University of Minnesota Athletics
BRATFORD SIGNS LETTER OF INTENT WITH MINNESOTA VOLLEYBALL
5/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Bratford is a three-sport athlete from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time most valuable player of her team. As a junior, she was named to the North Valley all-conference team, and repeated the honor as a senior. In her final year, she was named as the co-most valuable player of the conference. Bratford has two years of club volleyball experience with the Renegades Volleyball Club, where she was coached by current Gopher assistant Brian Heffernan. This summer, she will play for the Santa Monica Beach Club. In addition to her volleyball exploits, she played two years of basketball and ran three years of track at Taft High School.
"Trisha is a phenomenal athlete and a developing volleyball player. She is only 5-10, but can grab a 10-foot basketball rim when she jumps," said Minnesota volleyball head coach Mike Hebert. "I expect Trisha to become a great outside hitter in the Big Ten. Right now, her blocking skills are better than her ability to pass and attack. She has a terrific work ethic and will improve."
The 2000 Minnesota volleyball team will begin practice during the second week of August. The team's first match is Friday, Sept. 1, against Kent State in Reno, Nev. The Gophers will play their first match in the state of Minnesota on Wednesday, Sept. 13 against Northern Iowa in Rochester, Minn., before returning home to host the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 15-16 at the Sports Pavilion.
