SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA head volleyball coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff announced Wednesday the addition of outside/middle hitter Cristina Almeida (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Oswaldo Aranha/Laredo JC) and outside hitter/middle blocker Briana Mason (Dallas, Texas/Skyline HS) to her program’s 2007 signing class. The pair will join the Roadrunners for the upcoming fall campaign.
Almeida was a two-year starter at Laredo Community College. As a freshman in 2005, she recorded a team-leading 113 kills and was second on the club with 194 digs and 22 service aces. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native registered 92 kills, a .208 hitting percentage, 85 digs and 25 blocks a year ago for the Palominos. Almeida helped lead her prep squad to the 2003 Paulista Federation Tournament Championship, a second-place showing in 2001 and third-place performance in 2000.
“As an international player, Cristina comes to us with a lot of experience,” Neugebauer-Groff said. “We will look to her knowledge and skills to help lead a young, talented team this year.”
Mason was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Skyline High School. She was a two-time first-team all-district honoree at outside hitter/middle blocker and was the District 11-5A Most Valuable Player as a senior. Mason also is a four-year member of the Dallas Starlings club team and she helped lead that squad to a second-place showing at the 2006 Starlings National Tournament. She also has excelled in the classroom, as she graduated with honors.
“Briana is a great athlete that has a ton of talent that is still untapped,” Neugebauer-Groff said. “She is very versatile and quick, so she will be able help us in the middle or outside this season.”
They join Gena Rhodes, Valorie Rogers, Kendra Rowland and Jordan White as newcomers on next year’s squad.
