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Parsons stars despite hurt shoulder

It's not an overstatement to call Jessica Parsons the savior of Virginia volleyball.

When the fourth-year middle blocker arrived on Grounds in 1996, the Cavaliers were hoping to rebound from a 9-22 record the year before. Then, suddenly, they were 24-11, then 18-16, and last season, the team finished 26-8, earning its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. There were four straight losing seasons before Parsons, then three -- soon to be four -- straight winning seasons with her.

Think it's not that easy to say Parsons was the catalyst for the meteoric rise of Virginia volleyball? Take a closer look.

There are her eye-popping stats: two straight years of leading the team in kills, and standing third on the Cavs' all-time blocks list and fourth in all-time kills. And there are the accolades from last year: Virginia Player of the Year, team MVP, first-team All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament.

"Jess is very motivated and she leads by example," said Mary Frances Scott, fourth-year setter and fellow tri-captain. "She makes me want to work harder."

But this season is different for the Green Oaks, Ill., native. After suffering a torn rotator cuff late in the Cavs' 1998 season, Parsons is not fully recovered. The team's 6-foot-2 tri-captain, who led the team with 492 kills last season, has had to adjust her game to compensate for her weak right shoulder.

"The shoulder won't heal until I'm done playing," Parsons said. "It's made me a smarter player. I don't need to hit the ball hard every time. I had to change my game and make me more aware of passing and defense."

While Parsons averaged a team-high 3.84 kills per game in 1998, those numbers are down this year -- 3.77 kills per game through 24 matches. Other players, most notably third-year Deanna Zwarich and fourth-year Whitney Bilger, have improved their play on the front line and have taken some of the spotlight that used to shine exclusively on Parsons.

"In the beginning of the season, people expected for me to get all the stats," Parsons said, "and then they realized that other people were stepping up. It makes us a better team because there's more balance and it makes it better for me because they're not focusing on me."

Parsons's teammates said they appreciate her resilience and tenacity in fighting through her injury. Although she may not be able to hit the ball as hard as last year -- when her kills per game average placed her second on Virginia's all-time list -- Parsons has contributed mightily to the Cavs' front line with her improved defense and passing.

"Jessica's a fighter," Scott said. "She'll give it all she has every game. She still has her shoulder injury but she'll play no matter what. She has one of the highest pain tolerances I've seen of anybody. She's not the kind of player who's after an ACC all-team position."

Even with Parsons not at full strength, the Cavaliers have not lost a beat and are well on their way to waging a 1999 campaign to rival their groundbreaking year in 1998, where the Cavs finished second in the ACC.

Tuesday's 3-0 win over Wake Forest improved Virginia's Conference record to 6-3 and moved the Cavaliers into sole possession of third place. Parsons led the Cavs with 10 kills and 15 digs in the crucial win, which left Virginia behind only North Carolina and Clemson in the Conference standings.

The Cavaliers will travel to both Chapel Hill and Clemson within the next three weeks to determine if they have the right combination to compete for the ACC Tournament title. After losing in the semifinals of the tournament last season to eventual champion Florida State, Parsons and her fellow fourth years, Scott and Bilger, know that this is their last chance to finish their amazing run at Virginia with an equally amazing feat -- bringing Charlottesville its first ACC crown.

"We want to go further than we did last year," Parsons said. "We want to make a name for ourselves. I want to develop a tradition that will continue year after year. All the fourth years are very proud of starting this volleyball tradition, but right now, we're just focusing on winning the ACC.

"For Mary, Whitney and I, this is our last chance," she said. "We want it now. But we also want success for the program. Just because we're leaving doesn't mean there won't be a core for the team next year. It's never going to drop down to where it was"

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