Aug. 11, 2004

It is a dawn of a new era for the George Mason women's volleyball team and there is much for Patriots' fans to be excited about. While three-time CAA Player of the Year Aline Pereira has graduated, there is still plenty of talent waiting to take the court this season and ready to prove that the teams that won the past two CAA Championships were more than just a one-woman show. With eight players returning from last year's NCAA Tournament team and six of those upperclassmen, there is plenty of big-match experience. The 2004 squad is full of student-athletes who don't know how to lose. "I think the returning players are kind of on a mission to prove how good they are," Mason coach Pat Kendrick said. "To prove not just to themselves but to other people that when you lose a player like Aline, that the success doesn't necessarily stop. "I think they're going to be driven in the sense that they appreciated what they had in Aline, but now it's their time to put another banner on the wall. Before..., we were 0 for 2 in the CAA Championships. We needed this group to show up." The most prominent of the group that helped win those past two CAA titles is senior setter Jesica Umansky. She was CAA Rookie of the Year in 2001 and has been all-CAA first or second team in all three of her previous seasons. She is third on the school's all-time list in assists and last year, she averaged 11.24 assists per game. As strong as Umansky is as a player, her biggest contribution to this year's team might be as a leader. "I expect her to show a lot of leadership on and off the floor," Kendrick said. "She's very competitive and I'm hoping she will spread that competitive energy throughout the team, especially with the young players. "She hates to lose. She doesn't know how to lose. I'm not sure `competitive' is a strong enough term." Still, what makes Umanksy a tremendous leader is her skill as a setter and her knowledge of the sport. "She knows the game very well," Kendrick said. "She's been playing a long time and has a good feel for who's hitting well and what weaknesses the other team might have." Backing up Umansky will be freshman Sarah Hipps. "She's very quick and brings a good energy to the floor," Kendrick said. "Some things about her remind me of Jesica, in terms of competitiveness. She demands a lot of herself and demands a lot of others." Many of Umansky's and Hipps' sets will be headed toward junior outside hitter Natalia Porosa. Porosa has twice been named CAA All-Tournament and last year, she compiled 241 kills, averaging 2.87 kills per game. She also had 249 digs and 48 total blocks. "We're kind of looking for this to be Natalia's breakout year," Kendrick said. "She is one of the hitters we'll rely on a lot. She's real familiar with the game and has been around it her whole life. She's very athletic and her skills have come along. "I think the other teams don't really know of her as much because we didn't use her as much. This is her chance to show what kind of player she is and maybe surprise some people." Pororsa hit .172 last season and saw the majority of touches opposite Pereira. She led the team in digs per game with 2.96. In the summertime, she hones her skills playing beach volleyball. She is a member of the Canadian Junior National Team. "She is very quick, has a good arm swing and jumps well" Kendrick said. "We'd like to see her develop more shots. We'd like her to feel more comfortable using some of her beach play indoors. Some of the shots she would have used to win the beach championships we'd like to see from her." The other outside hitter position is up for grabs and a leading candidate for that role is Niki Bernardes. Last year, she was third on the team in total attacks with 388. She put away more than 100 balls and averaged 1.21 kills per game. "She played quite a bit last year in a starting role," Kendrick said. "She played on the left, she played on the right... experience-wise, she'll be one of the most experienced." Bernardes was third on the team in assists, fourth on the team in digs and digs per game and it's that facet of her game that makes her an important part of the lineup. "Her passing is probably her strongest skill at this point," Kendrick said. "We'd like to see her be more consistent with her hitting and blocking. Those are two of the things we're working on with her." A freshman could also fight for playing time at outside hitter. Brazilian import Jaqueline Kohler should be able to contribute fairly early. "She's a good athlete, has a quick jump, quick arm swing and has good all-around skills," Kendrick said. "She'll certainly add to the athleticism of the team just by being out on the floor. She's mostly played in the middle but she could play any of the outside positions." Kohler might not be needed in the middle because there is some solid depth at middle blocker, led by sophomore Janelle Wilson. Wilson was second on the team in blocks last year with 56. She was sixth on the team in kills and seventh in hitting percentage with 107 and .150, respectively. Both numbers should improve dramatically this year. "She's a very hard worker; I don't think you could ask for a harder worker," Kendrick said. "At this point, we're trying to get her used to playing at a higher level and hitting a lot of balls. We'd like to run a lot of the offense to the middle." Wilson played nearly every game when healthy in 2003 and that allowed her to development to progress at a quicker pace than it otherwise might have. "Being thrown in as a freshman and stepping up right away, she had to grow into that during the season," Kendrick said. Wilson's hallmark is her conditioning. Kendrick believes she is the best-conditioned player on the team and hopes that Wilson's dedication will be contagious. There are several choices for whom will play the other middle blocker position opposite Wilson. Chantal Bodkin-Clarke, a native of Trinidad, transferred from Iowa Western Community College in January and has been working with the team throughout the offseason. "The semester she's been with us, she improved a lot," Kendrick said. Her conditioning and technical work especially. This past summer, she played on the national team and went to the Caribbean Championship." At 6-foot-3, Bodkin-Clarke will be one of the tallest players in the conference. Add to that an impressive wingspan and an ever-improving vertical leap, and the Patriots have a player who can jump 10-feet. "She has to work through her inexperience," Kendrick said. "Probably the best thing she does right now is block. Hitting and ball control is where we need to improve with her." One other factor in the middle is Lindsay Angelo, who missed most of last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Prior to that, she played at Drexel University. She could also see time on the right side or in the back row. "She has good passing skills and plays good defense on the back row," Kendrick said. "The times we've had her play back row, her ball control has been good. The other thing about her is, she doesn't give up easily. She's going to outlast her opponent because she never gives up." The libero position has a pair of experienced players ready to provide solid defense. Junior Zulma Rojas played just 56 games in 2003 due in part to injury, but she nonetheless led the team in digs per game with 3.09. "She's got very good ball control skills," Kendrick said. "Libero suits her because she's a very aggressive player. To be a good libero, you need to be aggressive." A new rule this year will make Rojas even better suited for the libero position. Beginning this season, NCAA Division I women's volleyball will allow the libero to serve. According to Kendrick, "Zulma has a very good serve. The prospect of her serving is a big benefit." The other veteran that could see time in the back row will be Liz Bottorf, who had limited court time last season. She also could play some at setter, the position for which she was recruited. She is recovering from a leg injury suffered last season and might not have the lateral movement needed for setting. One other freshman will join the team this year. Kristen Byler comes from Roanoke, Va. and she could see some time on the back row. "She has good ball control skills," Kendrick said. "We're looking to see what kind of impact Kristen can have. She's pretty much always been a defensive specialist. She's good when it comes to ball control and she reads the situation well." The key for the Patriots in 2004 will be their ability to be supportive of teammates. "We've got players who endured a season (in 2003) of being a M.A.S.H. unit," Kendrick said. "I think the reason the team was as good as it was, other than the obvious, is that we never made excuses. "So this group was able to pull together when we were playing the conference finals and we had players limping and we were winning. "If anything else, we're going down swinging. I don't know where the end of the season will come, but this team will never give up."