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Friday, November 2,
2001
Lady Rams volleyball team establishes a new tradition
of winning
By Peter Desmarais
Sports Information Director
In his second year as the head Volleyball coach at Framingham
State
College, Brad Alexander has turned around the program.
After nine straight years of losing records Alexander lead
the team
to a 17-8 record which was strong enough to post third in the
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference a year ago.
This year Alexander’s Rams lead by Janice Coppolino, Taissa
Tomaszewsky, and Stephanie Poitras are on pace at least equal to
their mark.
“The confidence level on this team is very high right now.
We
believe with all the work these women have put in this season, that
we should be able to attain a place in the finals of the MASCAC
tournament,” said Alexander, regarding his team’s attitude heading
into the postseason.
“There are two or three teams fighting for the fourth spot
behind
us, and we play them this week. So we still have a lot of hard work
left,” he said.
Helping the coach run the team are tri-captains Coppolino,
Tomaszewsky and senior Michelle Desrosiers. “Team unity has gotten
better by the week. The freshman are starting to mingle and the
seniors have shown guidance,” said Alexander.
The two seniors on the team are Amy DeMeo and Desrosiers. These
two
players have shown dedication to Framingham by sticking out the
rough times, awaiting the chance to enjoy the fruits of victory.
Coach Alexander feels the driving factor behind this team is the
playing of Coppolino, Tomaszewsky and Poitras.
On the season middle hitter Janice Coppolino (Andover) is leading
the team with 191 kills with a success rates of .229 in her junior
year. Alexander describes her as unstoppable in the middle of the
court.
Coppolino is also ranked seventh in the nation for aces this
season
with 81, and has 33 blocked shots to her credit.
Taissa Tomaszewsky (Coventry, CT) is having a breakout sophomore
year at Framingham. She is ranked 13 in the nation for aces with 68
and has really started to prove her value on the court.
Tomaszewsky has 318 set assists and has saved some points for the
team with 59 digs.
Stephanie Poitras (Bellingham) has made an immediate impact
in her
freshman season. She has played in all 60 games for the Rams and is
second to Tomaszewsky in set attempts with 138. Coach Alexander is
confident that this is just a starting point for Poitras in a solid
career at Framingham State College.
The difference in this team from last year is the success Alexander
had in recruiting this year’s freshman class.
The freshman have played beyond expectations, which has contributed
to a better win-loss record.
All of this lends to recruits wanting to attend FSC and play
on a
successful team.
The team can also say that they are ranked third in the nation
in
service aces.
Also helping the team this year was a strong off-season workout
that
Alexander had prepared for the team.
“These girls have worked really hard to win. Most of the players
go
to the gym for an hour after practice to give them the best chance
of winning possible,” said Alexander.
When asked about the future, there is nothing but optimism
from
Coach Alexander.
Nine out of his eleven players are eligible to return to Framingham
State next season, including Coppolino, Tomaszewsky and Poitras.
This strong nucleus will hopefully stay together and have even
better results than this year’s team.
There is also optimism about a new building that the team can
call
home. The new facility will house the volleyball squad, which will
give the fans a new place to cheer on a confident winning team
working hard to reach new heights.
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