10: King George holds court

By Weston Reeves

In the waning months of the spring semester VCU sports fans have seen the end of multiple tenures with the basketball team.

Rams fans have had to cope with saying goodbye to former head coach Jeff Capel as well as the loss of the outgoing senior class.

None of the seniors will be missed as much as forward Nick George (Manchester, England), a consistent anchor on the team since his freshman season.

George continued to be an offensive force in his final season with the Rams, leading the team with 16.9 points per game and finishing first in the Colonial Athletic Association for 3-point field goal percentage (.468).

George, the only Ram to start all 27 games this season, was named First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association for the second season in a row. He was the only player in the conference to be ranked among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding (5.1), field-goal percentage (.468), 3-point percentage and 3-pointers (1.78 per game).

As a four-year starter for the Rams, George scored 1,506 career points, placing him ninth on VCU’s career scoring list. He is also the only player in school history to rank amont the career top ten in rebounds, 3-point percentage, free throws, steals and double-doubles.

George spent all four of his seasons under former coach Jeff Capel, improving his scoring average each year. George averaged 8.3 ppg his freshman year, 9.3 ppg his sophomore year and 16.8 ppg his junior year.

“One of the great things about coaching Nick and the good players I’ve coached since I’ve been at VCU is that they had no problem making the commitment to being really good,” Capel said of George after the Rams lost to Hofstra in the second round of the CAA Tournament. “You look at Nick and you look at a guy that only attempted one 3 as a freshman, and as a senior he leads the league in 3-point field-goal percentage. You look each year at how his game expanded.”

George’s best game came Feb. 23 2005, his junior season. Against William and Mary, George scored a career high 36 points to lead the Rams to a win in a 91-69 win.

George had one of his best games this season in the final game against Hofstra, scoring 28 points and coming down with 12 rebounds in the loss.

After the game, the question of whether the Rams season was finished loomed over the press conference.

When asked if George played like it was his last game that night, he gave an answer indicative of his personality as a basketball player and a leader.

“I just tried to put it all out there,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your last one or not. You have to put it all out there.”

9: Rookie phenom makes bold statement

By Annie McCallum

In this year’s freshman class of 3,540, one face stands out: freshman baseball player Jared Bolden.

He is a two-way player for VCU’s baseball team making his presence known on the mound as well as in the batter’s box.

Bolden, a first baseman and left-handed pitcher, has been dominant this season on offense. Before the game Tuesday against North Carolina, he was hitting .420 to lead the team in batting average and was listed fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association in the category.

The Lynchburg native and E.C. Glass High School graduate has had an eye for the ball and a tendency to get on-base

as well.

As of Tuesday afternoon his .594 slugging percentage led the team and his on base percentage of .476 was tops for the Rams as well. He was also second in RBI behind Joe Meador (Mechanicsville/Lee-Davis High School) and second in hits behind Sergio Miranda (Bayamon, Puerto Rico).

Bolden said he knew VCU was the right choice for him when he saw the campus.

“Almost as soon as I got up here and saw the campus and met the guys I was like, ‘all right, this is where I want to go,” Bolden said.

Bolden said the experience of playing on the baseball team has been unreal, and his relationships with teammates have helped him to make a smooth adjustment to college.

“I had a lot of worries about where I would fit in on the team and the key was talking with a lot of the guys, with a lot of the older guys and the coach,” he said.

And it looks like Bolden is fitting in just fine.

In a report released April 15, Bolden was one of the top hitters in the nation, ranking seventh in batting average in NCAA statistics. He was also the top freshman in the country in that category.

Bolden is a three-time CAA Rookie of the Week. He was also named CAA’s Player of the Week April 14 for batting .667 in four starts, along with hitting two doubles, one triple, five RBI and scoring seven runs in a 4-0 week for the Rams. That week he also struck out three batters in 4.1 innings against Norfolk State.

Bolden takes his achievements in stride, doing his best to manage school and baseball.

“It’s like having a job when you’re an athlete at a college. It’s definitely time consuming and you value every second you get away from that. (But) I love playing. I don’t want anyone to think I hate playing,” Bolden said. “When you’re so consumed with everything you value every second you can to relax.”

But ultimately, Bolden said he’s having fun and that’s what it’s all about.

“I think the reason why (baseball) is so important to me is that I have fun. It’s supposed to be a release from daily life,” he said.

It’s always been fun for Bolden. Growing up with two older brothers who played baseball, he quickly developed a passion for the sport. Playing catch in the back yard and losing games to older brothers has made him want to win.

“My biggest strength and weakness on the field is actually the exact same thing: I strive for excellence,” he said. “I always want to be the one in the game that’s got the pressure on them. At the same time its my biggest weakness because I hate failure so much I get on myself a little more than I probably should.”

