Decades of champions

The Brahmas season started off slow with eligibility issues limiting the roster, but assistant coach Teddy Niemira believes that helped get them to this point.

“We learned to play more volleyball because of it,” Niemira said. “When it comes down to it, we knew what we were made of, and we were made of more than them.”

The early season limitations left the Brahmas with a poor out of conference record. In fact, the 14-6 overall record is the worst record the Brahmas have had in a championship season, nudging out 2000’s 14-4 mark. Walker was a member of that

2000 championship team, and now, in his seventh year as head coach, he gets to experience the feeling from the other end of the bench.

“That’s probably one of the greatest and most honorable things,” Walker said. “Being able to do this for a school that has given me so much.”

Walker said that this victory is not just about what was done this season.

“We’ve worked on this for seven years. There’s a lot of bridge builders that got us to this point,” Walker said.

“There’s a lot of guys who have come through our program to set the foundation for Brahmas to come.”

Walker said the crowd made the night special. Namesake of the Brahmas’ home court Ken Stanley was in attendance, as well as Pierce College President Kathleen Burke.

“It’s about Pierce pride, but I think it’s more important to them,” Burke said. “They’ll remember this their whole lives.”

Walker’s title win as a player was the first of four straight for the Brahmas, and he knows that the team can not rest on their laurels heading into next season.

“Now it’s up to the guys who are coming back on how hard they’re going to work now that we have the target on our back,” Walker said.