Aug. 28, 2008
The George Mason women's volleyball team kicks off its 35th season of play on Friday when it hosts the first day of the annual D.C. Volleyball Challenge. The Patriots host Georgetown in a match set for 7 p.m. at the Field House, immediately following the American-George Washington match at 5 p.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. Mason students receive free admission with their Mason student ID.
Mason ended a two-year postseason absence in 2007 with a trip to the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, and the 2008 Patriots will look to continue that momentum into the upcoming season. According to head coach Pat Kendrick, the key to success will be the newfound depth that Mason has assembled in its roster.
"I think in terms of players we're going to be deeper position-wise than we've been," said Kendrick, who in her 24th season is now the CAA's longest-tenured head volleyball coach. "We've got a number of players who can play multiple positions and that's a luxury we haven't had in the past. In that sense, we'll probably be deeper than we've ever been. In terms of experience, we are going to have a lot of new people and will be young. We've got players who come from good programs and are well-skilled."
While seven student-athletes will join the Patriots this season, Mason will look to replace its four seniors from 2007, including the top scorer in Jaqueline Kohler, a four-year offensive force with the Patriots.
"I think with the new players we have coming in, we have people who can play at all of those positions," Kendrick said. "I think it's just a matter of how their youth is going to play into all of that. Even though we will miss them because they certainly did some great things for us, we have people who can fill their positions and time will tell how successful they can be."
Mason will be led both on and off the court by a three-person senior class, consisting of outside hitter Morgan Connell, libero Chelsea Kropp and middle blocker Jourdan Dozier. All three had breakout seasons in 2007 and will be counted upon heavily to help the Patriots continue their winning ways.
Connell, a 5'9" player from Wayne, Pa., has gradually emerged into a dependable role player for Kendrick and the Patriots, increasing her playing time by 50 percent in each of her three seasons in the Green and Gold.
"Morgan has been with the program since her freshman year and has been a utility player in the past," said Kendrick. "She has played a little bit of front row and mostly back row, and last year she was only back row. We are going to expect that she will contribute there this year."
Kropp, a 5'7" native of Papillion, Neb., will be the incumbent libero as she saw time at that position in 2007 along with departed senior Kristen Byler. Kropp, who led the team and was fourth in the CAA with 40 service aces, has earned a chance to see extenstive playing time with strong defensive play and excellent serving.
"Chelsea was our serving defensive specialist last year and we will expect the same from her this year," Kendrick said. "I think she will get some time in the libero spot and she is a very strong server so we'll expect to use her in that regard quite a bit."
The final senior is Dozier, who at 6'2" developed into the top middle blocker in the conference last season. The Silver Spring, Md., native led the conference in total blocks, anchoring a Mason blocking unit that also topped the conference leaderboard, and she will look to continue contributing heavily in that role.
"Jourdan has come around to be the best middle blocker in the conference, and we are looking for her offense to catch up with where her defense is right now," Kendrick explained. "She had a great spring and has gotten a lot stronger and more confident and I think offensively she's going to be able to add a lot for us."
Along with Dozier, junior middle blocker Laura Turner will return to form the conference's most successful blocking tandem. With 120 total blocks in 2007, Turner was just one shy of Dozier's mark and finished third in the conference. The St. Louis, Mo., native also ranked third among Mason scorers with 233 kills, and is representative of the all-around play that will help to make the Patriots successful this season.
"The blocking combination of Jourdan and Laura was something we had been working on, and certainly our strength that we had last fall. If it wasn't for Jourdan and Laura as well as Chelsea, we wouldn't have won a lot of those games," Kendrick explained. "Everybody expects that Jaque and Rebecca (Walter) are going to be the ones to score all the points, but it was really a group effort. Laura has played a lot and we are expecting her to bring the experience onto the floor. She is very competitive and offensively, she has always been strong but we are looking for her blocking to come through a little bit more. Her being in the blocking stats last year showed that she has been working on that."
While Kohler led the team with 396 kills in 104 games, her total was matched by Rebecca Walter, who is poised for another strong offensive season in her upcoming junior year. The Monbulk, Victoria, Australia, native ranked fourth in kills per game in the conference, and has been a vocal leader while being a dominant offensive producer for the Patriots on the court.
"During the season last year, there were times when Jaque struggled and Bec was still producing, so I expect she will pick up where she left off," Kendrick said. "She's got a great mind for the game and is very competitive. Even though she's not real big, she plays like she is, so I expect Bec will be very strong for us this year."
Walter's fellow Australian, junior opposite hitter Sam Simmonds, has the potential for a strong season in 2008 as well. While totaling two seasons as a strong role player for the Mason offense, Simmonds could come forward as a top offensive threat in 2008.
"Sam had a great spring and had a chance to play a lot and build up her confidence," explained Kendrick. "I think this will be a good time for Sam to break out. She has always been in the shadows a little bit, but in the spring we had a couple of injuries so Sam ended up playing quite a bit and ended up being the go-to hitter for the returning players."
Rounding out the returning players for the Patriots are sophomores Fernanda Bartels and Holly Goode. Bartels, who emerged as one of the best setters in the conference in her freshman season, along with Goode, a versatile player who could see time at a number of positions, add to a strong veteran corps after each contributed heavily in their first seasons with the Green and Gold.
Bartels, a CAA All-Rookie Team selection, tallied the most assists by a Mason freshman in 13 seasons and ranked fifth conference-wide in that category. Additionally, she finished third on the team with 67 total blocks. The Belo Horizonte, Brazil, product will look to build on an excellent debut season in 2008.