Still, Bolden’s attitude and tough standards are paying off. As of Sunday, the Rams had a .311 team batting average, which made them 50th in the nation.

Even as a freshman, Bolden is still asking what’s next. He said his eye is on playing professional baseball.

“I’m hoping that my future will lead me to getting drafted. Its been one of my life goals for a long time,” Bolden said, adding that if he had to he would leave school to pursue a career.

“My thoughts about college are that college is there to give you that step to be successful in life and if I can get a good contact after my junior year, as far as getting drafted, then I feel like that’s what college brought for me to be successful.”

8: In third season, Mozingo still striking

By Weston Reeves

Do you feel lucky, punk?

Junior Harold Mozingo (Tappahannock/Essex High School) has been the enforcer on the mound for the baseball team this season, intimidating batters as the Rams’ ace pitcher.

Every time Mozingo has stepped onto the mound he has provided his team with a chance to win – a good chance to win.

In fact, with a 6-1 record as of Tuesday, Mozingo had the team’s best winning percentage of .857. His only loss came March 24 against James Madison, who stands in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Not only has Mozingo been a leader in the dugout this season, he has been a leader in almost every statistical category for starting pitchers.

His earned run average of 2.14 is 1.11 better than the team’s next pitcher, John Leonard (Virginia Beach/Kellam High School). Leonard is the only pitcher on the staff to match Mozingo in starts (10) but has a 4-3 record by contrast.

Mozingo has far and away been the most dominant pitcher this season. As of Tuesday, he led the team in strikeouts (89), batters struck out looking (31), opposing batting average (.160) and innings pitched (75.2).

The right-hander has pitched strong from the beginning this season, opening the year in an impressive start against Liberty Feb. 10. In one of his most impressive stints on the mound this year, Mozingo blanked the Eagles, striking out 10 batters and allowing only six hits in six innings of work.

Mozingo’s best game thus far in an already impressive season came against Hofstra March 17, when he pitched a complete-game shutout against the Pride.

In the game, he allowed only two hits in his second complete game of the season and stuck out nine batters while walking just one. His performance earned him CAA Pitcher of the Week honors.

Along with leading his team, Mozingo has been the most dominant pitcher in the conference as well, leading the conference in ERA. He is also third in strikeouts, trailing only Jason Godin of Old Dominion and Ryan Reid of James Madison.

With 14 games left in the season before the CAA Tournament, Mozingo has a chance to continue his incredible season and lead the Rams to repeat as tournament champions.

7: Lopez Pereira can dig it

By Philip Bogenberger

Can you dig it?

Volleyball standout Griselle Lopez Pereira (Caguas, Puerto Rico) can. In fact she has done it for a university-record 2,088 times.

Lopez Pereira was a fixture for four years, flinging her body across the court to save a ball inches away from hitting the ground.

As captain of the team this past season, her senior season at VCU, she averaged 3.98 digs-per-game for a total of 501 digs to set the record. Her best season came her junior year when she averaged 6.30 digs-per-game for a total of 605.

For her efforts Lopez Pereira earned the respect of teammates and coaches, the admiration of fans and countless bumps and bruises.

But Sept. 17, the senior libero made her 1,741th career dig and earned the distinction of being Virginia Commonwealth University’s all-time digs record holder.

Lopez Pereira moved past Cindy O’Brien with the fourth of her 23 digs in a loss to the University of Delaware.

“I’m really proud and grateful for recognition,” Lopez Pereira said following the record-breaking match. “I understand it’s a great accomplishment.”

Coach James Finley said Lopez Pereira was deserving of the record.

“It’s always a great honor when a player is successful,” he said. “She’s a good leader, and she does a lot of good things. It’s nice when somebody gets recognized for that.”

Despite the celebration of her individual achievement, Lopez Pereira said her focus was on getting the Rams back in the win column. At the time, the Rams were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and had dropped six of their past seven games.

“I want to win,” Lopez Pereira said. “The numbers don’t really matter unless you win.”

Win is just what Lopez Pereira helped her team do. One week after breaking the record, the captain helped put the Rams back on course with a 3-1 win over Northeastern.

The Rams won four matches in three days to claim the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Championship and earned a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

Weston Reeves, contributed to this story.

6: Lecloerec shines on the court

By Pat Kane

The numbers speak for themselves for VCU men’s tennis star Arnaud Lecloerec. 16th-ranked nationally. A 23-9 singles record this season. 70 career wins. A 14-8 doubles record, 10-6 with Petr Olsak. Two-time CAA Player of the Week. Two consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Co-Player of the Year awards, and Rookie of the Year before that.

