NASHVILLE Jence Rhoads is steady. Jence Rhoads is consistent. Jence Rhoads is dependable.

Jence Rhoads is everything you would want in an automobile.

And a point guard.

There's nothing outrageous about the Vanderbilt University sophomore.

She doesn't thump her chest in triumph after a made shot or perfect pass. She doesn't make ankle-breaking moves or take tough fall-away jumpers.

Rhoads leaves the racing stripes and the shiny chrome rims in the garage.

The Slippery Rock High graduate simply does her job and does it well.

Rhoads was third in the nation in assists-to-turnover ratio with the Commodores, who were ousted by Maryland in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Women's basketball tournament Saturday.

"Part of our game plan each night was to take care of the basketball, and I am very happy with how I succeeded in doing that," Rhoads said.

Rhoads also is happy with being a support player. Her role in the early part of the season was to take care of the ball, hand out assists and play defense.

For much of the season, Rhoads led the country with three assists for every turnover.

And she did it with substance and very little flash.

"Jence's not fancy," junior guard Merideth Marsh said in a story in the Nashville City Paper. "There are a lot of point guards out there who do all these fancy moves between their legs, but Jence's just consistent and solid."

Rhoads was rock solid with Slippery Rock during her high school career.

But when she got to Vanderbilt as a freshman, she had to learn to play against top-notch competition every night.

It was a difficult transition for Rhoads, who played in her fair share of big games with the Rockets. But Tennessee was no Titusville. Mississippi State was no Meadville.

Rhoads had a successful freshman season, but she wanted much more for herself and the team as a sophomore.

"My confidence has gotten a lot better," Rhoads said. "I feel like I have definitely come a long way."

As injuries ravaged the Vandy roster late in the season, Rhoads was asked to amend her role from passer and minimal scorer to a more balanced game.

Rhoads responded.

She scored a career-high 15 points against LSU in the Southeastern Conference tournament and scored 14 points in the 78-74 loss to Maryland in the final game of the season.

After Rhoads changed her game, she averaged nearly 10 points per game and finished the season at 6.3 points per contest.

"This year, it really wasn't my role to score," Rhoads said. "Next year, it will be more of a role for me. I'm not going to go out and score 25 points per game, but I will score more."

One of the best moments of the season for Rhoads was beating Tennessee at home.

None of the seniors had defeated the Volunteers and coach Melanie Balcomb had yet to down the Vols in her six-plus seasons on the Vandy bench.

"It was great for our coach and great for our team," Rhoads said. "Maybe it wasn't the typical Tennessee team or whatever, but it was still Tennessee to us."

And it came in front of a large, rabid crowd.

Many of those fans might not know who she is because of her nondescript style.

They soon might, however. This steady, consistent, dependable point guard is getting ready to rev her engine.

"This is what I always dreamed about doing," Rhoads said. "It's a thrill to go out there on that floor."