Dec. 4, 2003

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Fairfax, VA--George Mason's women's volleyball team will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year after clinching the Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Nov. 22. The Patriots will face No. 14-seeded Colorado State, ranked 12th nationally, in the First Round on Dec. 5 at the Comcast Center Gymnasium in College Park, MD, at 5:30 p.m.

2003 George Mason NCAA Tournament Notes

Second-Straight... For the second year in a row, George Mason has earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Patriots traveled to South Bend, IN, for the First Round and fell to Michigan State in three games with scores of 28-30, 13-30, 21-30. Sophomore outside hitter Natalia Porosa registered a double-double for Mason with 11 kills and digs, while senior outside hitter Aline Pereira amassed a team-high 13 kills against the Patriots.

Mason's Previous NCAA Tournaments... George Mason has seen action in the NCAA Tournament five times prior to this year, including a trip last season. Mason's overall record in the NCAA Tournament is 1-5.

1993:	Lost to Texas A&M, 3-1
	(5-15, 5-15, 15-11, 6-15)
1994:	Lost to Georgia Tech, 3-0
	(10-15, 11-15, 5-15)
1995:	Beat Indiana, 3-0
	(15-8, 15-10, 15-13)
	Lost to Nebraska, 3-0
	(2-15, 5-15, 14-16)
1996:	Received First Round Bye
	Lost to Wisconsin, 3-1
	(15-2, 9-15, 10-15, 11-15)
2002: Lost to Michigan State, 3-0
	(28-30, 13-30, 21-30)

We are the Champions, Again... George Mason University, a No. 2 seed, won its second-straight Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a four-game win over No.4-seeded Hofstra on Nov. 22 with scores of 30-27, 25-30, 30-18, 34-32 in Newark, DE. The Patriots defeated No. 3 James Madison, 3-1, in the semifinal match the previous day to advance to the championship match. This marks Mason's seventh overall conference championship in school history, including a five-year block (1992-96), as well as 2002 and 2003. Since the start of the CAA in 1985-86, William & Mary holds the most championships at eight.

All-Tournament Team... For the second-straight year, Pereira was named the CAA Tournament MVP after tallying 72 kills in the two matches on the weekend (Nov. 21-22). Junior setter Jesica Umansky and Porosa also represented Mason on the All-Tournament Team, which was the second time both had received this honor.

Hat Trick for Pereira... Pereira earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year honors for the third year in a row, which is only the second time in conference history that someone has accomplished this feat. William & Mary's Heidi Erpelding set the standard as she won the award from 1986-88. Pereira led the conference all season in kills average and heads into the NCAA Tournament averaging 6.74 kills per game, which is also first in the nation. In addition, the senior standout ranks fourth in hitting percentage (.287) and fifth in service aces (0.35 sapg) among conference peers. Pereira began her career at George Mason as CAA Rookie of the Year, which was not awarded when Erpelding was at William & Mary.

Second Team Honors... Junior setter Jesica Umansky represented Mason on the All-CAA second team for her efforts during the 2003 campaign. Umansky finished the regular season with a team-leading 11.13 assists per game, which is also third in the conference. Last season, Umansky was the inaugural winner of Setter of the Year.

43--Twice... Pereira nailed 43 kills in a single-match, not once, but twice this season. The Brazil native nailed this number against the Pride on Nov. 14 in a five game win and matched her efforts against the Pride in the four-game championship match of the conference tournament on Nov. 22. Forty-three is Pereira's career-high and it also sits first in Mason's record book for kills in a single match. Pereira's 43-kill performance versus Hofstra in the finals ranks as the sixth-best four-game kill total in NCAA history. Danielle Holt from Kent State holds the NCAA season-high in single-match kills with 45.

Rookie of the Week... Freshman middle blocker Janelle Wilson earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 13 for her efforts against UNC Wilmington and William & Mary. Wilson registered seven total blocks in the wins, including a career-high three block solos against the Seahawks on Oct. 11. Wilson also matched a career-high with three service aces in each contest.

Sitting at the Two Spot... Since the 1988 season, George Mason has been seeded No. 2 four times in the CAA Tournament and the Patriots won on three of these occasions. In 1992 and 1993 Mason defeated No. 1 seed William & Mary for the title and fell to No.1-seeded American in the championship match in 1997. This year the Patriots claimed the championship with a four-game victory over No. 4-seeded Hofstra.

30-Dig Club... Sophomore libero Zulma Rojas joined the 30-dig club after her 31-dig performance against the Pride in the championship match of the CAA Tournament. This is Rojas' career-high and also marks the first time she has notched 30 or more digs.

Ace in the Hole... Sophomore Liz Bottorf played in her second match of the season against Hofstra in the CAA Tournament finals and set a new career-high in aces with three, which also paralleled the match-best.

Seeing Double... Three Patriots have notched five or more double-doubles this season with Pereira and Umansky leading the way with 15 each and Natalia Porosa has nine.

30-plus... Pereira has pounded 30 or more kills eight times this season which mirrors Stacey Gordon's (Ohio State) performance this year. These two have the most 30-plus performances in Division I play for the 2003 campaign.

Porosa Sets Highs... Porosa notched career-highs in kills and total attempts with 22 and 52, respectively, against the Pride on Nov. 14.

Block Party... As a team, the Patriots registered a season-high 17 total blocks in the four-game win over Delaware on Oct. 17 in Fairfax.

Trio of Honors... Pereira was named CAA Player of the Week three times this season, which was the most any single athlete received the honor during the 2003 campaign. Pereira first earned the honor on Sept. 15 for her efforts at the Green and Orange Challenge in Miami, FL. The Brazil native was next honored on Oct. 20 after her performance of double-digit kills against both Hofstra and Delaware at home. The third time Pereira received this title (Nov. 17), she set a school record with 43 kills at Hofstra, which matched an NCAA Division I season-high.

At the Top... Pereira broke Mason's all-time career kill record against the Pride (Oct. 18) with the seventh kill of the match on the Patriots home turf. Pereira moved past Andrea Smith (1989-93) who tallied 2,108 during her career. Pereira heads into the NCAA Tournament with 2,466 career kills.

Skelton Sees 60... Junior Marie Skelton amassed a match-high 43 assists against the Dukes on Halloween in Fairfax and dished out a career-best 60 assists in a four-game win over Virginia Commonwealth the following day.

Setting Records... The 102 total attempts Pereira recorded against Hofstra on Nov. 14 marks the 12th-best in single-match totals in NCAA history.

Assists a-Plenty... Umansky registered a career-high 73 assists in the five-game win over Hofstra (Nov. 14), which also matches the fifth best single match assist showing in Mason's history.

Blocking Away... Sophomore Katie Gaudreault notched 12 total blocks for the Patriots against Delaware (Oct. 17), one shy of matching the school's record of single match blocks.

1, 2, 3... Pereira owns Mason's single-match kill record category as she holds the top-three spots with 43 (twice) and 40, respectively, and shares the fourth with two other Patriots (38).

National Player of the Week... Aline Pereira was named Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for her efforts in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on Nov. 21-22. Pereira recorded 72 kills in Mason's two tournament victories for an average of nine kills per game. This is the second time in Pereira's career that she received this honor and the only person in Mason's history to be named National Player of the Week.