SHELBYVILLE — Both played at different schools during their high school tenures, but Effingham graduate Berkley Pullen and Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg graduate Brinlie Durbin are closer than you think.
Their bond strengthened at the Shelbyville Event Center during the summer leading up to their respective senior years, as well as during their club volleyball seasons for Rapid Fire Volleyball Club.
“Any time we came in [to the Shelbyville Event Center], we came in together and worked with [the Rapid Fire coaches]. We learned a lot from each other, too,” Durbin said.
“I think we play off of each other and try to take away our best assets,” Pullen continued. “Brinlie is super strong. She can throw the ball without even trying and can push the ball to the hitters.”
The two had remarkable senior seasons and were honored as the Effingham Daily News Volleyball co-Setters of the Year.
Durbin led the area with 780 assists. She also had 136 kills, 38 service aces, 56 blocked shots and 264 digs.
As for Pullen, she had the fifth-most assists, with 682, to go along with 87 kills, 24 service aces, 32 blocked shots and 206 digs.
The two paved different roads before they ultimately crossed paths.
Durbin has been playing for Rapid Fire for the past five years; Pullen has played since she was 8 years old.
“They are opposite setters in their techniques and the way they do things,” Rapid Fire coach Brittany Tavener said. “Brinlie is physically strong in her upper body; Berkley is very quick and her feet are fantastic.”
“I’ve learned a lot of my setting skills from [this club],” Durbin stated. “I also have learned how to work with different people.”
Former WSS and Rapid Fire players Halle Moomaw and Gabby Vonderheide introduced Durbin to the club.
She’s been heavily involved since.
“Halle and Gabby brought me in for workouts starting after my freshman season. That’s when I got to know Brittany more,” Durbin said. “I’ve become super-involved. I help with the camps and come in for extra work all the time.”
This past summer was Durbin’s best summer to date.
“I started growing last summer and put in a lot of work. I think that’s when things started to really show,” she said. “I’ve become a big leader, too. We have a lot of younger girls that look up to me and that means a lot.”
Durbin will continue to play volleyball at the collegiate level. She will join Lincoln Land in the fall.
“I’m hoping to be quicker,” Durbin said. “I’m not the quickest right now, and I know that, but I’m working to improve. Lincoln Land sets faster and is a lot different from high school.”
Pullen’s first go-around as a full-time setter was her senior season for the Flaming Hearts.
She said over the years, during club season, she improved at becoming faster — which is just what Durbin is aspiring to become.
“I’ve tried to quicken my pace, especially with setting. I tried to get the ball to the hitter faster,” Pullen said. “My setting is a little bit different. I’m an aggressive setter, but I feel like I’m more of a smooth setter, too.”
Overall, the two have much admiration for the club they played for.
“This club, they get to know you as a person, not just the athlete side of you,” Durbin said. “When I was younger and before I was on the top teams, they were still getting to know me.”
“I think Rapid Fire has taught me so much and I don’t think I would be anywhere near where I am today without them,” Pullen added. “They taught me all of my basic skills.”
Tavener, who drives countless miles to watch her club players compete in high school, will now drive even more to continue watching two more club graduates in college.