Dec. 11, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Former Texas A&M volleyball great and three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora is featured on the cover of the January 2009 issue of Volleyball Magazine. The issue also spotlights the flamboyant Sykora in a six-page spread of photos and an article written by Editor in Chief Mike Mizaga.
Sykora, a two-time AVCA All-American at Texas A&M, competed in her third Olympic Games last summer in Beijing and took home her first medal as the U.S. Olympic Women's Indoor Volleyball Team captured the silver medal. The runner-up finish matched Team USA's highest Olympic finish, set at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Laurie Corbelli, who coached Sykora at A&M and recently completed her 16th season as head coach of the Aggies, was a member of that '84 silver medal team.
Texas A&M's first varsity athlete to compete in three Olympics, Sykora was a three-sport athlete for the Aggies between 1994-1997. In addition to her decorated four-year Aggie volleyball career, the Burleson, Texas, product was the Southwest Conference champion in the heptathlon as a true freshman and also lettered in basketball.
Following her senior volleyball season, Sykora began training with the USA Volleyball national team in January 1999. She realize a childhood dream when she played in her first Olympics at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, where she was Team USA's designated libero, a defensive specialist position that was making its Olympic debut.
Having quickly established herself as one of the top liberos in the world while leading USA to a No. 1 world ranking, Sykora made her second Olympic team in 2004. Sykora went on to be named the "Best Digger" at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Sykora, who currently resides in Las Vegas, plans to return to the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center in May and has not ruled out an attempt to become a four-time Olympian.