FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, October 14, 2016 New Faces: MSUB Volleyball’s Kylee Cornelio and Bre Rodrigues
MSUB’s Hawaiian tandem of Bre Rodrigeus and Kylee Cornelio forms a close connection in the players’ first season with the Yellowjackets. MSUB SPORTS – Nothing was going right for Bre Rodrigues. The freshman middle blocker/right-side hitter on the Montana State University Billings volleyball team felt out of place in an early-season practice, as adapting to the college game was proving tougher than she had anticipated. Her swing rhythm was nowhere to be found, and frustration began to set in quickly. Fellow newcomer to the program Kylee Cornelio recognized immediately that her young teammate needed someone to lean on, and took it upon herself to elevate Rodrigues’ spirits. “I pulled her aside at practice and told her she needed to remember where she comes from and how we play the game,” Cornelio said referring to the duo’s common background of being from Hawaii. “We grew up the same way and our morals are very similar, so she just automatically came to me.”
Cornelio was there for support when Rodrigues needed it most, and the latter recognized the importance of having a senior leader on the team who understands how to connect with the younger players. “Even though she is new, she has great leadership skills and she is a great role model to us,” Rodrigues commented on Cornelio. “As a libero, she does a great job keeping us together and is always very encouraging.” Cornelio hails from Mililani, Hawaii, while Rodrigues is from Pukalani. Though they’re separated by three years in school, the common thread of learning the game on the islands shows in their style of play. Cornelio was accustomed to relentless, open-gym sessions playing with the boys, as she credits her grandfather Stanley Medrano with exposing her to the game from a young age and forming her into a tough player. “He would go outside with me and practice footwork, and before I knew it, passing and back-row play felt like it was coming naturally to me,” Cornelio said. “Most of my cousins played volleyball growing up too, and a lot of my knowledge comes from them.” Though Cornelio’s primary focus was on volleyball in high school, that didn’t stop her from excelling at other sports. Part of the toughness that she displays on a nightly basis with the Yellowjackets is correlated with her success competing as a wrestler in high school, as she placed second at the state championships for her weight class as a sophomore. The background in wrestling helped Cornelio overcome adversities such as a torn ACL at the end of her junior year in high school. Senior Kylee Cornelio is completing her collegiate volleyball career with the Yellowjackets this season.
Rodrigues’ development as a player followed a slightly different path, but she too honed her skills by competing with older players when she was young. “When I was in sixth grade, the older girls asked me to try out for the intermediate team and the coach said she saw a lot of potential in me,” Rodrigues remembered. “My sophomore year is when I really got into the game, and my coach Al Paschole really molded me into the player I am now.” Growing up in a small Maui town didn’t prevent Rodrigues from searching far and wide for a college home, as her ultimate decision came down to a school in New Mexico, Hawaii Hilo, and MSUB. “Everyone was telling me how beautiful Montana was, and my coach at the time told me how Coach Casey (Williams) had a great reputation,” Rodrigues commented on her decision to become a Yellowjacket. “I was kind of shocked at first when I got here, but meeting the team was the easiest part. They are all so welcoming and kind, and it was easy for me to fit in. They made me feel like one of them right off the bat.” The first meeting between the Hawaiian teammates didn’t come until each was in Billings, as Cornelio anxiously awaited the arrival of Rodrigues at a team family dinner to kick off preseason training in August. A Facebook post that the two were both tagged in was the only hint that Cornelio would not be the lone Hawaiian on the team, and when they finally met their relationship took off. Perhaps even more excited about the introduction were Cornelio’s father Evan Koizume and Rodrigues’ dad Frank, who quickly bonded over their daughters converging together at Billings. “At the team dinner, she was the last to show up, and I was kind of anxious to meet her,” Cornelio said. “Instantly my dad and her dad wouldn’t stop talking, and it just went from there.”
From Williams’ perspective as head coach, each player had a unique skillset to offer that fits well into this year’s team. “Kylee is very aggressive going after balls, and has a consistent serve-receive percentage that is above our team goal of 2.0,” Williams said. “In Bre, we were looking for someone who could come in and be a strong blocker while also being an offensive threat. I think we have found that in her.” Leading the team in digs so far this season with 276 (3.94 per set), Cornelio has taken on the role of starting libero and commanding the team defensively. She also ranks second on the squad with 15 service aces, and put up a season-best 30 digs in the Yellowjackets’ road match at Saint Martin’s on Oct. 8. Rodrigues has been effective both as an attacker and a blocker for the ‘Jackets, and Williams is excited about the freshman’s potential for growth throughout her career. “It’s always tough for a freshman to get a lot of playing time, especially in the GNAC, but Bre has handled it well,” Williams said. “She is doing well on her block and is putting up some of the highest numbers on the team in that regard. She has a powerful swing and we just need to work on her confidence and timing.” Freshman Bre Rodrigues has shown promising potential as both a right-side hitter and middle While both Cornelio and Rodrigues cited moving away from home as a factor blocker this year for the ‘Jackets. in their decision to attend MSUB, their very first matches as Yellowjackets were played in front of a very familiar crowd. Opening the season with four matches in Honolulu, both players’ families came out in droves to show their newfound support for the navy and gold.
Cornelio, who previously competed at Laredo Community College (Texas) before attending Prairie View A&M University, had been long removed from the phase of playing in front of people she knew. She admits that nerves got to her during her first few matches, but the notion that it would be the last time her family would see her play competitively fueled her to play well. “Them yelling and cheering for me made me so happy,” Cornelio said regarding her parents Evan and Bernie Koizumi. “It was a very different experience having cousins, sisters, and parents yelling while I was on the court. I just tried to meet their expectations.” Rodrigues’ homecoming came not long after her graduation from King Kekaulike High School, and noted that some of the girls she played against in her prep career were standing opposite her on the court at the college level. Among the supporters were Rodrigues’ parents Kim and Frank, and brothers Kimo and Kely. Even when she has doubted herself and struggled with the transition to playing college volleyball, Rodrigues turned back to her family’s support in her decision to pursue her career at MSUB. “My parents really pushed me to come to college and play sports,” Rodrigues said. “At the end of my senior year I still wasn’t sure about it, but they told me I needed to leave Maui and go do it. They have always been so supportive of me.” Not only have Rodrigues’ parents encouraged her with her athletic career, but they have preached the importance of her academic studies. Beginning college with a career plan already in place, Rodrigues is studying chemistry at MSUB as she works towards a job in the pharmaceutical industry. Her time spent at Wailea Pharmacy under the guidance of
Shelly Siedman during a senior project sparked her interest, as Rodrigues hopes to return to Hawaii after completing her undergraduate degree and work towards an advanced degree in the field. Cornelio is also pursuing a degree in the sciences, and hasn’t let her allergy to animals with fur stop her desire to attend veterinary school. “I would love to be a vet’s technician, and I definitely want to go into working with animals,” Cornelio said, adding that a career in marine biology may better suit her fur allergy. “I think I want to get into coaching as well.” When Rodrigues next takes the court with the Yellowjackets on Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym against Western Oregon University, she’ll do so with Cornelio’s reminder of their style of play fresh in her mind. “When she subs in, I just look at her,” Cornelio said. “She knows that when she steps onto the court, you play with a killer instinct and play like you’re from Hawaii.”
Cornelio poses with family after her Senior Night at Mililani High School.
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