so they rededicated themselves to achieving not only on the court but in the classroom, too." Of the 11 girls returning next fall, eight are Jayhawk Scholars, meaning that they have a 3.0 grade point average or above. Four of the eight girls are Academic All-Big 12 Second Team (3.0 G.P.A. or above) and four of them are Academic All-Big 12 First Team
(3.2 G.P.A.or above).
The line of Brazilian athletes at the University began about six years ago when Coach Bechard joined the volleyball program from Barton County Community College. Danielle Geronymo, the first Brazilian to make a mark on the KU volleyball team followed Bechard. Geronymo's skills impressed him s
mates creates a better connection on the court but has a potential downside."You don't want too much of a good thing," Brown says.
Volleyball is fast becoming a popular sport in the United States. Trent Jones, assistant volleyball coach at Washburn University, says there are several things
"Knowing that I only have four years to play my sport, it makes me play harder every time I get the chance."
—Caitlin Mahoney freshman middle blocker
much that he began recruiting from Brazil. In 2002, Josi Lima, junior middle blocker and one of Geronymo's best friends arrived at the University. One year later, Lima's teammate, Correa, also followed the Brazilian path to the University of Kansas. Then just this past year, Paula Caten, junior outside hitter, arrived as a junior college transfer from Barton. All three girls played together on the same team in Brazil, and when they arrived in the United States they all faced the same difficulties. It was hard for them to leave behind their families and friends. Caten left her 4-year-old daughter behind in hopes of getting an education and providing a better future for her when they are reunited.
After Correa is done in the training room, she heads to class. She has class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays. After class, she goes straight to the training room for about an hour of rehab. After rehab, she hobbles over to the Burge Union for dinner with ice on both of her knees. The Burge prepares meals every Monday through Thursday night for the athletes. Tonight it is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, tuna casserole and rolls. Each team sits with their respective teammates. Some people eat and leave as fast as they can, while others use this time to relax and socialize. Correa has to hurry up and finish her dinner tonight because at 6 p.m. she has tutoring and she can't be late again. Stuffing the end of a harder-thannormal rock into her mouth, she grabs her bag and an apple from the fruit bowl and limps off, ice still wrapped around both knees.
Off the court, the girls all remain friends. Hill, Mathewson and Caitlin Mahoney, freshman middle blocker, live together in the same house off campus. Freshmen Kristin Buehler, middle blocker, Emily Brown, right side hitter, and Tessa Jones, right side hitter, live together in the dorms and Lima, Corrae and Caten live in the Jayhawk Towers. Emily Brown says living with yu teamthat factor into volleyball's increasing popularity. Youth club volleyball is now a common choice for both male and female athletes. More than ever, there are opportunities to play in college. With the popularity of club volleyball, kids can start as young as 9 years old. A lot of collegiate volleyball teams,
especially the really good ones, now have contracts with T.V. stations introducing more people to the game. The change in the scoring system four years ago is also a big factor. The old scoring system only allowed a team to score when they served and won that rally. Now the team that wins the rally scores the point. The scoring change has made the game faster and more interesting for people to watch. When the sport is doing well, the fans follow.
On a game night during season, there might be 1,000 people who attend the match, compared to the 16,000 that pour into Allen Fieldhouse for a men's basketball game. During their spring tournament at home in April, only one of the two bleachers was pulled out and there were about 40 people in attendance. Of those 40 people, about half are there to watch the Jayhawks and the others were friends and family of the other teams competing that day. It was a small tournament at Horeisi and the teams competing were all Division II or NAIA except for the University of Kansas. The teams were not at all at the skill level of the teams they would normally face in the Big 12, but it was a chance for them to play competitively. One of their matches was against the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a Division II school. They played two games to 30 points and the Jayhawks won both games easily. "The motivating factor for me in a game like this is pride," says Dani Wittman, sophomore defensive specialist from Salina. "I don't want to have to say we lost to a Division II school."
When Correa has finished tutoring and doing homework that she has for the hour, it is finally time to go home. It is nearly 8 p.m. This will be the first time Correa has been home today since she woke up for practice at 5:45 a.m. When she gets home, she drops her stuff by the door and — without turning on the lights — curls up on the couch. She reaches for the T.V. remote control and turns it to BET music videos. Mario's "How Could You" sings
her into a short 20-minute nap. When she wakes up from her nap, she saunts off to the bathroom. "I am going to take a shower," Correa says. "I am gross from practice this morning." She hasn't had time to bathe all day. Afterwards, she goes straight to bed. It is 9:30 p.m.
These are the athletes who know that when they start playing their sport, there is no future beyond their college days and no dollar signs in sight. All the hard work and dedication that they are putting in will ultimately leave them with only memories and self-satisfaction. "This is what I've been working towards my whole life," Mahoney says. "Knowing that I only have four years to play my sport, it makes me play harder every time I get the chance."
Writer Ashley Michaels was a middle blocker for the KU volleyball team from 2001 to 2004. Contact her at amichaels@kansan.com.
Would you go to a volleyball game to watch the game and enjoy the sport or to see the girls in their shorts?
Adam Balentine, Kansas City, MO, senior "Volleyball players are hot. I would go for the shorts."
Armond Smith, Atlanta, GA. freshman "Both. I like the game but the shorts are good, too."
Jon Zeitz, Chicago junior "Probably for the shorts, and the cute girls."
Ronald Yu, Hong Kong freshman "If I wanted to see girls in short shorts I would go watch beach volleyball or swimming. So I would go for the volleyball."
Zeke Adair, Wichita freshman. "Oh I would definitely go for the girls in the shorts."