Randall graduate Brianna Ford leads UT Arlington to NCAA Tournament for first time in 22 years

Randall graduate Brianna Ford capped off one outstanding week with the ultimate prize on Saturday night as Ford and the UT Arlington Mavericks downed Grand Canyon in a five-set thriller, 20-25, 25-17, 20-25, 27-23,16-14, to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title at the College Park Center in Arlington.

The win over Grand Canyon – which is coached by former West Texas A&M head coach and Amarillo High graduate Kim Potts – marked the first conference title for the Mavericks since 2002, earning them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years.

On Wednesday, Ford, a graduate senior, was tabbed the WAC Player of the Year and selected as a first-team All-WAC selection for the third time becoming the first player in UTA history to accomplish that feat.

Following Saturday’s historic victory, Ford added even more hardware to the trophy case being named WAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player for her stellar play over the three-day tournament run.

“I knew my team was backing me,” Ford said “They always do. We have come so far sticking with this program. We have built it up and building up each other. That’s a testament to this team. We never stop believing to achieve our goal.”

The hard-hitting Ford totaled 66 kills during wins against Abilene Christian, California Baptist and Grand Canyon.

In a quarterfinal victory against Abilene Christian, Ford powered down 12 kills with six digs.

She then amped up her game in a five-set win over California Baptist posting a career-high 29 kills to go with 14 digs for a double-double.

In Saturday’s tournament championship, Ford once again was clutch with 25 kills and 16 digs for another double-double.

Ford has officially moved into second all-time in career digs in UTA history with 1,772 and now sits 15 kills away from matching Heather Hoy’s 1,787 mark which has stood since 1997.