2000 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH VOLLEYBALL YEAR IN REVIEW The Virginia Commonwealth volleyball team entered its 2000 campaign with a purpose. The Rams were determined to produce their first winning season since 1993, and VCU used a great start along with the leadership of three seniors to put together a solid 18-12 overall record. VCU showed it would be a force to reckon with during the season's first weekend, as the Rams opened the year with four victories to capture the Duquesne Invitational. Sophomore Lauren Nussman was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging better than 11 assists and three digs per game and senior Shelley Sprouse joined her teammate on the all-tournament squad after racking up 44 kills in the Rams' four wins. Kristen Didio VCU also received notable performances by senior Kristen Didio, who compiled 10 kills and 24 digs in the Rams' 3-2 win over host Duquesne; sophomore Rebecca Medford, who had a team-high 11 put-aways in a victory over St. Francis (Pa.) and freshman Julie Motluck, who amassed 11 kills and 15 digs in the tournament-clinching triumph over Morgan State. The Rams continued their strong play when they hosted the VCU Invitational at the ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center the following weekend. Freshman Laura Heffner posted 13 kills in 19 attempts to power VCU to victory over Elon in the opening game, and the Rams rolled over Delaware State and Hampton the next day to improve to 7-0 in the early going. Nussman strung together another outstanding tournament showing to once again seize MVP honors, while Sprouse and Medford each gave dominating performances to earn all-tournament honors as well. VCU looked for its third straight tournament championship when the Rams took the court at the Bucknell Invitational in mid-September. VCU put itself in position for another title with opening wins over Stony Brook and Bucknell, which marked the first time the Rams had started 9-0 since their 24-win season of 1993. VCU would begin the second day with a crucial bout against Manhattan, a team which also got off to a 2-0 start for the tournament. The Jaspers took two of the first three games, but the Rams rallied for a thrilling 17-15 victory in game four to set up a deciding winner-take-all battle for the championship. Manhattan would rebound for a 15-7 decision in the final game to end the Rams' streak, despite outstanding efforts by Didio (16 kills, 16 digs), Sprouse (15 kills, four blocks) and Heffner (11 kills, 17 digs). Sprouse garnered another all-tournament honor after hitting .347 for the weekend and amassing 17 blocks. VCU took its sparkling 10-1 record into its Colonial Athletic Associaton season as the Rams began conference play with a tough road trip against league powers American and George Mason. Losses to the Eagles and Patriots marked the beginning of a four-game losing streak for VCU, which would wind up being the team's longest skid of the year. The Rams got back on track with a sweep of Maryland-Baltimore County in the William & Mary Invitational. Sprouse again fueled the win with 14 kills and five blocks and the senior was rewarded with her fourth all-tournament selection of the season. The CAA schedule sprung into full bloom during October, a month which began cruelly for the Rams. Conference losses to James Madison, George Mason, American and East Carolina left VCU with an 0-7 mark in CAA games as the Rams headed into a road showdown with North Carolina-Wilmington. VCU appeared headed to another conference defeat when the Seahawks took two of the first three games, but the Rams gutted out a 15-6 win in game four and a 15-8 decision in the clincher to earn their first league victory. Heffner led the comeback with a career-high 15 kills, while Nussman dished out 48 assists in the victory. Shelley Sprouse Summer Segars Sprouse continued her amazing senior season in VCU's next contest, a 3-2 triumph at Hampton in which the Rams again rallied from a two games to one deficit. The co-captain set a school single-match record with nine block assists and racked up a (then) personal-best 18 put-aways in the win. Three other VCU players finished in double-figure kills as the Rams compiled a season-best 36 percent attack percentage on the evening. VCU would wrap up its regular season with four consecutive home games vs. CAA opponents. The Rams began the homestand with a 3-1 loss to defending-league champion James Madison, but regrouped to earn an epic 3-2 victory over rival William & Mary in one of the season's most memorable matches. Sprouse again led the way with an amazing 30-kill performance which earned her CAA Player of the Week honors, while Nussman established career-highs with 26 digs and 72 assists (one shy of a VCU single-game record). The Rams' 85 team kills and 78 assists also broke school records for a match. A sweep of North Carolina-Wilmington three days later would clinch VCU the fourth seed for next week's CAA tournament, where the Rams would again meet the Seahawks in the first round. VCU and UNCW would once again go down to the wire when the teams again squared off in the opening game of the 2000 CAA tournament. Just like the meeting in October, the Seahawks would capture two of the first three games,but the resurgent Rams once again took control with a pair of 15-10 decisions in the last two stanzas to claim their first-ever appearance in the CAA semifinals. VCU's memorable year came to end with a loss to George Mason in the semis, but the team's primary goal of a winning season did indeed come to fruition. The Rams' successful year was a fitting end to the careers of three senior players, whom had all made significant contributions to the program during their four years. Sprouse was named to the All-CAA second team after setting a school season record for hitting percentage (.315), and her 326 career blocks is second best in VCU history. Summer Segars finished with the fourth-best dig total (1224) of any Ram player, while Didio wound up sixth all-time in that category with 1099 digs.