From the number one single slot, Lecloerec has led the Rams to a 25-4 record. His victims include #1 Lars Poerschke of Baylor, #5 Raian Luchici of UNC, #5 Ludovic Walter of Duke, and #13 Stephen Bass of Notre Dame. Oddly, two losses came as VCU beat ODU for their 10th CAA Championship in 11 years. Lecloerec fell to Rookie of the Year Harel Srugo, who also topped Lecloerec and Olsak with partner Aleksandr Seleznev.

Next, the 13th-ranked Rams will play host to the NCAA tournament, riding a 15-game winning streak. They will likely play in a tough bracket with the University of Virginia, Duke, UNC and Ohio, all ranked in the top ten.

5: Frierson sprints away with gold

By Clive White

At the Colonial Athletic Association Track Tournament last weekend James Frierson, a junior majoring in sports management, did what he has been used to doing for most of his life. Running faster than everyone else.

Frierson won most outstanding track performer, winning gold in the 400-meter relay, the 100, 200 and 400, and earning silver in the 1,600 relay. But with four gold medals and one silver in the CAA championship meet, Frierson was not settled with his own accomplishments because his team, after being runners-up last year, still had a championship to win.

“I was only thinking about the day isn’t over we still got to win this championship,” Frierson said. “That’s all I was thinking.”

Davion Lambert (Richmond/Varina High School), settled his teammate down in the final event of the meet winning gold in the high jump. Lambert also won gold in the long jump, bronze in the triple jump and was named the most outstanding field performer.

Lambert’s jump gave VCU its first division title since 1996, and after coming in second last year and focusing on winning the 2006 title all season, Frierson beamed as he talked about his team accomplishment.

“That’s the greatest feeling I ever felt in my life. Just being there with my team, you know us winning the championship doing something that we thought we could do, but when you actually at the meet it just seems like its impossible,” he said

Frierson is originally from South Carolina but attended high school at Highland Springs in Richmond after he and his family decided the best move for him would be to move in with his uncle in Virginia and focus on athletics. Confidence in his ability is what led Frierson to Highland Springs to show his abilities and it is that confidence that pushes his legs to their maximum every meet.

“I feel like I standout,” he said. “And a lot of people do look up and respect me and I respect them also because I feel once I get on the track I leave everything behind. I don’t ever go out there and give half this and half that, I go out there and give it my all even if my all isn’t good enough. It’s like all the time every time I go out there it is 110% and that’s how I do. I figure if I step on the track with Maurice Green I’m not out there thinking ‘oh he is going to beat me’, I’m thinking I’m going to give him the work or die trying.”

4: Rams reach second round

By Pat Kane

When the VCU women’s soccer team faced a possible matchup with Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse University of North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament last fall, there was reason to be scared. The UNC women have been national champions more often than not in the past 25 years; 18 out of 25 championships, to be exact.

Co-head coach Chris Brown said the 6-2 two loss showed how strong VCU’s program has become.

“There’s only been two teams in the last two years who have scored two goals on Carolina. Duke did it twice, we were the second. We’ll be more prepared the next time that we play them,” he said.

“The final score was not indicative of the game,” Brown said. “Although disappointing on paper, (co-head coach) Denise (Shilte-Brown) and I were very pleased with the way the girls came out and played. We wanted to use it as a gauge for our program, and we wanted to give Carolina a game.”

VCU started the season with a mix of fresh faces and experienced hands such as Sandra Anger (Cuguen, France), 2004 CAA Player of the Year. They moved to fill the shoes of Jen Parsons, who averaged 16 goals a year during her career. ”I think it was kind of average at the beginning but we kept working on where we had problems, especially offensively,” Anger said of the season.

VCU appeared to stumble to a 2-3-3 start, but Brown said the team remained confident. They played hard teams on the road, which helped them improve. The Rams found the back of the net plenty of times en route to a 9-0-2 record in the Colonial Athletic Association, dragging Hofstra to a scoreless double-overtime match to secure the top seed and the right to host the CAA Championship.

The Pride struck back, snatching the CAA Championship 1-0 at Sports Backers Stadium.

Brown said the loss refocused the team, and lifted the pressure of the Ram’s record home win streak. Anger said it was upsetting.

“Personally, it was giving me a lot of rage. I knew we were able to do better than what we did against Hofstra,” she said.

Brown credits the Rams’ at-large bid to a tough and successful schedule.

“That was our goal all along, to position ourselves scheduling-wise so if we didn’t win the conference we had a chance to get an at-large,” he said.

They drew Clemson in the first round, an opponent they had battled to a 0-0 tie early in the season.

