Now is the time for the Colonial women to reach the Atlantic 10 Tournament. There is no doubt that this year’s GW volleyball team has the nucleus to compete with every A-10 opponent.
After nine seasons as head coach, Susie Homan stepped down and handed the program to last year’s assistant coach, Yvette Moorehead. Moorehead will have new assistant coach Jo Coronel by her side.
“Our team is doing very well with the new coaching staff,” said junior Suzana Manole. “We like the way we practice and the things we learn.”
The Colonial women finished 18-11 overall last season and 12-8 in conference play. GW finished fifth, but was in the hunt late into the season for one of the top four spots in the conference and a trip to the A-10 Tournament. The Colonial women suffered two tough five-game losses at Duquesne and Virginia Tech to end their season.
Returning for GW is co-captain and setter Jill Levey, a 1998 A-10 All-Conference Team member. Levey’s play is crucial to the team’s success as her remarkable consistency drives the play of her teammates. Levey has 2,391 assists, ranking fourth all-time in GW career assist totals.
Senior outside hitter Gabriela Mojska is one of the best attackers in the A-10. Mojska’s strong finish to the 1998 season has made Mojska a feared opponent for the rest of the conference. Her 171 kills this season leads the team. Joining Mojska is senior Theresa Ridder, who has worked her way back into the starting lineup this season after suffering from some inconsistent play last year. Manole, a starting outside hitter brings excitement to the court for GW. The 6-1 junior is a vocal leader who looks to dominate net-play this season.
“I feel that we will do very well this season because we are happy,” Manole said. “We get along very well with each other and with the coaches.”
Alongside Manole is junior middle blocker Julie Jahnke, whose 6-2 presence on the court is intimidating to opponents. Jahnke leads the team so far this season in blocks, averaging 1.32 blocks per game.
The play of junior Tracee Brown might be the key to GW’s success this year. Having graduated last year’s seniors Tai Bethune and Angela Vitale, Brown has stepped forward to fill that void. She has already earned A-10 Player of the Week honors. Junior Renee Arnold was key to GW’s offensive success last year, but she has found limited playing time early on this season.
Freshman Abby Ernst and fellow newcomers sophomore Shannon Farley and junior Adrianna Gucciardi fill out the roster for GW.
The Colonial women have the talent to make their first A-10 Tournament appearance since 1995. A new coaching staff and leadership from Levey, Mojska and Manole could help GW pound their way to the top in this season.
