Nov. 19, 2002

Charleston, SC - The Citadel volleyball team completed their season 6-24, 0-20 in the Southern Conference. Coach Wendy Anderson is proud of the accomplishments made this season and states the record does not reflect the strides of the team.

"Our team has improved steadily over the years," stated Anderson. "The next step in our success is to learn to play consistently through out the entire match. That is how we will win more games and matches."

And the statistics prove this steady progression. As a team, the Bulldogs set seven new school records. September proved to be a strong month for the team, as they broke three match records. On the seventh, they dug 100 balls against Charleston Southern, 27 more than in a 2000 match. Against Savannah State on the 17th, the team hit a .463 percentage (44-7-80), beating the previous record of .377. And on the 20th against Wofford, they accumulated 184 total attempts, 27 more than a match in 2000. On the season, they had 1,126 total kills (1,088 in 2001), 971 assists (954 in 2000), and 1,479 digs (1187 in 2001).

Leading the 2002 team in five statistical categories, senior outside hitter Nicole Mantu will leave The Citadel holding 13 school records. As a co-captain on the 2002 squad, Mantu led in total attempts (974), total kills (311), kills per game (3.31), digs (348) and digs per game (3.70). She is ranked third on the team in services aces (39), but stayed in first as the all-time record holder for career aces (176).

"Nicole has been a rock for us for four years," continued Anderson. "She assumed a leadership role from day one and set a higher standard for her teammates to follow."

Mantu's other records include attack percentage in a match (.632 in 2001), in a season (.200 in 2000), kills in a match (22 in 2001), in a season (344 in 2000), and career (1282, 1999-2002). She also holds total attempt records for match (55 in 2002), season (974 in 2002), and career (3521, 1999-2002), digs for match (27 in 2002), season (348 in 2002), and career (1035), and service aces for season (81 in 2001) and career (176).

Freshman Amber Davis broke the season blocking record with 98 total blocks and had a .700 hitting percentage (8-1-10) against Savannah State on September 17. Sophomore Audra Ritchie previously held the record with 82 blocks in her freshman season. Maggie Maisonet holds the career blocking record with 166 blocks from 1998 to 2001.

Juniors Desiree Browning and Lindsey Hodge were also major contributors for the squad. Hodge led the team in service aces (42) and had a .615 hitting percentage (18-2-26) against South Carolina State on October 29, which ranks second for a match behind Mantu. She was also second in blocking with 73 and in kills with 212 on the season. Browning had 671 assists, while bumping her career record up to 2220 assists from 2000-present.

Freshman Samantha Parisi led with a .195 hitting percentage, which was the highest on the season. She ranks second for career hitting percentage behind Tara Stephenson, who had a .198 in 2001. Parisi also holds the second position in digs (251) and the third position in kills (193) on the season. She had 23 service aces and 36 total blocks, which placed her fourth on the team in both categories.

The 2002 volleyball season was successful. The Bulldogs broke 18 total records and will graduate only one player. As the talent grows, the program will grow and this will lead to better competition and more wins.