By: Kajan Thiruthanikasalam

SCARBOROUGH, ONT. - In her first full offseason as head coach of the Centennial Colts women's volleyball team, Adriana Bento and her coaching staff immediately went to work in searching for recruits to join a program that is steadily on the rise.

In the span of two weeks, Brianna Watson (Mar. 13) and Jada Bradford (Mar. 26) were officially introduced as members of the Colts as they each signed their contracts. Both student athletes came from Pickering High and are taking child and youth services as their program choice.

Despite their similarities, however, how they got to this point was different. Here is a sneak peek at the two athletes.

BRIANNA WATSON

When Brianna Watson walked into the Athletic and Wellness Centre on the day that she was signing, it brought back memories.

Watson has grown accustomed to being a part of the culture of the women's volleyball program as she says she has watched them play since the program came back four years ago. But this isn't the first time that someone in her family has played volleyball at Centennial as she referred to her brother, Justin Smith, who played on the men's team for two seasons (2015-17).

"It's always been an interest to come here because my brother went here," Watson said. "Plus it was close to home and there's a lot of good opportunities within academics and athletics at this school."

When asked who she knew during her years of watching Centennial volleyball, two athletes came to mind. One of them was former libero Kadeisha Powell-Graham and the other was current setter Kayla Lui.

"Me and her talked a couple of times and she said a lot of good things about the program and what it has to offer," Watson said of Powell-Graham.

As for her relationship with Lui, the two of them go way back, according to Watson, saying, "She used to coach me when I was 14 When I used to play with the Durham Attack, she was one of the coaches there so she would come help out and that's how we got to know each other. Plus we went to the same high school."

Watson, who plays middle as well as the right side, also spoke about her playing style.

"When I play middle, I like to run a fast offence. I feel like it's better as it's hard for the opposing teams to pick up a faster ball and it keeps the little engaged," Watson said. "And for right side, I just like to run the regular right side ball."

The future Colt was captain for her high school team at Pickering High and acknowledged that the adjustment from high school to college will be challenging.

"Given that I'm an undersized middle and coming into the college level... it's definitely going to be harder and different," Bradford said. "It's making sure that I transition well playing middle."

The new Colt also had high praise for the coaching staff, especially head coach Bento, saying, "She's very to the point of what she wants, which is informative for me so I know what I need to get done. I know Adriana is going to expect a lot coming from me."

In what may be a sign of things to come, there were a ton of friends and family that came down to the Athletic and Wellness Centre to support her signing.

"It was a good experience to have them close by; that's part of the reason why I wanted to stay closer to home as my friends can come and watch," Watson said. "It was nice to have them today to support my signing."

JADA BRADFORD

Jada Bradford kept her emotions in check for the most part throughout the signing… until her mother signed her portion of the contract. And at that moment, she couldn't hold back the tears that she was fighting off for so long.

"She (my mom) nudged me and it brought back all the emotions," Bradford said. "I've only played rep for two years and I'm really proud of myself. I never thought I would've gotten to this stage."

Bradford went to Centennial's open house on March 24 and was impressed by the atmosphere.

"Everybody seemed really pleasant and they were welcoming," Bradford said. "You can never get lost there because there's always a place you can go to to find your way. So far, it's been great."

Playing the right side position, Bradford is unlike anybody else as of now on the Colts volleyball team because of one trait…. she's left-handed. The last southpaw that was on the Lady Colts was during the 2017-18 season when middle Shanelle Woods was on the team.

"It took my team (at high school) a while to adjust because they expect the ball to come from my right hand and not my left," Bradford said, admitting that being left-handed is a rare occurrence in the sport. "But volleyball, in general, is a mental sport. You have to be mentally tough in order to succeed because the opponent will do stuff to break you down; it's a strategy sport."

The only time she saw the Colts women's volleyball team was during their crossover game against the Mohawk Mountaineers and one thing she took out of the team was their never-say-die attitude.

"They didn't give up and kept pushing," Bradford said.

The southpaw's decision to go to Centennial College, according to her, was to make a name for herself and stand out on her own.

"I live in Durham and I didn't want to go to Durham College because everybody that I know is going there and I wanted a new perspective on life," Bradford said. "I wanted to start new but I didn't want to go too far so this was in between."

Given that she has only played rep volleyball for two years, Bradford realizes that the transition to college volleyball will not be easy. When asked about what her expectations were for next season, she says she'll listen and be a sponge when taking advice on and off the court.

"To soak up everything I can in terms of learning new things from Adriana (Bento) and improving as a person, team player, and individual," Bradford said. "Just improving on my skills and mental toughness."

The Centennial Colts can't wait to see what these two have in store for next season!