From almost never touching a volleyball in his life, to earning the Morgan Classic MVP in Blake Arena this season, Brennan Cutter has made the jump to becoming one of the best players on a top-ranked Springfield College men’s volleyball team this year.
Standing at 6-foot-8, Cutter has the stature of a noteworthy volleyball player, towering above most. However, the middle blocker’s talents on the court only came to fruition due to another athletic passion of his being blocked by his mother.
“When I was going into high school my mom told me she wanted me to play volleyball,” Cutter said. “I always wanted to play lacrosse, but it is the same season as volleyball. My mom said no to lacrosse. So, I then started playing volleyball my freshman year, and I ended up loving it and it was a good fit.”
After falling in love with the sport and becoming a standout player in his area, Cutter looked ahead to playing in college. Only playing club volleyball during his senior season, his recruiting was different than most. However, his talent was undeniable.
Searching for his next home, Cutter traveled an hour and a half north from his hometown of Trumbull, Connecticut, where he found Springfield College.
“I came on my first visit and automatically I loved the campus and the community,” Cutter noted. “Coach [Charlie] Sullivan was great and the guys were so welcoming. I think just talking with Coach and my parents, I realized that it would be a good fit for me to come here and a good place for me to succeed.”
Despite being a prominent player in high school, the transition to one of the most competitive Division III colleges in the country was no small feat. Playing against some of the best talent assembled across the country at this level, Cutter needed time to adjust to the quality of play.
“My freshman year I struggled a little,” Cutter admitted. “I think the speed of the game was a lot faster, playing against a lot more physical guys. I remember as a freshman, we were on the court against Stevenson and their whole team was graduate students. I was totally psyched out.”
Both physical and mental adjustments had to be made, especially playing for a Springfield team with high aspirations year in and year out.
Competing in a lot more intense matches, and matches that mean more than he was used to in high school, Cutter needed to shift his mindset to not let the pressure of high stakes games get to him, especially while playing a pivotal role as a freshman.
To do so, Cutter flipped his thinking positively, allowing him to stay calm and composed when the lights are brightest.
“We talk about how stress and anxiety are the same thing as excitement,” Cutter said. “You can kind of trick your brain into feeling excited for these moments and be the real you in that moment. We talk a lot about deep breathing and self talk. Really just focusing your mindset and being present in that moment.”
After making the adjustment, Cutter became a true force on the court for the Pride. After tallying 62 kills and 36 blocks his freshman season, he made the jump up to 92 kills and a team-leading 69 blocks during his sophomore campaign.
Now, as a junior, Cutter is stepping up his game once again, leading the team in blocks and making an indisputable impact on the court for the Pride.
During the Morgan Classic tournament, hosted in Blake Arena, Cutter guided Springfield to a tournament victory, putting up impressive numbers along the way. In the team’s first game of the Morgan Classic, Cutter racked up eight kills and eight blocks against Stevens, ranked third in the nation at the time. Then, in the championship game, Cutter added an additional six kills and six blocks, along with three aces.
These outstanding statistics earned Cutter the Morgan Classic Tournament MVP, an honor he will never forget.
“It was a super cool feeling,” Cutter said. “Obviously, I couldn’t do it without my teammates. They were putting me in positions to succeed all tournament and all season, and I’m super grateful for all the support I get. It’s a really cool accomplishment.”
Ranked first in the country, Springfield has earned its place at the top of the national polls. The two wins at the Morgan Classic came in the midst of an 11-game win streak for the Pride, tallying wins over nine straight ranked opponents between Jan. 27 and Feb. 25.
The hot streak left Cutter and his teammates confident going into the rest of the season.
“We want to be a different type of team,” Cutter said. “We want to show that our culture is really different from other teams in the country. Our energy is really good. We want to show teams that we are special and we have something different about us.”
With the team off to a hot start, Cutter feels this team is different from some of the past squads he has been a part of, mainly due to the camaraderie he has felt amongst his teammates, despite many of them being from many different areas across the country.
“I think this team has a really special connection,” Cutter said. “All the guys on the team are really close. We want to show the freshman that ultimately our team cohesion and our culture really does matter a lot. This has been one of the closest teams I’ve ever been a part of.”
Now heading into the second half of their season, the Pride seek to continue to roll through the competition and earn a top seed going into the NCAA tournament come April. With the Final Four and Championship being hosted in Blake Arena, Cutter and his teammates know how special it would be to have the opportunity to play for a title in front of their home fans.
“We were in Virginia last year and Southern Virginia, who we played, had probably about 2,000 to 3,000 people there,” Cutter said with a big smile. “It would be super special, and a super cool opportunity. We have a lot of work to go to get there and we’re nowhere near being able to look there yet. But it would be a pretty special moment.”