Tara Buroker Class: RS Senior Hometown: Bluffton, Ohio High School: Bluffton Height: 5-11 Position: Outside Hitter

GENERAL: One of only four players in program history to earn CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-District IV honors twice and would become the only player to achieve the honor three times with a first-team selection this year ... has produced a perfect 4.0 grade-point average five of eight semesters ... became the youngest captain in program history, earning the title as sophomore ... on pace to become just the sixth player to record 1,000 career kills and digs and the fourth to rank among the top 10 all-time in kills and digs ... needs 159 kills to reach 1,000 and 267 to place name on top-10 chart ... is 149 digs away from 1,000 and just 79 shy of cracking the top10 list ... her 2.85 career dig-per-game average ranks sixth all-time at Miami.

2003: A CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team selection ... played in 120 games over 32 matches, making 31 starts ... sat out one match due to shoulder injury ... tabbed MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week (Sept. 8) ... led the RedHawks with 406 kills, just 22 short of placing name on Miami's single-season list ... averaged a team-best 3.38 kpg ... also recorded a team-best 20 solo blocks, just two shy of cracking Miami's single-season top-10 list ... posted 357 digs to rank second on the team ... launched 22 aces ... produced the only 20/20 performance for the RedHawks during 2003 season, collecting a career-high 28 kills and a season-best 22 digs in a five-game match with Buffalo ... the 28 kills were the most by a Miami player for the 2003 season ... recorded 20 or more kills in three matches ... notched 16 kill/dig double-doubles to lead the RedHawks ... tied a career-high serving four aces against Ohio State ... posted a career-high three solo blocks at Akron ... her 1,145 attempts rank second on Miami's single-season chart ... named to the Hokie Classic and Denver Invitational all-tournament teams ... Miami's lone Academic All-MAC selection ... a member of the MAC Honor Roll.

2002: Only RedHawk to play in all 115 games ... played and started all 30 matches ... a Verizon Academic All-District IV First Team selection ... lone RedHawk to be named to all three regular-season all-tournament teams ... tabbed MAC East Division Player of the Week (Sept. 2) and MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week (Nov. 11) ... paced the team with 16 double-doubles ... amassed 20 or more digs in six matches ... manufactured a career-high 34 digs in a five-game match versus Akron ... notched a career-high 18 kills in back-to-back matches (vs. Bowling Green, vs. Ball State) ... her 425 digs rank fourth and her 3.70 digs per game rank third on Miami's single-season charts ... led team with 351 kills and a 3.05 kills-per-game average ... Miami's lone Academic All-MAC selection ... a member of the MAC Honor Roll.

2001: Played in 24 games, making seven starts ... earned first start in collegiate debut at Valparaiso ... produced a season-best 12 kills against the Crusaders ... notched a season-high .462 hitting percentage versus Purdue in the final match of the Miami Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic ... amassed a season-high 10 digs against Eastern Michigan ... served up three aces at Ohio and then launched a season-high four aces a week later against Buffalo ... forced to sit out three matches in late October/early November due to an ankle injury ... averaged 1.25 kills and 1.16 digs per game ... a member of the Academic all-MAC team and the MAC Honor Roll.

2000: Redshirted.

High School: A two-time all-state selection, earning first-team distinction as a senior ... three-time first-team all-conference and two-time all-district pick ... named the District 8 Player of the Year as a senior ... also named to the Associated Press all-Northwest Ohio team and the Lima News Regional Dream Team ... owns Bluffton High records for kills and blocks ... led team in all but one category as a senior ... led Pirates to a 15th-place ranking in the state of Ohio as a senior and a 17th-place ranking as a junior ... Bluffton was the district runner-up in 1999 ... a four-year letterwinner in volleyball and three-year letterwinner in basketball ... garnered the Ohio High School Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Awards ... valedictorian of a class of 115 ... was a conference scholar-athlete selection all four years in volleyball and three years in basketball ... named Lima News Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a first-team all-Lima News academic pick ... a member of National Honor Society ... attended Miami's Advanced Camp.

Personal: Born July 20, 1982 (23 years old) ... daughter of Wally and Dawn Buroker ... sister, Jessica, was a volleyball all-American at Northern Kentucky University ... majoring in marketing ... a member of Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society in the Richard T. Farmer School of Business.