2011 Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown / Previous School 1 Sarah Gillis DS/L 5-6 Soph. Dripping Springs / Dripping Springs HS (Northwestern State) 2 Rachel Tower OH/S 6-1 Soph. Kingwood / Kingwood HS 3 Jazmine Green OH 5-10 Soph. Houston / Cypress Falls HS 4 Krista Koopmann RS 6-1 Fresh. China Spring / China Spring HS 5 Kanoe Pupuhi S 5-4 Fresh. Kahalu’u, Hawaii / Roosevelt HS 6 Victoria Orscheln DS/L 5-9 Fresh. Austin / Lake Travis HS 7 Marie-Pierre Bakima OH 5-9 Fresh. Nogent-sur-Oise, France / Lycee Emmanuel Mounier 8 Hayley Couch DS/L 5-7 Soph. Santa Fe / Santa Fe HS (Galveston College) 9 Marlaina Pleydle MB 5-9 Fresh. Victorville, Calif. / Victor Valley HS 10 Shelbee Pier MB/OH 6-1 Fresh. Huffman / Huffman HS 11 Jordyn Monk MB 5-11 Fresh. Mont Belvieu / Barbers Hill HS 13 Bria Bell MB 6-0 Fresh. Waco / Midway HS 14 Julia Menhart DS/S 5-9 Fresh. Hormannsberg, Germany 15 Kayla Nowaski RS 5-9 Soph. Houston / Spring HS (Galveston College) 2 San Jacinto College Volleyball 2011 Player Profiles #1 Sarah Gillis 5-6 | Sophomore | DS/L #2 Rachel Tower Dripping Springs | Dripping 6-1 | Sophomore | OH Springs HS (Northwestern State) Kingwood | Kingwood HS Prior to San Jac: Played a year at Northwestern State University… A As a freshman: Averaged 1.45 kills per set and just under .50 blocks per set. 2010 graduate of Dripping Springs HS… Team MVP as a senior… First- Prior to San Jac: A 2010 graduate of Kingwood HS… Led the Mustangs to team All-District selection as a junior… Led the Tigers to three district the district championship (2009-2010), and the third round of the playoffs championships… Played club for Austin Juniors. (2008-2010)… First-team All-District as a senior… Second-team All-District as a junior… Named newcomer of the year as a sophomore… Played club for Texas Thunder. #3 Jazmine Green #4 Krista Koopmann 5-10 | Sophomore | OH 6-1 | Freshman | RS Houston | Cy Falls HS China Spring | China Spring HS As a freshman: All-tournament selection at the NJCAA national Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of China Spring HS… Led the Cougars tournament… Third on the squad in kills per set with a 2.96 average and to two district championships… District MVP as a senior… Broke three total aces with 33… Owned a 2.78 dig per set mark. volleyball records, and a high jump record… Played club for Austin Juniors. Prior to San Jac: A 2010 graduate of Cy-Falls HS… Three-time first-team All-District selection… Played club for Texas Tornados. #5 Kanoe Pupuhi #6 Victoria Orscheln 5-4 | Freshman | S 5-9 | Freshman | DS/L Kahalu’u, Hawaii | Roosevelt HS Austin | Lake Travis HS Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Roosevelt HS… Guided the Rough Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Lake Travis HS… Led the Cavaliers Riders to two state championships… 2011 Player of the Year… First-team to the district championship… Also played golf and ran track and cross All-District as a senior… Three-year team captain… Played club for O’ahu country… Played club for Austin Juniors. Volleyball Club. For more information about the volleyball team, please visit www.sanjacsports.com 3 Player Profiles #7 Marie-Pierre Bakima #8 Hayley Couch 5-9 | Freshman | OH 5-7 | Sophomore | DS/L Nogent-sur-Oise, France | Santa Fe | Santa Fe HS Lycee Emmanuel Mounier (Glaveston College) Prior to San Jac: A 2009 graduate of Lycee Emmanuel Mounier… Led her Prior to San Jac: Played a year at Galveston College… A 2010 graduate team to the state championship twice… Finished fourth at the European of Santa Fe HS… Two-time first-team All-District selection… Twice named Volleyball qualifications… Played club at the Institute Federal Volleyball. second-team All-County… Led the Indians to the district championship and regional final… Played club for Absolute Volleyball Academy. #9 Marlaina Pleydle #10 Shelbee Pier 5-9 | Freshman | MB 6-1 | Freshman | MB/OH Victorville, Calif. | Victory Valley HS Huffman | Huffman HS Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Victor Valley HS… Named to the Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Huffman HS… Led the Falcons to the principal’s honor roll as a senior… Also played softball… Played club for co-district championship… First-team All-District selection… Also played Eclipse Volleyball. basketball and ran track… Played club for the Woodlands Wave. #11 Jordyn Monk #13 Bria Bell 5-11 | Freshman | MB 6-0 | Freshman | MB Mont Belvieu | Barbers Hill HS Waco | Midway HS Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Barbers Hill HS… First-team All- Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of Midway HS… Led the Panthers to a District selection as a senior… Led the Eagles to the district championship… regional quarterfinal and semifinal… Also played basketball and ran track… Academic All-District honoree… Also played softball… Played club for Played club for Waco Juniors. Absolute Volleyball Academy. 