George Mason University Athletics is recognizing and celebrating 50 years of women’s volleyball during the 2024-25 season. Over the course of the next few weeks, leading up to the 50th-anniversary celebration on Oct. 19, a series of Q&As, stories, and social media posts will reflect and celebrate the players and coaches who have built the Patriots women's volleyball program into what it is today.
Alumni who are interested in attending the 50th-anniversary event should RSVP in advance.
Holly (Weber) Neimark was a member of the inaugural women's volleyball team in 1974, and though she was only a part of the Patriots volleyball program for a year, it has left her with memories that will last a lifetime.
How did you get involved with volleyball at Mason?
Well, I just loved volleyball. I always did. I was involved in all the sports. I was a physical education major at the time, so I went out for everything. But I always loved volleyball. I played it in high school. And I did all the intermural stuff when I was a freshman at Mason.
What do you remember about your coaching staff?
I felt like [Kevin Colgate and Mark Osmun] taught us to be fearless. They would set up these mats and they would hit us really difficult balls, and they taught us to dive for those balls. We were diving across the floor to reach out and get these balls that were really hard to get. And I was really impressed with that. I felt like they really trained us to be fearless and to just go for it.
And one thing I always remember about Kevin was his enthusiasm and he's got the greatest smile. And he was just such a good coach. He was very supportive and enthusiastic. He just made it really fun.
What was a memorable game for you?
One match that stood out was when we played Gallaudet University. What I remember is how they moved around the court together as a team with such grace and awareness. I don't know if we won that game or not, but I was just in awe of how they played as a team.
What do you remember about your travel accommodations?
I do remember being in vans. I don't think we went anywhere far. There were no overnighters.
Can you catch us up on what you're doing now?
I transferred to San Diego State University after that first season. I ended up not playing [volleyball] and got involved in other things. I became involved in theater. So, I took a whole other path, and I've been involved in theater most of my life. I was an actor for many years and ended up at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Then I went into stage management, and then into education. And now I'm retired. It has been a fun, interesting life!