GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Get to know outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine in the second edition of our “Offseason Conversation” series with the Grand Rapids Rise. Briggs-Romine, a native of Ortonville, Michigan, talks about deciding to sign with the Rise, getting married over the offseason, winning the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation championship with the Omaha Supernovas and much more.
First off, welcome to the Grand Rapids Rise. How much did your Michigan roots influence your decision to sign with the Rise?
It had a huge impact on where I wanted to play. I played at Western Kentucky for five years, so I was kind of ready to be home, and that was the conversation I had with [Rise head coach] Cathy George. I wanted to be able to see my family on the weekends or on off days, instead of it being a Facetime call. So, I’m super excited to be back in Michigan and have the opportunity to play in Grand Rapids.
What was the player signing period like for you?
To me, it was a little stressful. I don’t really like doing the recruiting process. I’m not a big phone call person. I’d rather see people in person. But it went well. I obviously talked with Omaha, Grand Rapids, and some other coaches. I was just trying to feel out where I fit best. As soon as I had my phone call with Cathy, I was like this is a no-brainer. This is where I’m supposed to be. I was excited to talk with her and she was excited to talk with me. It just worked out.
Not to mention you got married in the middle of all that. Congratulations! How was the wedding? Any funny or memorable stories you’d like to share?
Thank you, I did! The wedding went great. I honestly don’t know if anything went wrong, which means people did a good job of covering stuff up. I don’t know if anything funny happened, besides I didn’t get to eat any of my cake. I was running around talking to people and I only got one bite of my cake. I was very sad about it. It was a very good cake.
What else have you been up to during the offseason?
I’ve been playing volleyball a bunch, but I also took a little bit of a break after coming straight out of college and into the PVF season. I was needing a rest, both for my body and the mental side of it. Now, I’m preparing to play again and I’m getting back into it. I’m excited to sweat, dive, and have my body hurt. I’m excited to win, as that’s always the goal. But I’m just excited about the grind of volleyball.
Switching gears to the upcoming 2025 season, what are you looking forward to the most?
Having all these new teammates, and I think I’m going to click with every single one of them. I have so much in common with all of them that I can’t wait to have all these conversations. I want to learn about their lives and hear their stories. It’s also fun to travel because it feels like you’re on a little adventure, but you are also there to go win a game.
How important is it to have an early season road trip to bond with your teammates?
Those are so fun. There is usually something that goes wrong on a road trip. So, everyone has to deal with that and learn how to adjust when stress happens — or happiness, anything really. You learn how to deal with each other, and how to uplift someone during the bad times and the good times. Road trips are perfect for that. Plus, they’re fun because we get to play games in the airport and hotel, and get coffee and bagels. It’s super fun.
Having won the League title with Omaha last season, what were the most valuable lessons you learned about winning a championship that you’re bringing with you to Grand Rapids?
I still can’t believe that we did that. It wasn’t looking good in the semifinals [down 2-0 to the San Diego Mojo]. I don’t know how we pulled that off. I obviously didn’t have the biggest role on the court at Omaha, but practice every single day was like a game. It was so much fun to be around with how competitive it was. Every point was a rally and there was banter. We argued about points a lot because everyone just wanted to win. I’m excited to bring that to Grand Rapids and make the most of every single day, because it’s a blessing to play this sport at the professional level here in the United States.
What were some of the growing pains you experienced during your first professional season, and how did you handle them?
There were definitely some growing pains. It felt like I had to learn how to be a freshman again. I had to learn about new people quickly, how to communicate what my needs were to the setters and passers, and just learning really, really fast. That was probably the biggest thing. They all somewhat knew each other, or they have been playing at the professional level longer than me, so they all knew the speed. There were times that I was just spinning, especially the first couple of weeks. And I was like, ‘I got to get this under control. I can’t be spinning. I have to be playing volleyball.’ So, I had to adjust.
Expanding on that, what was the biggest difference going from Western Kentucky to Pro Volleyball Federation?
My coaches at Western Kentucky broke down volleyball pretty well to these specific rules for how they did things for this specific system. I really enjoyed that in college. I felt like, ‘Oh, I have this box to be in. I have a rule.’ Then, I went to Omaha, and you can’t fit all these professional women into a box or into a system. You need to use their abilities for what they are because that’s why they are so amazing. So, that was very different for me. There was now a different set of rules. But I could listen to them and adapt that into my game. Maybe not all the time because of height or jump differences, but I learned a lot of little key things.
What are your thoughts on getting to play with your former Western Kentucky assistant coach Jena Otec?
So excited to play with Jena. We played in a grass tournament over the summer and that was so much fun getting to play with her. She just flies around and touches everything. She is a great player and a great human being. I know she is going to give her all every single practice, every single point. She is going to be so much fun to watch and play with.
Lastly, in your opinion, what’s the most satisfying way to win a match point?
A big kill, but I feel like that’s too generic. As a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, it probably has to be blocking the ball. That’s the best feeling. I’m not blocking a million balls. So, if you can end a point on a block, that feels pretty good.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise