Alumna Spotlight: Jessica (Byrnes) Brabender

Jessica (Byrnes) Brabender played with the Gopher Volleyball team from 2002-05. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten, the former middle blocker from Chanhassen, Minn., was also named to the 2002 Big Ten All-Freshman Team. A part of the 2002 Big Ten championship team, Brabender was also a part of the 2003 and 2004 Final Four teams. Since graduating from Minnesota, Brabender went on to receive both her masters of nursing and doctor of nursing practice in pediatrics. Read up on how she's still connected with her former teammates, how COVID-19 has affected her professionally and what advice she has to the current Gophers team as we catch up with the volleyball alumna.

What led you to the University of Minnesota?
As soon as I started being recruited and realized I may actually be lucky enough to play collegiate volleyball, I knew I wanted to be a Gopher. I grew up in Minnesota and loved going to games in high school and watching the Gopher greats, like Step (Hagen) Chapek, Nicole Branagh and Lindsey Berg! Also, my first really competitive year playing club volleyball was when I was 14 and my coach was a Gopher alumna, Tera (Fiamengo) Schneider. She ignited my passion for volleyball and influenced my whole volleyball journey.

Also, the opportunity to play for the legendary Dr. Mike Hebert was instrumental in my decision to come to the U.

You finished your collegiate volleyball career in 2005, can you catch everyone up on what you've been doing since then?
I returned to the U of M immediately to get my masters of nursing. I was a bedside nurse in the neonatal intensive care for eight years. I also did flight nursing in that time. In 2014 I returned to the U of M again to get my Doctor of Nursing Practice in pediatrics. I currently work as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in primary care for Park Nicollet in St. Louis Park.

In 2012 I married my husband, Dusty. He is a former baseball player at the U of M, we met in college and started dating shortly after we graduated. We have 3 beautiful children, Halle (6), Lena (4), and Nolan (2). And of course our fur baby, our dog, Goldy (10). We live in Chanhassen.

Playing at Minnesota, what were some important lessons you took from that experience and how have you been able to use that in life after college?
Mike was a big advocate of goal setting and "the process." Every season we set goals, both personally and as a team. Each small achievement, or piece of the process, brought us one step closer to attaining our ultimate goal. I have continued to set goals in my life both personally and professionally. However, Mike also knew that while our goals were an important part of the sport, they were not the only part. He taught us humor and laughter and to value one another. I miss Mike all the time. I am so grateful to have played for him.

I also learned from my coaches, like Dave, Jill, and Brian, and all the strong women I played with, a sense of grit and pure determination. We may not have been the biggest team out there, but we wanted it so bad. We worked hard together every day and got so much farther than anyone ever thought we would.

Have you still maintained relationships with your former teammates after you've graduated?
I am still very close with many of my teammates who also live in Minnesota. A lot of us have kids the same age, so we have "encouraged" them to be friends, so we get to hang out. Kelly (Bowman) Stuntz lives closest to me and our girls have participated in dance and basketball together. I also see Erin (Martin) Horn and Meredith (Nelson) Uram often. And a bigger group of tries to get together yearly to catch a Gopher game.

I am so lucky these women are in my life and forever grateful volleyball brought us together.

Have you had a chance to watch or stay connected with the current program?
We try to get to a few home games every year. And when we are there I love getting to say hi to all the familiar faces; Ronni, Lori, Nao, Coach Y and the boosters.

With you being a nurse practitioner, how has COVID-19 affected you personally during this time?
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on me professionally. We had to change overnight how we practice medicine. We rolled out telehealth visits in a matter of days. Everything is constantly in flux right now, we are finding new ways to continue to care for our patients, while attempting to mitigate the spread of the virus and prepare for the probable surge.

Also, participating in some public health nursing classes in college, it is amazing to see this massive public health effort and response.

If there's one thing you want people to know about you, what would it be?
I am proud of all of my accomplishments, but I am proudest to be a mom. I love my tiny humans and hope I can help shape them into good people with a sense of purpose, and provide for them a childhood full of love and endless opportunity.

Any advice you'd like to share with the current Gopher Volleyball team?
Revel in the little moments, work hard every day, and above all cherish the friendships you make, because they will last a lifetime.

Upcoming Events

University of Minnesota Athletics

Related Videos