Nov. 30, 2005

Washington, D.C - The Georgetown women's volleyball team announced today that Courtney Cohen (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep) and Jessica Hardy (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University in the fall of 2006.

"Courtney and Jessica are two players we know will be major contributors to the Hoyas' success for the next four years," Assistant Coach Mitch Sadowsky said. "They are athletic, solid volleyball players, fierce competitors and have shown they will do whatever it takes to win. We are excited and looking forward to their arrival here on the Hilltop."

Cohen is a 6-3 middle blocker who earned four varsity letters at Berkeley Prep, including three years as a starter. Cohen also played for five years with the Tampa Juniors club team. At Berkeley Prep in 2003, Cohen was part of the team's state championship and was named honorable mention all county. In 2004, Cohen was a gold medalist in the Junior Olympics and earned Berkeley Prep's team Coach's Award. As a senior co-captain in 2005, Cohen helped lead the team to the state championship game. Also in 2005, Cohen helped USA Team Florida to a third place finish.

In the classroom, Cohen was a member of the National Honor Society and the English Honor Society as a junior and senior and was the editor of the school's newspaper, The Berkeley Fanfare.

"Courtney is a very smart player with solid blocking skills and is a strong, efficient attacker," Sadowsky said. "She has strong ball control skills and can do a lot of things very well. Her size will allow her to be a big presence at the net for the Hoyas. She has won at every level she has played at and we will count on her to bring that experience with her to the Hilltop."

Hardy helped lead Mira Costa to the CIF Championship in 2003 and 2004 and the Mustangs to the nation's No. 2 ranking in 2005.

In 2004 as a junior, Hardy was named All-CIF , all area, All-Bay League and All State while leading Mira Costa to the 2004 California State Championship.

While playing for Club X in 2004, Hardy was part of the Under-16 team that won the Reno Volleyball Festival and the Las Vegas-Durango Tournament Championship while earning a spot on the Las Vegas-Durango All Tournament Team.

In 2005, Hardy was Junior Olympic Beach volleyball gold medalist.

"There's a lot to say about Jessie but one thing really sticks out - she knows how to win and what it takes to be successful," Sadowsky said. "She has great competitive fire that is noticeably contagious around her teammates. She has a very well-rounded game, solid fundamentals and her ball control skills are something we will count on. Jessie's an aggressive attacker and she's not afraid to take the big swing. She is a proven winner, has a great work ethic and we look for her to be an immediate contributor to our team's success."