Three gone from Bulls volleyball team

[TyBull]

Three gone from Bulls volleyball team

USF's volleyball team opened six weeks of spring practice this week, and coach Claire Lessinger, hoping to improve on last year's 4-22 record, has a little more turnover than expected.

Good news? Brittany Castelamare, a senior from the successful River Ridge program in Pasco County, told Times writer Frank Pastor this week that she has accepted a scholarship to play for the Bulls. And Juliana Nogueira, who missed most of last season with a leg injury, has been given a medical redshirt and will return for 2006 as a senior. The Bulls have an impact freshman coming this fall from Brazil in 5-foot-11 hitter Marcela Gurgel.

Bad news? Three scholarship players who could have returned for this fall are transferring, most notably freshman setter Kate Verhoff, who wants to play college basketball and has Indiana State, Kent State and Bowling Green among schools she's considering. Her sister, Lisa, is a senior on Indiana State's current team, which is likely headed to the NCAA Tournament.

Also not returning are freshman hitter Ashley McDowell, who had 99 kills last season but went home to Cincinnati after the fall semester, and senior Flavia Silveira, who was granted a medical redshirt for last season but will transfer to Rollins, where she'll be taking graduate school classes. Silveira played in only 13 games last season due to a shoulder injury.

Walk-on Falin Daniel, who played in 13 games, is also not with the team. Daniel was most notable as the sister of former USF long-snapper Justin Daniel and of current baseball player Brandin Daniel. Their sister Kristin works on the video staff for the football team, so even without Falin, the Daniels still have the best depth of any family in USF athletics.

Lessinger has six weeks of five-days-a-week practice with her current eight players, and the Bulls have four days for competition with other college teams. I had no idea there was this much to spring volleyball, but the Bulls will host a five-team tournament, open to the public, on March 25, with Central Florida, Georgia Southern, Nova Southeastern and the University of Tampa in the field.

[bull2saintleo]

Castelamare went to my high school and I can tell you of how I saw her play in her freshman season 3 years ago that she will be an asset USF will greatly appreciate.

[smazza]

bad news

another sport we should dominate

[T-Man]

Castelmare is a great kid and has a great family.. Mother was her volleyball coach and father is head football coach at Wesley Chapel HS...  Passed her in hallway yesterday and said, "GO BULLS"!

[Joe]

sounds like a current theme among our athletic programs.  Maybe it could be a a lack of a commitment to winning?

Ari,

No offense to those who work there that may read this, but when in the last 15 years have you seen our athletic programs all be ELITE?

The answer is not much, while our football program is growing vastly, there is only so much money to be passed around. Most schools spend on sports in three tiers A,B,C.

"A" being able to compete at the top level

"B" being able to compete and possibly make some noise

"C" just haveing a team exist.

He have put a lot of focus, rightfully, on the football program. The reason? Because it brings in MONEY. There are few revenue sports in the NCAA, and football is the biggest.

Our atheltic department has come leaps and bounds from where it was 10 years ago and it continues to improve. While programs might not be the strongest now, I believe in 10-15 years we will have a solid athletic program all together.

Lemme point you north to Gainesville. After the probation periods in the 80s the school's athletic departments hit the snide from losing a lot of money. Spurrier came in got the football program back on its feet and the school was able to slowly work its way back to being a top 5 athletic program in the country that competes nationally in almost every sport.

Patience my friend!

Sorry if this is a Hijack, I had to respond to "white coat"

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

Some good points made.  Hopefully the football team can rescue our athletic department.  I still don't believe it is all about money.  There are plenty of schools with very low budgets that compete in SOME sports.  We don't really compete in very many at all.

Maybe Mens Soccer -- Softball -- Football - and women's golf.

that is pretty much it

Criticism from the "white coat" keeps the blind loyalty in check.

[Kyle]

Our volleyball team was once up there around elite status. I mean, Michelle Collier was named CUSA player of the DECADE. Like all programs there's ebb and flow...right now we're rebuilding, it'll get better.

Also, dont underestimate our Tennis teams, they're pretty good.

[bullman3]

They should never have fired perry hankins.  She had  dominating teams in the early to mid 90's.  I remember going to a sold out game in the old gymnasium now part of the rec center when they played UL and UCF.  It was loud and exciting.  In fact there was a promotion for a $100 tab to the Greenery for the loudest, and most spirted group at the game.  I remember watching Death Row take their act to the volleyball games, and it was totally hilarious to watch them distract the other players during the game.  USF definitely had an advantage.  In fact the opposing teams coach stopped play and asked if they could be thrown out because they were creating so much noise with their street cones mega phones they would use.  Refs and AD said they werent doing anything wrong.  

That gym was really loud with the way it was set up.  Then when they moved to the corral it lost some of the ambiance and acoustics.  

[deathrow95]

 Ahh...The good ol days Death Row days.  It was pretty fun game. Only two of us were there and we sat about a foot from the Bench and blasted their players.  They were pissed.  I thought this big girl on the end of the bench was going to pound us after I made a comment about getting her panties in a wad. They then tried to kick us out of that game. The refs threw us out of that game but Ron Masko the asst.  AD got us back in after having a confrence with our coach, their coach and the refs.  That was the last time we were allowed to use  the cones thought.  They found some rule in the confrence handbook that said no noise makers.   Big bummer, those things used to drive them nuts.  By the way the team we played was Louisville.  The funny thing is the following year my darn cousin became the asst. coach for Louisville and my Dad said he would kick my ass if I caused any problems.  Darn I miss those cones.  Back to the topic, Perry was a great coach but the the AD was left with no choice after some allegations surfaced.

[BULLfreak]

Castelmare is a great kid and has a great family.. Mother was her volleyball coach and father is head football coach at Wesley Chapel HS...  Passed her in hallway yesterday and said, "GO BULLS"!

one pasco county kid down now time to get Voss to sign as a footBULL