“We were so excited for the first game of the national tournament,” Anger said.

“The whole team had wings. We scored three goals against a team we tied earlier in the season. It showed how we’d improved.”

Brown agreed on the 3-1 win.

“We were up three nothing before they knew what hit them,” he said.

The team is committed to becoming a national power.

“Our goal was not to be a one-year wonder. Each year we’ve gotten a little bit better. Making it to the tournament and winning the conference last year was great, but we wanted to capitalize on that and be on par with what men’s soccer, the tennis teams and baseball have accomplished,” Brown said.

“When you look at it, it was the best season that VCU women’s soccer ever had,” Anger said. “I think that’s not going to stop here. I think VCU is just going to grow up more and more.”

Although her four years of eligibility are up, Anger will be wrapping up her degree in clinical exercise science and working as an undergrad assistant for the team.

3: From Russia with love

By Philip Bogenberger

“From Russia With Love” is a popular action movie among James Bond aficionados, and more than four decades later a sequel is showing.

However, this story is not screening at a theatre near you, its playing out on Virginia Commonwealth University’s tennis courts. In this version a woman plays the part of 007.

Sophomore Marianna Yuferova (St. Petersburg, Russia), the 46th-ranked player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings, was named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Player of the Year, leading the undefeated Rams to the conference title.

As a freshman Yuferova was named an all-American in singles and doubles with partner Olga Borisova (Minsk, Russia) and conference rookie of the year.

The Russian native became only the second VCU player to advance to the quarterfinals of the National Athletic Assocation Tournament and scored an impressive victory along the way.

In the second round of the tournament, Yuferova rallied for a three-set victory over senior player of the year and top-ranked Megan Bradley of Miami (Fla.).

Yuferova and Borisova are the catalysts for the 14th-ranked Rams, who have won a single-season record 27 matches.

The duo, ranked 14th nationally, are a virtual lock to win their matches, losing only four times during the regular season, and they are poised to make another run in the NCAA Tournament. Last year the pair made it to the quarterfinals.

Borisova also became the university’s sixth all-time leader in singles triumphs, registering 64 wins and counting.

Borisova’s countrywoman Tatsiana Uvarova (Minsk, Belarus) is another reason why the Rams are looking to make it deep into the NCAA Tournament. She is ranked 39th in the nation and is the top-seeded Ram, usually taking on the opponent’s best player.

For her efforts, Uvarova became the third straight Ram to earn the CAA Rookie of the Year.

Viktoria Konstantinova (Hanskova, Bulgaria), Vera Petrashevitch (St. Petersburg, Russia) and Gabrielle De Beaucoudrey (Caen, France) round out the top six for the Rams at the third, fifth and sixth positions respectively. Konstantinova and Uvarova the 46th-ranked doubles pair.

2: ‘Q’ knows all the tricks

By Weston Reeves

The youngest player in the NCAA this season played head and shoulders above the competition.

Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake/Great Bridge High School) started the season as a 16-year old that had yet to take a shot in a regular season game for the Rams. She finished the season, by contrast, as a member of the Freshman-All American Team and runner up to Freshman of the Year Courtney Paris from the University of Oklahoma.

Hollingsworth, the only VCU freshman ever to earn such an honor, was a dominating presence in the lane for Rams this season and filled a need VCU coach Beth Cunningham said was needed.

After redshirting her first season with the team, Hollingsworth was a staple for the team’s offense. She led Rams in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, free throws and field goal percentage. For her efforts she was named Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year.

Hollingsworth was modest about her success from her freshman season, describing herself as an amateur of the sport who still has a lot to learn. Despite her modesty, she still showed confidence in her ability to progress as a player.

“I wouldn’t consider (my first season) to be amazing,” she said. “At the beginning of the season I set my goals high as far as percentages and points per game go. Personally I didn’t meet those goals… It just leaves me to improve for next season. I’m looking to average about twenty points a game next season.”

Junior guard Michele Cosel (Mechanicsville/Atlee High School), a leader on the team and Hollingsworth’s roommate, reacted differently when asked about her teammate’s first season.

Cosel said she was excited for Hollingsworth and was excited for the attention Hollingsworth’s success brought the women’s basketball program. She said she could count on Hollingsworth this season to get the job done.

“You just know that when you give her the ball good things are going to happen,” Cosel said.

Get it done is exactly what Hollingsworth did.

Her 14.7 points per game and 412 total points broke the Rams’ freshman class records. Additionally, she posted 14 double-doubles this season, tying her for third in school history.

Cunningham said she was happy for the success her freshman center experienced and that Hollingsworth’s first season was only scratching the surface of the type of player she could be.

