Cougars clinch 12^th straight AMC postseason title, Makokha named MVP

Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia Cougar women’s volleyball team notched the program’s 12^th consecutive AMC postseason tournament title today, defeating the McKendree Bearcats in the championship match by scores of 30-16, 30-17 and 30-10. 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 Bearcats 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. 1-4.

In a vote by league coaches, for the second consecutive year, Columbia College outside hitter Jacqueline Makokha has been named the AMC Most Valuable Player. Makokha, who is a native of Nairobi, Kenya, led Columbia to a 14-0 finish during the conference regular season. She played in 115 games and recorded 538 kills for an average of 4.7 a game. In addition, she led the Cougars with 631 digs. She also tallied 50 blocks and 65 assists.

The AMC Newcomer of the Year award is given to the top transfer student in the league. This year’s winner is Tricia Winter from McKendree College. Winter played in 143 games during the regular season, totaling 531 kills for an average of 3.7 a game. In addition, she recorded 156 blocks, including 52 solo and 104 assist blocks.

Nancy Sikobe, a first-year outside hitter for the Cougars, is the AMC Freshman of the Year. Sikobe hails from Nairobi, Kenya. In her first season at Columbia, she played in 107 games, posting 245 kills for an average of 2.3 a set. Sikobe also totaled 73 blocks, 222 digs. She led the Cougars in service aces with 67.

The AMC Libero of the Year is a new award in 2004, given to the top defensive specialist in the league. Abby Funderburk, a defensive specialist from William Woods University, is this year’s winner. Funderburk, who is a junior from Bridgeton, Mo., appeared in 87 games for the Owls. She posted 660 digs, averaging 7.6 a contest. Funderburk was perfect with her passes 91 percent of the time, committing only 63 errors in 733 attempts.

The AMC Coach of the Year is Melinda Wrye-Washington from Columbia College. The Cougar head coach amassed a 34-3 record in the 2004 regular season. She led the 3^rd-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, is 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
Dawn Erickson, Tracie Ford, Jenna Holdmeyer, Jacqueline Makokha, Kat Weisenborn, Renee Zimmerman

Hannibal-LaGrange College
Joni Day, Beth Frame, Stephanie Lawrence, Lisa Neubrand, Amber Polson, Katie Spears, Ashley Vink

University of Illinois-Springfield
Carrie Bauer, Danielle Crossen, Abby Kuntz, Jessica Lay, Maria Ray, Audra Roach, Sarah Stratton, Ashley Wade

McKendree College
Rachel Ferguson, Becky Loeschner, Maggie Marquedant, Kristen Marsaglia, Chrissy Simones, Nicole Taylor, Aimee Westlake, Andrea Zurliene

Missouri Baptist University
Cassie Carter, Stacey Held, Lindsey Morin, Aubrey Smith, Maria Spesia

William Woods University
C.J. Chamberlin, Deena Cooley, Abby Funderburk, Jessica Gabrian, Heather Roberts

Williams Baptist College
Cortney Goodwin