By Ed Morrone
Though it came up short in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament, the Pride volleyball team’s 2004 campaign was entrenched with success. Here are some of the stad-out performances:
Most Valuable Player: Tessa Sphar; junior. Outside hitter.
Sphar, a 5-foot-11 junior from San Jose, was the overall best player on a very talented team. In 93 games this season (26 matches), Sphar’s 311 kills were tied for the most on the team. The always aggressive Sphar was the floor general on a Pride team that finished 19-10, including a 12-0 mark at home. Her numbers declined a bit from her sophomore to junior seasons, in part because she missed some action toward the end of the season with an ankle injury. With Sphar not at 100 percent, the Pride dropped its final three matches of the season. She earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors for the second consecutive year and also became the tenth member of the 1,000 Kills Club with the Pride. Sphar currently is ranked ninth on the list with 1,027 career kills.
Most Consistent Player: Elizabeth Curley; sophomore. Middle blocker.
The 2003 CAA Rookie of the Year avoided a sophomore slump in every possible way, earning second team All-CAA recognition for her fine season. Curley tied Sphar with 311 kills, led the team with service aces (50), blocks (127), and hitting percentage (an astounding .361). Curley consistently had strong matches throughout the season and often had a hitting percentage above .400. She played in all 29 matches and was the rock on a Pride team that suffered some injuries at the end of the season.
Most Fun to Watch: Shellane Ogoshi; freshman. Setter.
The “quarterback” of the Pride team, the freshman import from Hawaii greatly exceeded expectations in her first season. Ogoshi earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors and tallied double-doubles in 23 of the Pride’s 29 matches, and led the team in assists (1264) and digs (383). Ogoshi was always there to pick the Pride up when needed, whether it was with her energy or with her contagious smile. Her quickness allowed her to move anywhere on the court, and odds are your eyes tended to focus on her during the game even though she was often the smallest player on the floor.
Most Improved Player: Julie Tatar; senior. Outside hitter/middle blocker.
Tatar, one of two seniors on the Pride, stepped up in her final season. Her 295 kills and 316 digs this season surpassed her total in those categories combined over the previous three seasons. Aside from having a strong statistical year, Tatar also provided the Pride with her leadership ability.
Most Improved Player, Part 2: Talita Silva; freshman. Right side hitter/setter.
It might seem illogical that someone can improve in his or her freshman year, but that’s exactly what Silva did. The 6-foot-2 freshman from Raritan, N.J., was somewhat of a spot on the bench in the beginning of the season. However, she burst onto the scene right around the beginning of conference play and demanded more playing time. Whenever she was on the court she seemed to make a climactic impact on the match and earned a spot on the CAA All Rookie team along with teammate Ogoshi.
Best Match of the Year: Oct. 15: 3-2 win over Towson.
Even if the Pride had lost, this still would have been the match of the year. The taller, more experienced Tigers came in heavily favored and carried a 21-match regular season conference winning streak and a 15-game conference undefeated streak with them. The Pride quickly ended the latter streak by capturing the first game, 30-23. But the Tigers responded by winning the next two, putting the Pride in a hole. However, the Pride responded and took a back-and-forth fourth game to tie the score at two. In the fifth and deciding game, the Pride came out and absolutely overwhelmed the Tigers to win the match. The win kept the Pride atop the conference standings for the time being, but it eventually succumbed to the Tigers in the long run.
Worst Match of the Year: November 20: 3-0 loss to the University Delaware in CAA Tournament Semifinals.
After finishing second in the regular season standings, the Pride still had a chance to win the CAA Championship Tournament, which many players cited as the team’s ultimate goal. Though the Pride failed to earn home court in the tournament by losing its final two matches of the season, the team still went into the tournament with extreme confidence. However, the Pride never got a chance to play for the title as the Blue Hens of Delaware overwhelmed the Pride, who came out flat. Host Towson eventually won the tournament by beating George Mason University and Delaware to earn CAA regular and postseason championship honors, as well as earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Biggest Conference Surprise: Delaware: 23-9 a year after finishing 11-17.
Best Team: Towson, who aside from the slip up against the Pride in October, dominated throughout the season, finishing 25-8 overall and 13-1 in the CAA.
Best Individual Match of the Season: Julie Tatar’s match against Towson on Oct. 15. There were a handful of exceptional matches, but Tatar’s 18-kill performance in the thrilling win over Towson trumps them all.
Best Coaches: The Pride’s Fran Kalafer and Bonnie Kenny of Delaware shared CAA Coach of the Year honors, and rightfully so. Both coaches led their team to outstanding seasons a year after subpar campaigns and got their team into the CAA Tournament.
Best CAA Player: Liz Goubeaux; senior. Middle blocker.
The CAA Player of the Year led the Tigers to an outstanding season, which included both regular and postseason conference championships and an NCAA Tournament berth. She had 342 kills, 145 blocks, and 96 digs on the season, while also hitting at an incredible .395.