George Washington University Athletics
GW Athletics Vault: 2000 Volleyball
3/1/2021 12:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennial celebration, honoring the historic milestone with a variety of initiatives meant to highlight the best of the Buff and Blue, including these regular features looking into the GW Athletics Vault. To learn more about the #GW200 festivities, visit the university bicentennial page.
The 2000 GW volleyball squad provided one of the most inspiring seasons of any team in GW Athletics history, dedicating its championship run to late coach Yvette Moorehead, who unexpectedly passed away shortly before the fall season began.
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The Atlantic 10 title was the culmination of four years of hard work from five talented seniors – Jill Levey, Suzana Manole, Tracee Brown, Renee Arnold and Julie Jahnke – all of whom defined themselves as team leaders during that difficult period after Moorehead's death.
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"We were together from the beginning," recalled Jahnke, a middle blocker who paced the group with 127 blocks as a senior. "I think we came in as these young 18-year olds. We didn't know what to expect, really, and we kind of grew together. As we came into our senior year and then dealing with the tragedy of Yvette, it was kind of more so that we weren't just even teammates, we were kind of like sisters."
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Under interim head coach Jojit Coronel, the veteran group landed early-season Power 5 wins over NC State and Purdue before establishing themselves as conference contenders with a 14-2 mark in A-10 regular season play.
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Throughout the fall, Moorehead's memory was never far from mind.
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"She was such a neat person," said Levey, the talented setter who amassed more than 4,000 assists across her career in Buff and Blue. "We just really enjoyed playing for her and at the same time continued to learn and grow. Just knowing who she was and her character, it just made us want to perform and work together as a team even more."
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Levey, Manole, Brown and Jahnke received All-Conference honors for their stellar play that fall, and thanks to his leadership on and off the court, Coronel was named A-10 Coach of the Year.
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"It was refreshing to have him as a coach," Jahnke said. "He was kind of young and really enthusiastic and excited and just this positive force in a time that I look back and it could've been so sad and so horrible."
The decorated senior class had qualified for the A-10 Championship before but never celebrated a title. GW headed to the four-team conference tournament hosted by Dayton that November looking to change that.
"I think we knew we had something special going on, that it was going to be our year," Levey said.
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GW began its stay in Dayton with a four-set victory over the host Flyers behind a team-high 31 kills from Brown.
In an epic final the next day, GW battled Xavier point for point in a five-set match that lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes.
"I think that we had that grit that we were going to keep into it, that we were going to fight to the end," Jahnke said.
The Colonials claimed the first two sets before the Musketeers battled back to force a decisive fifth. Neither team led by more than two points in the tie breaker, which was tied at 18 before a kill by Brown and a Xavier attack error gave the Buff and Blue a long-awaited title celebration in honor of their late coach.
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"Honestly at the end, we cheered for her," said Manole, who was responsible for 27 of GW's 126 digs in the thrilling five-setter. "We had Gatorade, and we cheered for Yvette. We all knew it was for her, that's for sure."
The memorable season would end with a first-round NCAA setback vs. South Carolina in Lincoln, Nebraska, but two decades later, the group retains a special place in GW volleyball history.
"This year seemed kind of magical," Jahnke said. "It was fun to play. We enjoyed each other. We wanted to be on the court, and it was just a good combination between the coaching, the players and so much positive energy. It would be what Yvette wanted, and we wanted to keep it that way."
The 2000 GW volleyball squad provided one of the most inspiring seasons of any team in GW Athletics history, dedicating its championship run to late coach Yvette Moorehead, who unexpectedly passed away shortly before the fall season began.
Â
The Atlantic 10 title was the culmination of four years of hard work from five talented seniors – Jill Levey, Suzana Manole, Tracee Brown, Renee Arnold and Julie Jahnke – all of whom defined themselves as team leaders during that difficult period after Moorehead's death.
Â
"We were together from the beginning," recalled Jahnke, a middle blocker who paced the group with 127 blocks as a senior. "I think we came in as these young 18-year olds. We didn't know what to expect, really, and we kind of grew together. As we came into our senior year and then dealing with the tragedy of Yvette, it was kind of more so that we weren't just even teammates, we were kind of like sisters."
Â
Under interim head coach Jojit Coronel, the veteran group landed early-season Power 5 wins over NC State and Purdue before establishing themselves as conference contenders with a 14-2 mark in A-10 regular season play.
Â
Throughout the fall, Moorehead's memory was never far from mind.
Â
"She was such a neat person," said Levey, the talented setter who amassed more than 4,000 assists across her career in Buff and Blue. "We just really enjoyed playing for her and at the same time continued to learn and grow. Just knowing who she was and her character, it just made us want to perform and work together as a team even more."
Â
Levey, Manole, Brown and Jahnke received All-Conference honors for their stellar play that fall, and thanks to his leadership on and off the court, Coronel was named A-10 Coach of the Year.
Â
"It was refreshing to have him as a coach," Jahnke said. "He was kind of young and really enthusiastic and excited and just this positive force in a time that I look back and it could've been so sad and so horrible."
The decorated senior class had qualified for the A-10 Championship before but never celebrated a title. GW headed to the four-team conference tournament hosted by Dayton that November looking to change that.
"I think we knew we had something special going on, that it was going to be our year," Levey said.
Â
GW began its stay in Dayton with a four-set victory over the host Flyers behind a team-high 31 kills from Brown.
In an epic final the next day, GW battled Xavier point for point in a five-set match that lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes.
"I think that we had that grit that we were going to keep into it, that we were going to fight to the end," Jahnke said.
The Colonials claimed the first two sets before the Musketeers battled back to force a decisive fifth. Neither team led by more than two points in the tie breaker, which was tied at 18 before a kill by Brown and a Xavier attack error gave the Buff and Blue a long-awaited title celebration in honor of their late coach.
Â
"Honestly at the end, we cheered for her," said Manole, who was responsible for 27 of GW's 126 digs in the thrilling five-setter. "We had Gatorade, and we cheered for Yvette. We all knew it was for her, that's for sure."
The memorable season would end with a first-round NCAA setback vs. South Carolina in Lincoln, Nebraska, but two decades later, the group retains a special place in GW volleyball history.
"This year seemed kind of magical," Jahnke said. "It was fun to play. We enjoyed each other. We wanted to be on the court, and it was just a good combination between the coaching, the players and so much positive energy. It would be what Yvette wanted, and we wanted to keep it that way."
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