Tanner and Mason Briggs have a big score to settle this week. With all the success the two brothers have had during their time playing boys volleyball for Alemany, one opponent has been on their minds since they entered the high school scene.
It is a bitter taste they can’t get out of their mouths. The disgust fuels their push to greater heights. Their goal is beat rival Loyola, which has dominated the Mission League for over two decades. The match is Tuesday at Loyola.
After falling short in five sets in the first matchup, Tanner Briggs is embracing a darker role to help elevate his game.
“Honestly I love the fact that we get to come into the gym and we get to play the role of the villains,” Tanner Briggs said. “We know that the energy is going to be crazy, we know that the stakes are high and for me and Mason — that just means our games will be elevated to the highest level.”
Tanner and Mason are no strangers to pressure and understanding the championship environment with the sport being embedded in their blood. Their uncle Walt Ker founded the Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball program with cousins Tony, Kevin and Jamey Ker later playing at UCLA and winning national titles. Oldest brother Trevor is a libero for No. 1 ranked Long Beach State and their mother Dina was a two-time CIF champion as a setter with Louisville.
“It helps when you have players like Tanner and Mason who literally have this game in their genetics,” Alemany coach David Decker said. “The thing about these guys is they are always playing, whether it’s indoor, beach, grass leagues. They do not believe in limitations and are always learning and discovering ways to get better.”
All three brothers would watch and learn from their older counterparts with the various gyms becoming second homes. Both Tanner and Mason go to Trevor’s club practices or all three would find themselves peppering the ball inside Pauley Pavilion.
“It’s crazy how blessed we are to have all these amazing athletes within our family and how supportive they all are,” Mason Briggs said. “Watching our cousins play and seeing them go at full force. Learning about the roots of the game and how to play. It’s been amazing.”
The years of dedication has paid off for Tanner and Mason, who are on their way to taking their game to the next level. Tanner, a senior, has committed to Division III school Fontbonne (Mo.) and is on the AVCA All-American watch list, while Mason has committed to Long Beach State as a junior. In addition, Mason has been selected to the Team USA national training team.
With all the similarities Mason and Tanner possess, their rise to the top couldn’t be more different. While Mason was seemingly thrust into the spotlight as a freshman, Tanner had to take a methodical approach and learn from Trevor for two seasons before earning a starting role as a junior.
“Sitting behind an older brother you think would be tough, and trying to earn the spot, but it allowed me to really learn how to become a more fundamental player,” Tanner said. “It was a little frustrating at times, but without all that time to polish my game, I don’t think I would be the player that I am. Plus when you add Mason into the mix, he’s one of the most highly gifted players I have ever seen.”
The word joy to describe this family’s passion for volleyball would be an understatement, and a family video shown by the Briggs brothers’ mother was just one example. Just two weeks ago, Long Beach State was embroiled in a tight matchup with Hawaii. At close to 9:30 p.m. Mason was bouncing off the walls, cheering excitedly as he watched Trevor enter the game.
When his future team held serve Mason closed his eyes for a few seconds. He felt the pulsating noise of the crowd and the vibrations coming from within the Pyramid. Suddenly he was at the arena and sensing every feeling on the court. From the emotions of the match to the sweat dripping off the players’ faces.
“I get really excited any time I watch any of my brothers play,” Mason said. “But when I’m watching the game I also visualize myself being there in the game. I see the ball, I feel the electricity. I feel everything. It’s crazy.”
Decker, who is 20, is under enormous pressure as a first-year head coach.
Despite his inexperience, Decker has compiled a 22-1-1 record. He has approached the job by combining his experience as a libero at Notre Dame along with wisdom being passed along to handle a team with immense talent. He credits former Pierce men’s volleyball coaches Aaron Wong and Charles Gage and his former head coach at Notre Dame, Jim Hall.
“Coaching Tanner and Mason makes my job a lot easier because of how high their IQ is,” Decker said. “I also have five seniors that are graduating and they understand the importance of what this year means. Wong really showed me the joy of coaching. Charles helped me learn how to handle mistakes by handling it with a hint of sarcasm, and Coach Hall really understands the game from the fundamentals perspective. He really comes from the old school, which again both Mason and Tanner understand extremely well.”
Mason and Tanner have just one month left of playing together after having been on the same team since the fourth grade. Every drive to school together becomes more meaningful and each game brings a little bit more meaning.
“It’s a little bit sad because it literally is an end of an era, but with new endings come new beginnings,” Tanner Briggs said. “We’ve got a great chance to make history and we feel not just as brothers but as a team that, that time is now. We know no matter where we are that we will see each other. We have a great bond.”
That bond on the court will need to be tighter than it has ever been as Alemany looks to stun Loyola on its home court. The program hopes to take out an adversary it hasn’t beaten in 24 years and claim its share of the league title for the first time since 1999.
For Tanner and Mason, they have been preparing their entire lives for a game of this magnitude. It’s not a game for a state title or even a Southern Section title. There is more at stake. It’s about pride and proving once and for all that Alemany can win the big game in front of a sold-out crowd.
“This is what we’ve been working for,” Tanner said. “To do it for Alemany, for this program and to show what we are capable of.”
