Purdue guard singled out for honor

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Last spring, following a Purdue women's basketball practice, standout guard Brittany Rayburn was informed by school administrators about being selected for a prestigious honor.

The graphic on this page is a picture taken as the Boilermakers' leading scorer was helping the Purdue volleyball team during a home match.

Two weekends ago, the Attica native was involved in some duties during a Boilermaker athletic event hosted by the Mortar Board.

Rayburn found her duties to be both enjoyable and eye-opening.

Everyone knows Brittany Rayburn for her lights-out shooting on the court with Purdue's women's basketball team. But what you might not know is she recently served as a ball girl for Purdue's volleyball team at the Mortar Board Premier.

"It's a lot of fun and getting out there on the court and your kind of the spotlight which is fun but it was fun to interact with the crowd as well,” said Rayburn.

Rayburn isn't new to the sport of volleyball. She played it during her high school years at Attica and was even recruited by colleges for her talents in the sport.

"I played all the way through high school, I was a middle hitter and outside hitter or whatever they wanted me to be and played all the way around. And I eventually took over all the records at Attica for hits, blocks, digs, which is a surprise to me, because I'm not the best digger,” Rayburn explained.

One thing Rayburn didn't realize before helping out at this year's Mortar Board Premier tournament, is just how hard of a job it would be.

"It was tough and I was really shocked by how tough they work. And when the referees asked me to go out after every possession and I think I was sweating just as bad as some of the players. And I thought it was a very tough task and embarrassing at sometimes when people yell at you when you’re on the court. But it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it," said Rayburn.

Now after serving as ball girl, Rayburn has a lot more respect for how much work they put in at each match.

"It's not an easy job and I think they deserve a lot of respect for that, " said Rayburn.