George Washington University Athletics
October 2002
8/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Inside Look
The Colonials' 2002 volleyball season is off to a strong start with a current record of 10-8. In the first weekend of competition at the University of Maryland, GW went 2-1. GW played a tremendous match against the Terps but just fell short in the end. Colonials Sarah Hokom and Lauren Dunning were named to the UM All-Tournament Team.
The GW Invitational was yet another test of what's to come from the 2002 squad. The Colonials defeated Radford, Liberty, and Morgan State before falling to Rutgers in the final match. Ruth Lazzari took home the Tournament MVP Award, while teammates Sarah Hokom and Lauren Dunning earned All-TournamentTeam awards. Hokom also was nominated the A-10 Player of the Week for her stellar performance on the weekend. Next up, off to Idaho! Just before playing in a tournament at Boise State University, the team enjoyed a day of pampering at the Downey household in Caldwell, ID, playing badminton, ping pong, lounging poolside, and shooting the infamous Idaho potato gun! The festivities didn't stop there! The freshman skit stirred a barrel of laughs as they imitated the upperclassmen, and no one could forget the team karaoke sing along. Thanks to the Hokom family the day ended with special ice cream potato sundaes with all the fixin's and trimmin's. A big THANK YOU goes to the Downeys and Hokoms for their hospitality during our stay.
The BSU tournament was a learning experience as the Colonials faced nationally-ranked Utah and Eastern Washington. The Boise State victory put GW at 1-2 for the weekend. Four weeks into the playing season, GW traveled to the University of Pittsburgh for one last weekend before A-10 matches began. The Colonials started off strong beating UMBC and Charleston
Southern, each in three games each. A much taller, physical Pittsburgh team gave GW all it could handle in the final match, which gave GW a 2-1 record on the weekend. Freshman Lindsey Vernand earned her first collegiate honors as an All-Tournament Team selection, as Lauren Dunning picked up her third All-Tournament Team award.
A-10 Action
The Colonials first weekend of conference matches took place on the road at Xavier and Dayton. GW played a flawless first two games against Xavier before the momentum changed and the Musketeers squeaked by the next three. The tough 3-2 loss gave the Colonials the confidence and motivation needed to face Dayton the following night. A huge team effort gave GW the edge over the Flyers as Downey, Hokom, Lazarri, and Dunning led the team to an amazing 3-2 victory over the defending A-10 Champs!
Next up, LaSalle and Temple! To kick off the GW Volleyball Family Alumni Weekend the Colonials swept LaSalle in three games and never looked back. The following night, league-leading Temple proved to have the hot hand as GW took a 3-1 loss, which gives them a 2-2 record in conference play. Lindsey Vernand was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for her solid play against Temple and LaSalle. Still yet to come, Duquesne, Rhode Island and Fordham. Check www.GWsports.com for the latest results.
Side Out Club Fall Events
The 2002 season will mark the first year of the GW Volleyball Side Out Club for fans of Colonials Volleyball. You can receive GW volleyball t-shirts, sweatshirts, media guides and even travel with the team! To receive a brochure, contact Amy Bambenek at bambenek@gwu.edu.
Alumni News
Suzana Manole '01 has returned from playing professional volleyball in Belgium and now lives in San Diego enjoying playing beach volleyball and working for E-Force, a firm that manufactures sports equipment.
Angela Vitale '99 is back in Washington D.C. and is an attorney at the law firm of Alston and Bird.
Jennifer (Smuck) Smith '94 became a partner of a Cleveland area advertising firm last May. She and her husband, Matt, have a 21-month old son, Mason.
Carrie Davis Oss '91 is a physician's assistant in Denver. Six years of marriage has given her two children, daughter Anja, 4, and son, James, 2.