"I think Fernanda is showing that she could be the best setter in the conference, and I'm biased, but I think she was the best freshman in the conference last year," Kendrick said. "She worked hard in the spring and has been working hard in the offseason summer workouts. She comes from a great volleyball background and has a great mind for setting."
Goode saw action in all of the Patriots' matches last season, and will build upon her experience from her freshman campaign as she solidifies her spot in the Mason rotation.
"Holly got a chance to play quite a bit last year, as we had her mostly on the right side and a little in the middle," Kendrick explained of the Virginia Beach native. "She has shown some versatility and she has gotten a broad range of skill sets in terms of playing multiple positions. We'll have to see which one turns out to be her best."
The Patriots will add seven new players to their roster in 2008, which will provide Kendrick far improved flexibility and depth over the course of the season.
"I think the newcomers will offer depth we haven't had," she said. "We've had situations in the past where players are hurt or sick and we didn't really have anybody to go in for them, but this year we'll have that."
Two of Mason's freshmen come to Fairfax with a first-hand knowledge of the level of play in the CAA. Middle blocker Kelsey Bohman and libero Katrina Boryc each have sisters who currently play for CAA teams, and both will have an opportunity to compete against their siblings this season.
"Kelsey's sister plays at William & Mary and Katrina's sister plays at Georgia State, so both of them are really familiar with the conference," Kendrick explained. "I think Kelsey has got the potential to play multiple positions for us. She primarily plays in the middle but has the potential to play in the outside as well. We're looking forward to having another `slasher' because she is so versatile.
"Katrina is very competitive and comes from a great program, probably one of the best in the country. She is very detailed and works hard and volleyball means a lot to her. We are very happy to have her because she is a really skilled player and is going to bring a lot of consistency to the libero position for us."
Four other newcomers will compete at the outside hitter position, looking to bolster the Patriots' attack and help offset the loss of Kohler. Noelle Fanella is a versatile player who has competed at a high level in her club and high school careers.
"Noelle comes from the same great club program as Katrina," said Kendrick. "She is well-skilled and has gotten a lot better and can play multiple positions. She has very good ball control and will be another good player for us in terms of adding to our depth."
Three Virginia natives in Casey Gilchrist, Kelly McCarter and Laura Waclawski will try to make their mark on the program as well.
"Casey came to us a little late in the recruiting process," Kendrick said of the Virginia Beach product. "Primarily we are thinking she might move to a defensive position but all throughout her high school and club career she has been playing on the outside."
McCarter draws comparisons to current Mason outside hitter Rebecca Walter, and Kendrick hopes that the Chesapeake native can eventually match that level of production.
"Kelly is a very good athlete, very explosive and is kind of a younger version of Bec," she elaborated. "She's not real big but gets off the ground well, hits a heavy ball, and I think she is going to be a good one for us."
Another newcomer is Laura Waclawski, a junior at the University who will make her varsity debut after playing with Mason's club team.
"Laura was on the Mason club team and had approached us about coming out for the team," Kendrick said. "She practiced with us all last season, and in the spring she worked real hard, got in great shape, and impressed everyone with her work ethic. She will work her tail off and has improved quite a bit. I think she is one of those players that you like giving an opportunity because they work so hard at it."
Additionally, sophomore Courtney Diggins joins the Patriots after transferring from Ball State and spending one year at Ivy Tech Community College.
The Patriots will contest a strong non-conference schedule in order to gear up for CAA play in September. Among the highlights for Kendrick's squad are this weekend's D.C. Volleyball Challenge, as well as Mason's annual Patriot Invitational tournament. The two-day home tournament will feature six teams and ten matches
Mason will then participate in two road tournaments as its final tuneup for conference play, traveling to the Davidson Invitational (Sep. 12-13) where it will face Rutgers, Charlotte and the host Wildcats. The following weekend, the Patriots will head to the Hoosier State to take part in the Indiana Invitational (Sep. 19-20), squaring off against the host Hoosiers, Cincinnati and Ball State.
The Patriots open their conference slate at the Field House on Sep. 27 with a match against James Madison. That will begin Mason's longest homestand of the season, which concludes with matches against Hofstra and Northeastern the following weekend. The Patriots will call the Field House home once again for the 2008 season, as construction continues on the new competition venue at the renovated Physical Education Building, slated to open for the 2009 season.
After alternating weekends away and home, including a Oct. 18 matchup against defending CAA champion Delaware in Fairfax, Mason embarks on a five-match road swing into November, before closing out the regular season at home on Nov. 14 and 15 against UNC Wilmington and Georgia State, respectively.
"The athletic ability of the players has gotten a lot better and the conference has gotten taller," Kendrick said in describing the changes in CAA play. "The average height has probably gone up an inch or two. I think the conference teams are recruiting more skilled players. I don't know that we'll see the long streaks of conference championships by one team like when we won five in a row and William & Mary since the teams are better all-around."
Mason finished with a 14-13 record (7-7 in conference play) and earned the sixth seed in the conference championship last November. After exiting in the first round, Kendrick feels the Patriots have a firm grasp on what it will take to contend for this year's title.
"They certainly were glad to be there at the tournament," she explained. "The players who had been on the team the year before didn't get a chance to go and knew how disappointing that was. Now that we've had a chance to go, I think they're hungry to stay there. Our goal is to play like a team that should be going but in the back of their heads they're going to want to win it.
"I think they are pretty excited about the upcoming season and knowing what it takes to get to that point. We got a chance to see Delaware last season, and they were clearly the best of the field. The team saw what they had and how they got there and what they were doing, and I think that will give them motivation to push that hard as well."
