Metro volleyball player of year: Lakeville North's Kelsey Brandl

Kelsey Brandl plopped down in a chair in a nondescript lobby, unfurled her legs and slung them over an arm of the chair, waiting as a reporter was getting ready to interview her.

Clearly, the 6-3½ middle blocker for the Lakeville North volleyball team is comfortable, in her role as the dominant force on the state's best team and in her life.

With good reason. Brandl is the Star Tribune's 2007 Metro Volleyball Player of the Year, chosen through voting by metro coaches for her powerful presence at the net.

She led the Panthers in kills with 377 during the regular season, many of which had opposing players scattering to get out of the way. With her height and reach, there is nothing subtle about her game.

"I like to swing hard," Brandl said. "One of my coaches wants me to work on my tipping, which is when you just tap the ball over the block. But I feel weak when I tip. I like to hit hard."

Standing tall over most of the Lakeville North student body, Brandl has finally settled into her size, something that seemed nearly impossible when she started playing volleyball.

"I was the shortest girl in my class in fifth grade, but then I started growing 2, 3, 4 inches a year," Brandl said. "I didn't make any of the youth teams because I was so uncoordinated. Every month I would grow more and it seemed like I even forgot how to run."

But volleyball was her passion and in a few years her size started to work to her advantage.

"I was just going to try out for the ninth-grade team, but [Panthers varsity coach] Milan Mader called me up the night before and told me he wanted me to try out for the varsity," Brandl said. "I remember thinking: 'This is sweet. I'm a freshman playing on the varsity.'"

As her visibility grew, both literally and figuratively, Brandl noticed that the perks became more frequent.

"Being taller, I would be talking down to my teachers. I feel a little guilty because I got away with a lot of stuff because I was a lot bigger than them."

It has also helped make Brandl a hallway pied piper.

"It gets so crowded between classes," she said. "My friends follow behind me because I seem to just part the seas."

On the court, her size earned her some serious national attention. She was one of 12 girls on the roster for the USA youth national team last summer.

"There was so much pressure, but it was a great experience," Brandl said. "With the national team, they expect every ball to be dug and every kill to be made.

"It was kind of an adjustment for me to come back to high school and see the ball hit the floor. I had to get back to focusing on the team."

So far, the adjustment has not been difficult. The Panthers (28-1) have been ranked No. 1 in the coaches' association polls for most of the season and defeated Lake Conference rival Eagan 25-17, 25-22, 15-25, 25-21 on Saturday to win the Class 3A, Section 3 title and advance to the state tournament.

"I love high school volleyball," she said. "It's such a rush. We always have a good group of girls and get recognized. Now we just have to go win the [state] championship."

Jim Paulsen • jpaulsen@startribune.com