University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Volleyball Performance Signals Junior's Emergence
9/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
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| By Stephen Howard, Sept. 10, 2009 - 1:57 p.m. |
GREEN GANG: Last weekend was a great one for all of North Texas athletics, with momentous wins from football and soccer. But while the volleyball team didn't find the win column, there was a stunning performance from a veteran that might signal the birth of NT's next star player.
Amy Huddleston, a goofy and reluctant team leader, recently made the change from her natural position, middle blocker, to outside hitter, and no one was really sure how she would respond. She has all of the tools to play both spots, but as any coach will tell you, changing positions can be a tricky proposition.
The junior put all of those suspicions to rest with the best all-around volleyball of her three-year career at the Golden Grizzly Invitational last weekend.
A performance for the ages, Huddleston earned all-tournament honors after a 23-kill, 20-dig outing against host Oakland University. That performance is the first 20/20 match by a Mean Green player since 2003, and just the fifth in the last decade.
A match like that in just her sixth appearance at outside hitter evokes the upper-echelon names in Mean Green volleyball history. Only two players in the last decade recorded a 20/20 performance - Jill Ruskowski and Hall of Fame inductee Corina Marginas, and the All-American Marginas only accomplished that feat three on three occasions.
Overall, Huddleston recorded 53 kills and 41 digs in the 15 sets this weekend, which are pretty remarkable numbers for a player that grew up playing an entirely different position.
The coaches say she has taken to the spot like a duck to water, and that something seemed to "click" for the junior last weekend.
With Huddleston's performance, North Texas was just points away from winning its first match of the season at the Golden Grizzly Invite, but fell just short in back-to-back-to-back 5-set matches. As a matter of fact, NT held a lead late in each of those three matches.
It's been six years since the Mean Green played in three straight 5-set matches, and this is just the fourth time in the 10-year tenure of the Cassie Headrick era.
North Texas will look to get out of its 0-7 funk this weekend in Fayettevile, Ark., against Kansas, Arkansas and Jacksonville State. If Huddleston is on her game again this weekend, they might just have a chance.
Click here to read this week's game notes.
