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A big thank you to Sam Snelling for this awesome Net Results header! I love it, and I'm sure other RMN readers do as well.
As a part of this summer/fall's coverage of Missouri volleyball, we will be profiling all of the Tigers leading up to and during the season. We'll start with the incoming freshman, then move to the members of the class of 2015, who will be sporting black and gold for one more season in Columbia.
Today, we profile a freshman outside hitter from California, Missouri. Meet Sydney Deeken.
Sydney Deeken
Hometown: California, Missouri
High School: California
Height: 6-1
Position: Outside Hitter
Deeken brings plenty of accolades from her high school volleyball career, including two all-state selections, three all- district selections, two conference MVPs, and two conference titles with the Pintos. In her final year at California High School, Deeken paced the offensive attack with 253 kills on .428 hitting, averaging 5.3 kills per set. She also performed well on the defensive side of the net, racking up 129 digs, and cleanly receiving 219 balls with only 13 errors in 2013. On top of all that, she was a three-sport athlete during here time at California, as a part of the Pintos Basketball and Track and Field teams. She was the Missouri State Champion in triple jump (2012-13), high jump (2012), and triple jump (2013). On the hardwood, Deeken was a first team all-state selection and three-time all-conference and all-district selection as well.
Although there are three other outside hitters on the roster, Deeken could be a viable backup option behind senior Emily Wilson this season. She would have to beat out other incoming freshman Kasey Reuter and junior Regan Peltier for court time, although Peltier may rotate more to Middle Blocker rather than Outside Hitter. Reuter is similar to Deeken in her style of play, with accuracy on the attack and offensive efficiency.
While I don't think either Deeken or Reuter will move past Wilson on the depth chart this year, they should both see some court time in late games. The interesting question come 2015 is, who will fill Wilson's spot once she has graduated? Deeken's pure athleticism from track and field make her the ideal candidate as the outside hitter. She's a great jumper who can get high above the net and take accurate swings on offense, and although she'll be behind Wilson for the majority of the season, she may be an offensive diamond in the rough come next fall.