Where Are They Now? - Brooke Effland
10/14/2020 1:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BROOKE (EFFLAND) RILLOS
Year of Graduation: 2000
Position: Outside Hitter
Year of Graduation: 2000
Position: Outside Hitter
Career Accolades: Named the Academy's Most Valuable Female Athlete as a senior...1999 team captain...led Air Force to a program-best 17-12 season...named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week as a junior (the only Falcon to earn a weekly honor from the WAC)...one of just seven Air Force Division I players to tally over 1000 kills in a career...still ranked among the program's DI Top 10 in career kills (sixth: 1092), kills per set (fifth: 2.97), digs (fifth: 925) and points (sixth: 1192.5).
List of jobs/accomplishments in the Air Force:
I stayed on with the volleyball team my first year after graduation as their second lieutenant and then did four years in LA. I worked in personnel, was the Section Commander on base, and ended my career as the Group Commander's Executive Officer.
List of jobs/accomplishments in the Air Force:
I stayed on with the volleyball team my first year after graduation as their second lieutenant and then did four years in LA. I worked in personnel, was the Section Commander on base, and ended my career as the Group Commander's Executive Officer.
Current Job:
I am currently a stay-at-home mom. I have four boys and one girl.
Favorite Hobbies:
I still like to stay active and play all kinds of sports. But, with five kids of my own in sports, my current hobbies include watching them play. I coached at a local high school here for five years and enjoyed it.
I am currently a stay-at-home mom. I have four boys and one girl.
Favorite Hobbies:
I still like to stay active and play all kinds of sports. But, with five kids of my own in sports, my current hobbies include watching them play. I coached at a local high school here for five years and enjoyed it.
While at USAFA, what was your favorite thing/memory with the volleyball team:
My favorite memories involved all the laughter during team meals and travel time. My best friend on the team (Robyn) and I could make each other laugh so hard, just with the simplest of things. It was always so nice to get off the hill and feel slightly normal. Our senior year was really fantastic. The group of ladies that had been on the team together since we were freshman saw much success our senior year. We went 17-12, which was completely wonderful. It was the result of many years of hard work.
After graduation, what do you miss most about the volleyball team:
I definitely miss the competition. As a college athlete and always having an outlet for that competitive drive, I have to make more of an effort to find an outlet for that in my life after the Academy. I also miss the camaraderie with the ladies – nobody knows quite how tough things are, going to a school like the Academy and playing a Division I sport, more than your teammates.
Advice for the volleyball team:
I would just say for the ladies to cherish these times. They are tough, but they are also so very rewarding. Lean on each other for support, and know that you're making some friendships that will last a lifetime.
Is there anything else you want to share:
My oldest son, Caleb, is a freshman football player at the Academy right now. It is so fun to hear stories and know that some of the amazing – and some of the crazy – things never change. I met my husband, Matt Rillos, at the Academy – and now, 20 years later, our oldest son is a freshman there. You just never know what God has in store for you.
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