July 22, 2003

In 2002, the George Mason women's volleyball team returned to the forefront of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) -- a place it became accustomed to during the mid-1990s when it captured five straight league titles from 1992-96 -- by winning the conference championship and making the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, and the Patriots are determined to retain their spot atop the league.

"It took a few years for us to get back to the top of the CAA, so we definitely plan on feeding off of our success from last season," said head coach Pat Kendrick, who picked up her seventh conference coach of the year award and fifth Virginia Coach of the Year honor last season. "We have our best players returning and a great group of newcomers, so we're looking forward to some really good things."

Kendrick, who is rapidly approaching 350 career wins, all of which have occurred at George Mason, has the luxury of returning four starters from last year's squad that went 22-8 overall, 14-2 in the CAA, and finished the year ranked sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) East Region.

The Patriots' 22-win effort was the team's best outing since 1996 and marked the 13th time the program has won 20 or more matches in a season, and the seventh time they've attained 20 or more victories under the direction of Kendrick.

In addition, Mason picked up CAA honors for Coach, Player and Setter of the Year, had two players make the AVCA All-East Region Team, generated accolades for the top player and coach in the state of Virginia and closed out the season ranked 23rd in the nation in service aces with an average of 2.14 per game.

Headlining the team's quartet of returning starters are senior outside hitter Aline Pereira and junior setter Jesica Umansky, who are joined by Milena Racic and Natalia Porosa, a senior and sophomore, respectively. Katie Gaudreault, Niki Bernardes, Shauna Ford, Elizabeth Bottorf and Helena Castro, all sophomores, also return for Mason.

Pereira, who led the nation with an average of 6.58 kills per game last season and was fourth in the CAA with a .327 hitting percentage, highlights the Patriots' offense and has stacked up a bevy of accolades since joining the team three years ago. The 5-10 outside hitter, who also led the team in digs last year with an average of 2.49 per game, has won the past two conference player of the year awards, is a three-time AVCA All-East Region player and was last year's co-winner of the University's Dr. Frank Pettrone Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award.

The Virginia Player of the Year, as voted on by the state's sports information directors (VaSID), for the past two seasons, Pereira was also named the 2002 CAA Tournament MVP and became the program's first AVCA National Player of the Week when she earned the distinction on Sept. 23 after recording 60 kills (7.5 kpg), 21 digs (6.23 dpg) and hitting .451 during wins over James Madison and UNC Wilmington.

Pereira has also already left her mark on the Patriot record books. She's second in career kills with 1,725 - a mere 384 away from assuming the top spot on the list - and fourth in career hitting percentage at .317. She's also recorded 10 or more kills in 80 of the 82 matches she's played during her career at Mason. With that kind of resume and credentials, it is no wonder that Kendrick is looking for Pereira to once again be a floor leader and catalyst for the Patriots.

"As good as she is individually, Aline has proven to be a great team player, and that's what makes her such a tremendous asset to our program," said Kendrick. "She realizes that it takes an entire team effort to be successful. She's a tremendous all-around player who is very smart and has good experience on the floor.

"Along with her ability to attack the ball, she has great passing skills and a fantastic presence," Kendrick added. "All of that added together makes her someone you love to have on your side of the net."

Porosa and Racic, who were second and third on the team in kills last season with an average of 2.77 and 2.12 per game, respectively, will also continue to be a strong presence around the net for the Patriots.

Porosa, 5-11, was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team after recording double-doubles in both of Mason's tournament matches and also earned the league's rookie of the week award once during the regular season. She was second on the team with 50 service aces (an average of 0.47 per game, which was fifth-best in the league) and had 259 digs, fourth-best on the squad.

"Natalia had a great freshman year," said Kendrick. "She has learned the system and is ready to take the next step, which is to become yet another person we can count on."

The 5-10 Racic, returning to the floor last year after missing the 2001 season due to a medical redshirt, led the team with 77 blocks (an average of 0.62 per game) after switching from her traditional outside hitter position. During the conference title match she cranked out a career-high 10 blocks as Mason beat host James Madison in five games to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Racic, who will move back to the outside this season, was also fourth on the squad with a .234 hitting percentage last year.

"Milena is a great team and role player, and she showed that last season when we moved her to play as a middle blocker to fill a void in our line-up," Kendrick said. "We took her out of her comfort zone from the outside and she did a great job. She wound up leading our team in blocks, and she showed a lot of character by making that transition."

"With Aline, Natalia and Milena, we're going to be really strong on the outside," stated Kendrick. "With such strong additional players out on the floor, opponents won't be able to just key on Aline."

Umansky, who recorded 1,320 assists last season - the second-highest season tally in Mason history - and paced the CAA with an average of 12.27 assists per game, returns to run the Patriot offense for a third season.

Although her assist numbers are the first to jump off the page, Umansky also led the team, and was fourth in the league, with 0.52 service aces per game. She was also fourth on the team in blocks (0.39 per game) and hitting percentage (.286).

Umansky joined Pereira on last year's AVCA All-East Region Team - her second straight season with the distinction after earning Region Freshman of the Year accolades in 2001 - and picked up the league's initial offering of the Setter of the Year trophy. She also joined Pereira and Porosa on the CAA All-Tournament Team.

"She's a very competitive and demanding player," Kendrick said of Umansky. "But she doesn't demand anything more of her teammates than she wouldn't give herself. With Jesica in charge of our offense, we're in very good hands."

Of the five other returning student-athletes, Bernardes and Ford, an opposite hitter and outside hitter, respectively, saw the most action last season, and Kendrick expects them to continue supplementing the team and improving their overall performance.

"Niki and Shauna are both very hard workers who will continue to contribute when they're on the floor, and they will also continue to become better all-around players," Kendrick said.

Bottorf, a setter, and Castro, an opposite hitter, both managed some playing time last year, but were severely hampered by injuries, while Gaudreault, a middle blocker, sat out the season to concentrate on academics.

"Having those three players get back into the fold will do nothing but help us as a team," said Kendrick.

Four new players will join the Patriots this season -- sophomores Lindsay Angelo and Zulma Rojas, junior Marie Skelton and freshman Janelle Wilson.

Angelo, a 6-0 sophomore middle blocker, joins Mason after transferring from Drexel, which dropped its women's volleyball program at the end of the 2002-03 academic year. She played in 30 matches, making one start, with the Dragons last season and averaged 0.50 kills and 1.69 digs per game. She also had six service aces and 15 blocks.

Rojas, also a transfer, comes from Penn State, where she appeared in one game during the 2001 season, and will most likely see action as a libero.

Skelton, an exchange student from the University of Canberra in Australia, is an opposite hitter/setter who represented Australia in the 2001 World University Games and earned Canberra's 'Half-Blues Award' for leadership and sporting excellence.

Wilson, a 6-0 middle blocker and the Patriot's lone freshman, established a school record for blocks in a career (311) while playing for Circle High School in Towanda, Kansas, and was a Kansas Volleyball Association All-Star.

"This incoming class of student-athletes will add to our team's depth," said Kendrick. "We expect good things from them this season and look forward to the continued development of their skills and talents."

Kendrick and the Patriots should also look forward to the 2003 season, as a roster of talented returning players and impressive newcomers aim to keep Mason at the forefront of the Colonial Athletic Association.