July 09, 2004
Stacy Sykora, a former two-time All-American at Texas A&M, has been named to the U.S. Women's Olympic Team, USA Volleyball announced today.
Sykora, a libero from Burleson, Texas, is one of seven on the 12-member team who is a repeat Olympian. She made her Olympic debut in 2000 and helped lead 10th-ranked USA to a surprising fourth-place finish in Sydney, Australia.
"To be a two-time Olympian is very special," A&M volleyball coach and 1984 silver medalist Laurie Corbelli said. "We expected Stacy to be on the 2000 team given the situation of the program and with the creation of the libero position, but for her to keep up her high skill level and be considered one of the best liberos in the world is an awesome accomplishment."
The team, pending certification by the United States Olympic Committee, is currently ranked No. 2 in the world and is led by four-time Olympian outside hitter Tara Cross-Battle and three-time Olympian middle blocker Danielle Scott. Setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, outside hitters Keba Phipps and Logan Tom and middle blocker Heather Bown are each making their second appearance on the elite squad.
Those making their first appearance on the Olympic team are setter Lindsey Berg, middle blocker Wiz Bachman, outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani, and opposites Tayyiba Haneef and Nancy Metcalf.
"Stacy is definitely a key part of the USA Team, and that is very important to her personally," Corbelli, who also was a member of the 1980 Olympic team which boycotted the Moscow Games, said. "She is the glue to the program, and she demands respect for her ability and hard work.
"I am proud of what she has done for the sport and for A&M. She always talks about her love for A&M and how her experiences with the Aggie program helped serve as a springboard. It will be exciting for all Aggies to be able to follow her once again."
Sykora played at Texas A&M from 1995-98 and earned All-American second-team honors as an outside hitter her final two seasons. As a senior, she led the Big 12 Conference with 4.37 digs per game. In conference games only, she averaged 4.54 digs, breaking the league record of 4.44, which she set in 1996. She finished her career ranked second in the A&M career records in both kills (1,586) and digs (1,471) and set 23 A&M single match, Big 12 season and Big 12 career marks.
USA Volleyball begins its challenging pursuit of the gold medal against top-ranked China in Greece on August 14. Other teams in USA's pool are three-time defending gold medalist Cuba and 2000 silver medalist Russia, as well as the Dominican Republic, and Germany.
The other pool consists of Brazil, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kenya and Korea. The top two teams in each pool advance to the medal round.
"USA is going in thinking only of the gold medal," Corbelli said. "They are in a tough pool, but this U.S. team has risen to the occasion in the last couple of tournaments, and I think they are very capable of winning the gold."
The USA women are currently competing at the World Grand Prix in Asia. They are directed by fourth-year head coach Toshi Yoshida, who served as an assistant coach for the women's team at the 2000 Olympics. Robyn (Johnson) Romansky, a 2004 graduate of Texas A&M and former manager for the Aggie volleyball team, serves as technical coordinator.