4 San Jacinto College Volleyball 2011 Player Profiles #14 Julia Menhart #15 Kayla Nowaski 5-9 | Freshman | DS/S 5-9 | Sophomore | RS Hormannsberg, Germany | Houston | Spring HS FOS Friedberg (Gavleston College) Prior to San Jac: A 2011 graduate of FOS Friedberg... lead her team to Prior to San Jac: Played a season at Galveston College… A 2010 graduate second place in the 2nd League of Germany. of Spring HS… Two-time first-team All-District selection… Played club for Willowbrook. Lorenzo Johnson Team Manager 2011 San Jacinto College Volleyball Sophomores For more information about the volleyball team, please visit www.sanjacsports.com 5 Coach Profiles per game. Nelson was named the Region XIV coach of the year, Cizova was the conference’s player of the year, and Parker earned setter of the year honors. In addition, five players were named to the all-conference team. In 2007, Nelson’s squad came together in a big way. Led by a class of sophomores (of which four went on to play at NCAA Division I or II institutions), San Jac finished the season with a record of 30-13, and made its third-consecutive trip to the national championship Sharon Nelson where they finished sixth. SJC blew through its Region XIV Head Coach opponents, winning all 13 matches, dropping only two sets along Eastern New Mexico University (1993) the way. San Jac was ranked in the top 20 throughout much of the Overall record: 264-97 (eight seasons) season, and finished sixth at the national tournament. Two players were named all-region, and Nelson was crowned the Region XIV Conference record: 95-8 (eight seasons) District M Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year. SJC was the region champion in both 2005 and 2006, and Nelson Now in her 10th season at the helm of the San Jacinto College volleyball program, Head Coach earned the District M Coach of the Year both years (sharing the Sharon Nelson has established herself not only among the best coaches in SJC volleyball history, honor with then-assistant coach Jeff Ham). San Jac finished 11th but amongst the best in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) history as well. and eighth, respectively, at the national tournament. In 2006, Her 264-97 overall record is ninth among active NJCAA Division I coaches. She was named the freshman middle blocker Nyla Ware was named an NJCAA all- 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Southwest Region Two-Year Coach of the American, and five of Nelson’s players were named all-conference. Year after being named the Region XIV coach of the year for the sixth consecutive year. The 2005 season saw Nelson’s players nab five all-region Since she arrived at San Jacinto College in 2002, Nelson’s teams have won more than 73 selections, and another NJCAA all-American honor. percent of their matches, claimed six consecutive conference titles, and finished in the top 11 at Nelson began her San Jac career in 2002, guiding her squad to a the national tournament in each of the last six seasons… No small feat for a head coach at any second-place conference finish that year. In all, Nelson’s San Jac level. Nelson has positioned herself and her team to vie for an unprecedented seventh-straight squads have garnered six conference championships. conference championship and a return trip to the NJCAA national tournament. Nelson is no stranger to the Houston area, having grown up just Last season was the most successful under Nelson, as she guided her team to a 29-10 overall south of the city in Alvin. She graduated from Alvin High School in record, including another perfect conference season at 10-0. San Jac advanced to the national 1988, and went on to attend Alvin Community College, where she tournament for a sixth-straight year, finishing as the national runner up. The second place graduated in 1990. Nelson then played volleyball at Eastern New finish was the highest national finish for any Nelson-coached team. Six players were named to Mexico University. She was a three-time all-conference player, and the all-conference team, including Alyssa Dibbern and Candace Soares who were also named twice an academic all-American. NJCAA and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans. San Jac earned the conference player, setter, newcomer, and coach of the year honors, and had six sophomores sign Nelson and national letters of intent to play volleyball at four-year institutions. her husband, Tim, have been In 2009, Nelson had to dig deep to build a squad that finished 32-9 overall, and made its fifth- married for 13 straight appearance at the NJCAA tournament.