Columbia Cougars clinch 11^th straight AMC postseason title

Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia Cougar women’s volleyball team notched the program’s 11^th consecutive AMC postseason tournament title today, defeating the Missouri Baptist University Spartans in the championship match by scores of 30-19, 30-26 and 30-16. With the win, Columbia will receive the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the NAIA Region V Tournament, which is set to begin next week.

As the runner-up in the AMC Tournament, the Spartans also receive an automatic berth to the regional playoff. Two teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference as well as two at-large teams will also advance to the six-team, single elimination event. The winner of the Region V tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament in San Diego, Calif. at Point Loma Nazarene University on Dec. 3-6.

In a vote by league coaches, Columbia College outside hitter Jacqueline Makokha has been named the AMC Most Valuable Player as well as the league’s newcomer of the year. The MVP is awarded to the top player in the league and the newcomer of the year honor is bestowed on the top transfer student.

Makokha played in 119 games in her first season as a Cougar, posting 495 kills for an average of 4.2 per game. The junior outside hitter also tallied 43 blocks and 658 digs in addition to 68 assists and 61 service aces. Makokha is a native of Nairobi, Kenya.

Renata Pedreira, a first-year outside hitter for the Spartans from Missouri Baptist University, is the AMC Freshman of the Year. Pedreira, who hails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, played in 65 games as a Spartan rookie. She totaled 355 kills in 940 attempts for an average of 5.5 per game to lead the league. She also posted 64 blocks, 280 digs and 31 service aces.                 

The AMC Coach of the Year is Melinda Wrye-Washington from Columbia College. The Cougar head coach amassed a 33-6 record in the 2003 regular season. She led the 11^th-ranked Cougars to a first place finish in the AMC regular season with a perfect mark of 14-0.

A complete list of the 12-member AMC all-conference team, the honorable mention squad and the academic all-conference team, are listed below. Members of the academic all-conference team have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Columbia College
Shana Aubrey, Jaime Diestelkamp, Tracie Ford, Jenna Holdmeyer, Jacqueline Makokha, Katie Skibiski, Katherine Weisenborn

Hannibal-LaGrange College
Joni Day, Lisa Neubrand, Amber Polson

University of Illinois-Springfield
Carrie Bauer, Ashley Crow, Abby Kuntz, Megan Leonard, Chrisa Potthast, Maria Ray

McKendree College
Melanie Hemker, Jennifer Lerch, Becky Loeschner, Kristen Marsaglia, Chrissy Simones, Lindsey Suca, Aimee Westlake

Missouri Baptist University
Kendra Cox, Lori Hambleton, Stacey Held, Aubrey Smith

William Woods University
Diane Cosgrove, Kandice Cummings, Michelle Kohl, Elizabeth Murski, Heather Roberts

Williams Baptist College
Ashley Easter