Vote for Sykora as Sportswoman of the Year
Sep 01, 2011 | Volleyball
Sykora, who was selected as the 2010 USA Volleyball Indoor Female Athlete of the Year, was named the Best Libero at the 2010 FIVB World Championship and led the competition in digs with 4.85 per set. She averaged a combined 7.13 digs and service receptions per set at the World Championship - 0.93 per set higher than the second-place finisher in the category.
The 2011 Sportswoman of the Year Award will combine votes from the public (50 percent) and the Women's Sports Foundation Awards Committee (50 percent). Public voting concludes on Sept. 5 at midnight EST. The winners will be the two athletes - one individual finalist and one team finalist - who receive the highest combined share of a public vote and the Awards Committee vote.
Public voting will happen through Women's Sports Foundation's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WomensSportsFoundation). To vote for Sykora, visit http://wspr.tc/VoteSOYTeam and like the Women's Sports Foundation Facebook page. After liking the page, click on the action photo of Sykora and like the photo to cast your vote. Remember to vote for just one athlete!
Winners will be announced at the 2011 Annual Salute to Women in Sports on Oct. 19, 2011, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
In addition to the 2010 FIVB World Championship, Sykora played a key role in leading the U.S. to the gold medal at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, the premier annual women's international volleyball tournament. She totaled 4.13 digs per set with 10 match starts. Over the course of the Sportswoman of the Year period, Sykora turned in 399 digs in 96 sets for a 4.16 dig average. She averaged 2.26 digs per set during five matches played in the Final Round in which the Americans extended their win streak to 11 matches. For the tournament, Sykora aided the U.S. to an overall .300 hitting efficiency in 14 matches and was ranked as the third-best libero.
Sykora, a former two-time All-American at Texas A&M, competed in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. During the 2004 Olympic Games, she was honored as the Best Digger.
A&M's first varsity athlete to compete in three Olympics, Sykora was an outside hitter for the Aggies from 1995-98. The dynamic and flamboyant athlete, who also lettered one year in both track and field and basketball, earned AVCA All-America honors in her final two seasons and joined the national team in January 1999, one month after completing a stellar four-year collegiate career.
Sykora has missed the 2011 international tournament season after being hospitalized for 36 days with injuries suffered in a bus accident in April 2011 as her Brazil professional club team was en route to a playoff match.
For a full bio on Sykora, visit usavolleyball.org/athletes/stacy-sykora.
(courtesy of USA Volleyball)