Cunningham also said most freshman show spurts of talent but might hit walls at points during the year and slow down. She said Hollingsworth’s ability to show up, be consistent and average double-digit numbers throughout the year was impressive.

“As a freshman you have a lot of ups and downs,” she said. “It’s part of the growing process. But at the same time for her to do that for an entire season night in and night out is pretty remarkable.”

Hollingsworth’s 11.1 rebounds per game average placed her seventh nationally and second only to Paris amongst NCAA freshman. She was third in the CAA in rebounds and is 22nd in the country in blocked shots at 2.3 per contest.

The type of success that she had this season demonstrates just what type of person Hollingsworth, or “Q” as she’s called by teammates, really is.

Cunningham describes her as a very driven and focused individual. After graduating with honors at the age of 15 from Great Bridge High School, Hollingsworth was trying to decide between going to VCU or to CAA-rival Old Dominion.

Hollingsworth’s main focus was looking for a school with a great computer-engineering program, not necessarily a great basketball program.

“(Education has) always been a top priority for her and that’s why she was in college at the age of 15, because that has been a priority. It’s something that she’s excelled at and she just has a lot of god-given talent to be able to some things most kids that age couldn’t do.

“She has a maturity about her,” Cunningham continued. “She’s focused, she’s driven, she knows what she’s going to accomplish and usually she’ll tell you how she’s going to do it too. She’s a kid that has a plan.”

1: Cinderella goes to ‘Big Dance’

By Philip Bogenberger

Since Cinderella was not going to receive an invitation to the ball again this year, she decided to crash the party.

With Virginia Commonwealth University’s volleyball team playing the starring role, the Rams rolled through four consecutive opponents, including a five-game win over Towson in the championship, to claim their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association title Nov. 27.

“This is a step toward building a tradition,” first-year coach James Finley said after the match.

The fourth-seeded Rams also dispensed with top-seeded Hofstra in the semifinals, swept the Tribe in the quarterfinals and claimed a four-game triumph over Georgia State in the opening round during the three-day tournament in Hempstead, N.Y.

By winning the conference tournament, the Rams put on their crown and dancing shoes for a date with Purdue in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Assocation Tournament.

“They are a tough team,” Finley said after the pairings were announced. “They are a program on the rise.”

The coach’s words proved to ring true. The Rams never found their rhythm at the “Big Dance,” and their glass slippers could not withstand a barrage of spikes from the high-flying Boilermakers.

The Rams fell 30-27, 30-24, 30-21 in Chapel Hill, N.C., in a match that was closer than the scores indicate.

After the Rams rallied in the first game to knot the score at 26, the Boilermakers won four of five points to take the first game.

“Those points could have easily been on our side,” senior Shahrzad Firouzabadian (Richmond/ Mills Godwin High School) said after the match. “Those things happen in volleyball.”

The Boilermakers kept the pressure on in the next two games and the clock finally struck midnight for the real-life queens of the court.

Despite the loss, the Rams left an impression on their opponents.

“We were very impressed by their hitting,” Purdue coach Dave Shondell said. “We knew they had some exciting players.”

Senior setter Renata Dargan added, “Props to VCU. They came out and played well.”

Even though the story had an unhappy ending, Finley said, “we were fortunate to have the season we did.”

Rome was not built in a day, but if Finley was in charge it may have been an achievable feat.

The Rams, who were supposed to be in the midst of a rebuilding year, instead rebounded from a 6-21 season in 2004 to a 22-12 mark a season later.

“He prepares us mentally,” senior captain Griselle Lopez Pereira (Caguas, Puerto Rico) said about Finley.

Firouzabadian added, “(Finley) brought in people with the mindset of wanting to win.”

Among the Rams’ accomplishments were a Third Degree Sportswear Invitational title, winning 16 of their final 19 games of the season to become the lowest-seeded team to win the conference title.

The team’s success also had university president Eugene P. Trani singing the team’s praises.

“We have a great coaching staff, a great team,” Trani said while attending a match at the Siegel Center. “They have provided a lot of excitement.”

Lopez Pereira contributed to the excitement, breaking the university’s all-time digs record, and Melissa Peterson (Ganado, Az.) had one of the best matches in NCAA history.

Peterson smashed 17 kills on 18 attempts with no errors, recording a .944 attack percentage to help the Rams cruise past Liberty 3-0 Oct. 25. After the match Peterson ranked second in NCAA history in single-match attack percentage for players with 15-19 attempts.

Ludmilla Francescatto (Fraiburga, Brazil) became the second VCU player to be named to the all-conference team, and Renata Salvatori (Londrina, Brazil) earned all-conference second-team honors.