Brianna Eskola
Brianna Eskola

Player Profile
Class:
Senior

Hometown:
Columbia Heights, Minn.

High School:
Columbia Heights

Height:
5-7

Position:
Defensive Specialist/Libero

Club:
Minnesota One

Junior Season: Named Second Team All-ACC • Appeared in all 117 games at libero • Broke the school record for digs in a career, eclipsing the previous best of 1,579 • Tallied double digits in digs in 30 of 31 matches • Eclipsed 20 digs in 17 matches, including a seven-match stretch from Sept. 8-30 • Reached 30 digs in three matches on the year • Set a season high with 34 digs at Virginia Tech on Oct. 12 • Matched that total against Virginia on Nov. 9 • Set the second-highest single season digs total in school history finishing the year with 678, leading the ACC • Averaged 5.79 digs per game, the best in the ACC and tops in school single season history • Earned Team MVP honors at year-end banquet.

Sophomore Season: Played in all 112 games at libero, providing a solid back-row presence for the Tar Heels • Reached double figures in digs in 28 of 31 matches, including a career-high 39 against Virginia on Oct. 27 • Also topped 30 digs with 38 against Wichita State on Sept. 9 and 32 at Duke on Nov. 3 • Earned all-tournament honors at the Carolina Volleyball Classic • Finished the season with 574 digs, the third-highest single-season total in school history and good for third in the ACC • Averaged 5.12 digs per game, the second-best average in school history.

Freshman Season: Appeared in all 33 matches at defensive specialist and missed just two games all season • Finished with 390 digs, good for third on the team • Collected a career-high 28 digs in the loss at Duke Sept. 29 • Added 25 digs in the loss at Florida State Nov. 20 • Reached double-digit digs in 20 of 33 matches, including 10 of the final 11 • Finished with 33 service aces, good for second on the team • Had a career-high four aces at San Francisco Sept. 3 • Shared Rookie of the Year honors with Lauren Prussing at the year-end banquet.

Prep: Earned the Athena Award as the top athlete in her school • Three-time all-conference in volleyball and two-time all-conference in softball • All-section in softball as a sophomore • Member of conference championship teams in both softball and volleyball • Placed third in the open club national championships as a sophomore • Academic all-conference • Graduated first in her class with a 4.0 GPA.

Personal: Majoring in biology • Lists her father as the greatest influence on her athletic career • Her father was two-sport letterman (baseball and football) at St. Thomas (Minn.) • Lists T.J.'s Steakhouse as her favorite place to eat and "SNL: The Best of Will Ferrell" as her favorite movie • Home & Garden Television is her favorite TV station • Brianna Marie Eskola is the daughter of Brenda and Richard Eskola • Born June 21, 1987 in Minneapolis.