You can really see the process at work. Monroe College women’s volleyball is getting better with each passing year. Having had a few years of the normal growing pains associated with a new program, in 2002 Monroe volleyball took a big step toward respectability, finishing just two games under .500. Then last year, the Lady Mustangs took a big step, making the Region XV playoffs for the first time in the team’s six-year history.

Now in her fourth year, Coach Tenesha Seymour has been able to attract a strong recruiting class to Monroe volleyball for the coming campaign. So along with a few key veterans who have learned the system, the 2004 Lady Mustangs have every reason to anticipate a season of reaching new heights.

"Last year we made the Region XV playoffs for the first time in our history," Coach Seymour said. "As a result, we now have paved the way for an exciting 2004. We are clearly getting better all the time."

Coach Seymour and long-time associate, Lenore Donovan, who is back for her third season with Seymour and the Mustangs, have put together a blend of veterans and recruits. So just like in their college days at L.I.U. where they were volleyball teammates, they expect the chemistry to be right.

Team captain Genesia Joseph will again be a mainstay on the Lady Mustangs. Despite her diminutive 5’2" height, the sophomore from Belize is the team leader at practice and during matches. She also has great court awareness that puts her in the right place at the right time.

Other returning sophomores include two stalwarts from Brooklyn Banneker High School. 5’8" Kim Samuels and 5’6" Frances Cruz will draw form last year’s playoff experience to provide stability for the Lady Mustangs.

One of the tallest Lady Mustangs my also be one of the strongest. Lakeisha Milstrey, 5’11" from Lehman HS in the Bronx, has the unique profile of being a powerhouse who can cover the court with her quickness.

Maybe the most athletic player on this year’s Lady Mustangs is a highly-touted German, Daniella Hartwich. A 5’3" freshman, Hartwich is a fiery competitor.

Coach Seymour is also excited about freshman Radayza Montas, a 5’9" Dominican, who is still learning, but has the skills to have a great future.

Three Bronx freshmen, Cecilia Lugo, 5’5" out of South Bronx HS and 5’9" Sara Altimirano and 6’0" Eunice Gonazlez from Kennedy in the Bronx, will team with Janera Johnson, 5’10" out of Hillcrest HS in Queens and Lucia Diaz, 5’3" from Bergtraum in Manhattan to round out this year’s squad.

The Lady Mustangs will tip-off their season at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland on Saturday, September 4. They will play three home matches this season in the Monroe College King Hall gymnasium on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, NY.

Monroe College fields teams in six sports: men's basketball, women's basketball, men's soccer, women's volleyball, baseball, and softball. The Monroe Mustangs are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association. For more information about Monroe College Athletics, call Athletic Director Bert Shillingford, or SID Gary Axelbank at 718-933-6700