Aug. 4, 2004

Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University women's volleyball team will report to training camp on August 9th, 2004 with practice to begin on August 10th at 9:00 am as they look to try to dethrone the four-time CIAA Western Division Champion Saint Augustine's College Lady Falcons who have captured not only the Western Division title but CIAA Championship since the 2000 season.

The Lady Rams, who were the runners up to the Lady Falcons in the race for the 2002 CIAA Western Division title, could not repeat the feat in 2003 as they turned in a 13-19 record and finished the season with a loss to those very same Lady Falcons in the CIAA Volleyball Championship quarterfinals despite handing Saint Augustine's their first CIAA game loss of the season.

The Lady Rams will have a long road ahead of them in 2004 as they look to try to climb atop of the CIAA Western Division, yet WSSU head women's volleyball coach Lataya Hilliard-Gray's cupboard is far from bare as she returns three former All-CIAA letterwinners.

The Lady Rams return their two most potent offensive threats in Chasity Clark (Sr./OH/Winston-Salem, NC) and Kyra Pridgen (Jr./OH/Wilmington, NC) to the lineup in 2004.

Lady Rams' Setter Janessa Webb Will Look To Have A Stellar Sophomore Season In 2004

Clark, a 5'10" outside hitter and local product has led the Lady Rams in kills the past two seasons and looks to once again be WSSU's primary offensive weapon. She tallied a team-high 271 kills in 2003 and averaged 2.63 winners per game. For her efforts she was named to the All-CIAA First Team for the second consecutive year.

Pridgen, a two-sport athlete at WSSU (she also plays women's basketball) was an All-CIAA selection in 2002 as a freshman. She was third on the team in kills in 2003 as she registered 123 en route to 1.23 kills per game. Her defensive prowess was also a benefit to the Lady Rams as she recorded 87 digs on the year.

The Lady Rams have size up front with the 5'10" Clark and the 5'9" Pridgen, but the shortest player on the WSSU roster may very well be the key to WSSU's continued success. Janessa Webb (5'5"/S/Anchorage, AK) will return to the lineup as WSSU's setter and will look to replicate the success of 2003 that earned her CIAA All-Rookie Team honors and placed her on the All-CIAA First-Team, the only rookie to have been given that honor.

Webb recorded a team-high 602 assists in 2003 as she averaged 6.27 assists per game. She was also a defensive stalwart as she tallied 92 digs in 96 games and registered 41 kills as well.

The Lady Rams will rely heavily on Webb, Pridgen, and Clark, but are replenishing the arsenal with exceptional talent as Coach Hilliard-Gray spent an extensive part of the winter and spring hitting the recruiting trails hard. She has secured the services of a 6'2" middle hitter in Cherena Douglass (Fr./MH/Springfield, IL). Douglass, another future two-sport superstar at WSSU will also play basketball. She comes to WSSU from Springfield, IL with very impressive credentials as she was named

"We look forward to the season, and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. We know that we have to come in early and come in ready to get down to business. We have talent returning, and talent coming in, but the parity in the CIAA and the level of competition is definitely something that we have to seriously prepare for. I am, however, confident that our young ladies will be ready to play this season." Head Volleyball Coach Lataya Hilliard-Gray

her conferences' Player of the Year in both volleyball and basketball and will add some much needed size to the middle of the Lady Rams' offensive front.

WSSU Head Coach Lataya Hilliard-Gray is optimistic, but cautious about the upcoming season, as she had the following comment:

"We look forward to the season, and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. We know that we have to come in early and come in ready to get down to business. We have talent returning, and talent coming in, but the parity in the CIAA and the level of competition is definitely something that we have to seriously prepare for. I am, however, confident that our young ladies will be ready to play this season."

The Lady Rams start the season on September 1st, when they play host to the Shaw Lady Bears at 6:00 pm in Winston-Salem. The Lady Rams defeated Shaw twice last season with the first win coming on October 28th and the second and final victory coming on November 14th.

For more information on WSSU women's volleyball, or to arrange interviews with coaches and/or players, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143.