April 28, 2003
Playing against some of the top teams in California, the Georgia Tech volleyball team closed out its spring practice in fine fashion winning all four matches in the San Diego Tournament in April. In the tournament, the Jackets defeated Loyola Marymount, San Diego, Cal-State Northridge, and California-San Diego.
“Finishing our spring in California was a good change of pace for our program and another important step in identifying what the level of competition is like across the country,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “Our match against San Diego was the highlight of the day as they provided tough competition and fought with true grit. One of our key goals for this fall is to become a faster starting team which means being a team that is explosive offensively right from the first serve.”
After winning the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this season, and finishing the season ranked #17 nationally in the AVCA Coaches Poll, Tech returns six starters to a team which finished the season at 33-6 and advanced to the second-round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Leading the way for Tech this spring were several players including sophomore Laura Kuhn and freshman Jennifer Randall.
“I thought a number of players made great strides this spring, including Laura Kuhn and Jennifer Randall,” said Shymansky. “I can see them becoming more comfortable and confident at their positions and with their skills. Laura has become a legitimate outlet option for our offense and I have full confidence in Jennifer to execute every skill to perfection.”
“It was great to end our spring season with such a successful tournament,” said Shymansky. “Our team showed some strong improvement in consistency this spring, but we still have a lot of work to do if we want to live up to our expectations for the fall.”
Shymansky will reassemble the team on August 6 to begin practice for the 2003 season. The Jackets open their season on Aug. 29 against 2002 NCAA participant Northwestern in the Courtyard by Marriott Classic on the campus of Georgia Tech.
