In addition to being named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s honor roll, senior middle hitter Briana Mason and sophomore middle hitter Brittney Malloy were selected to COBRA Magazine’s 2010 All National Team Honorable Mention.
COBRA Magazine is an online publication that celebrates African American women in NCAA volleyball, and inspires other young African American female athletes to play volleyball across the country.
Mason, who also attained All Southland Conference Honorable Mention, was informed by a phone call from her mother.
“I was surprised and honored to be recognized by the magazine,” Mason said. “Because I saw it as a real contribution as an African American athlete.”
Malloy added that she saw the award as recognition for her on-court performance.
“[With this award] people can see that I’m a good player,” Malloy said.
Mason, a senior, finished her final season as a Roadrunner with 223 kills and a team leading 120 total.
At the college level, women’s volleyball teams are primarily made up of white players. Many of these players started learning the fundamentals and playing volleyball on club teams in elementary school long before they started playing for their school teams.
Both Mason and Malloy were introduced to volleyball in the 7th grade.
“A lot of my teammates started playing from a younger age than I did,” Mason said.
Mason provided a few words of encouragement for young girls interested in volleyball.
“Go for it, Mason said, “especially if it’s your dream or passion.”
Brittney is currently majoring in Kinesiology and plans to be a physical therapist after graduating from UTSA. Briana plans to graduate this fall and is working to go play on a team that tours all over Europe.
Malloy and Mason played a role in helping the Roadrunner volleyball team to its second ever Southland Tournament title and the program’s second ever appearance in the NCAA Championships. “At the beginning of the season we made a list of goals we wanted to accomplish,” Malloy said. “One of those goals was winning the conference.”
The Roadrunner volleyball team finished the 2010 season with a 22-12 overall record and a 13-3 conference against Southland opposition. The Roadrunners fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament three sets to none against the sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Malloy and Mason were also selected to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll. The Commissioner’s honor roll is released at the end of each fall and spring semester. It acknowledges participants in all sports sponsored by the league and member institutions. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes who maintained a minimum 3.00 GPA.
