WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo head volleyball coach Sally Kus has announced the signing of two Canadian student-athletes who will continue their academic and athletic careers at Buffalo in 2003-04. Jenna Mape (Calgary, Alberta/Father Lacombe Senior) and Brandie Clark (Medicine Hat, Alberta/Medicine Hat), both from Alberta, Canada, will join the Bulls as freshmen in the fall. They join Tara DeMage (Red Bud, IL/Red Bud), Nikki Morzenti (Safety Harbor, FL/Clearwater) and Wendy Haskell (Clarence Center, NY/Clarence), who signed with the Bulls back in November. In addition, Kus has announced that Lauren Burd (York, PA/Central York), a freshman on UB's women's basketball team in 2002-03, will begin playing volleyball for the Bulls next season.

Mape is a 6'1" outside/middle hitter who recently led her club team, the Canuck Enigma, to the women's title at the Canadian Juvenile Volleyball Championships, Alberta's first title since 1991. She also led her club team to a gold medal at the Under-18 Alberta Volleyball Association Provincial Championships and at the JCVC Under-18 Saskatoon Volleyball Tournament. She has been a member of the Canuck Stuff Volleyball Club since 2000 and also led her club team to a provincial gold medal in 2001. At Father Lacombe Senior High School, Mape was team Most Valuable Player of the junior varsity team in 2000-01 and MVP of the varsity squad in both 2001-02 and 2002-03. A two-time team captain, she also led her team to a silver medal in the city tournament in 2001-02.

"Jenna comes to UB with great experience, and she has an explosive jump and swing to go along with that," said Kus. "She will immediately add power to our outside and big blocking against our opponent's slide attack. We're looking to Jenna and Brandie to be our Canadian 'dynamic duo'!"

Clark is a 5'11" setter and right side hitter who led Medicine Hat High to a zone championship title in 2003. She is a three-time member of Team Alberta's All-Provincial Team and a two-time league All-Star selection. Clark has captained her club team for the past two years, and she led her team to a fifth-place finish at the Club Provincials in 2002, the team's highest finish ever. Clark also excelled in basketball and softball in high school, and her basketball team won the zone championship title in both 2001 and 2003.

"Brandie comes to us with a wealth of leadership and setting experience," said Kus. "She plays tight passes well, has a wide variety of sets in her repertoire and truly enjoys being the quarterback and directing plays on the court. Brandie is a total player who can play every facet of the game, and we're looking for her to help us in an offensive leadership role, to give us more options in our offense and to add zest and direction to our program."

Burd, a 6'2" middle hitter, was recruited to play volleyball at the Division I level while at Central York High School after leading the Mid-Pennsylvania area in blocks and participating in the 2001 Junior National Volleyball Championships in Salt Lake City, UT. Burd was a three-year starter and a third-team PVCA All-District selection as a senior. A talented all-around athlete, she chose to focus on basketball during her freshman year and appeared in 20 games for the Bulls, averaging 1.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. She decided to make the switch to volleyball in the spring, and earned a volleyball scholarship based on her performance during the spring season.

"We are fortunate to have Lauren join our team after a successful year with the women's basketball team," said Kus. "Lauren quickly became an integral student-athlete in our program during the spring season. We'll look to her to add depth to our middle and right side, and her blocking ability will help us tremendously in Mid-American Conference play."

The Bulls open the 2003 season on Friday, August 29, hosting the Western New York Tournament.