Despite being born and raised in California, freshman Bria Green did not have any trouble adjusting to life at The University of Alabama and playing on the volleyball team.

“It’s not as hard as I thought it was going to be,” Green said. “I literally love it here. I like the weather, the people are so sweet, and I haven’t had a hard time adjusting.”

She said she was looking for something different than Los Angeles, Calif., and Alabama was the best fit for her.

“I love the South,” Green said. “When I went to Alabama, when I came on my visit, I mean, it was like no other place, and I just knew when I came on the visit. I loved the coaches. I loved the girls. The facilities are really amazing. They treat the athletes amazing, and I just knew this was the place for me, and I love it.”

Green has played in 58 sets this season and has 101 digs. She said her teammates help to make her feel comfortable on the court, and they appreciate her hard work.

“She’s a really good teammate,” sophomore Kryssi Daniels said. “She’s fun to be around.… As far as on the court, she’s a good competitor. She comes to practice every day and does what she’s supposed to. She’s been a big asset on the team … as far as our defense, and she’s helped us a ton.”

It’s not just on defense that Green has helped the team. Offensively, she can play both the front and back row, depending on where she’s needed.

“[She’s] a kid that’s got a lot of volleyball savvy that we expect to do some very good things here for us,” coach Ed Allen said. “I think anytime a freshman comes in and plays an extended period of time – whether that’s Brittany [Thomas], Bria, Krystal [Rivers] or whomever – it takes kind of a special player and a special need on a team in order for that to happen, and she fills a significant role for us across the back row and is capable of playing front row if we need her to do that.”

The volleyball team will hit the road this weekend to face Arkansas on Friday and No. 25 Missouri on Sunday. The Missouri match will be Alabama’s third match against a ranked opponent. Allen said the difficult schedule will be a good opportunity for the team to grow.

“We have a plan to serve the ball in a way that allows them very few options,” Allen said. “We plan to defend in a way that frustrates hitters, in a way that maybe forces them into some unforced errors or some easy points out of that, and we just plan to play hard.”