really the connector for the passers and the hitters, and you've got to make everybody better. And she's always embraced that work."
A four-year starter, Brower has been "a constant" for the Bulldogs throughout her career, Black said. Brower, from The Woodlands, Texas, enrolled early, in January 2021, and played in every match, starting all but seven, as a freshman. She started every match but one as a sophomore, and started all 31 matches, and played in all 110 sets as a junior last season.
"She represents the program well in so many ways. She's been through some really low lows and she's a huge reason why this program's been able to grow through that and get better," Black said. "She's been a constant over these past four years."
"It's flown by," she said of her career. "It's crazy."
The Bulldogs, who play at No. 24 Auburn on Friday and at Alabama on Sunday, haven't had many constants this season. Injuries have ravaged the roster, to the point that having enough bodies on hand to practice 6-on-6 has been a challenge. Brower has been out there for all 47 sets so far, along with star outside hitter Sophie Fischer, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, and libero Bailey Cox. Transfer Bianna Muoneke, whose 3.73 points per set are second on the team to Fischer's 4.29, has played in every match but one.
Being there for her team and her teammates, on and off the court, is something Brower thrives on and enjoys. It's part of why practice is often the highlight of her day.
"I definitely love seeing everyone," she said.
As a freshman in 2021, Brower had 790 assists. She had 684 as a sophomore and 1,171 last season. Through 11 matches this season, she has 447, giving her 3,092 for her career, which ranks eighth all-time at Georgia.
"She's just gotten so much better each year," Black said.
Brower said she's grown the most during her time at Georgia in two very different ways that actually go hand-in-hand for her. One, she said, was realizing "the importance of connections" and how to prioritize her relationships with teammates, coaches and staff members. And through doing that she has seen significant growth in the other area, dealing with failure.
"When I was a freshman, that was a really hard thing for me to wrap my head around," she said of dealing with failures. "I think using those connections and having that as your support system as you fail and fail and fail, until you see that progress and get better. I feel like that has taught me a lot and will be really valuable, too, when I'm done playing volleyball."
Brower said she came to Georgia afraid of failure. But now she understands better that successes are built upon failures and the things we learn from our setbacks.
"I'm not afraid of it anymore," she said. "It's something that, when I do fail, it's not this big, scary obstacle, it's more of an opportunity to address an area that I can get better at.
"I just think I've grown so much as a person through all of the things that' UGA's taught me. Reflecting from who I was freshman year to who I am now, I think a lot of that has to do with the acceptance of failure and being in uncomfortable situations, which I think is really cool to see."
Brower and the Bulldogs will be back at Stegeman Coliseum next Friday to take on South Carolina. It will be 10K Day, with the UGA Athletic Association pushing to get 10,000 fans at the match. Last month, Georgia had a school-record 4,022 fans on hand for its match against Georgia Tech. That was a year after 5,303 fans, the largest to ever see a volleyball match in the state of Georgia, attended the Bulldogs' match against Tech at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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