Canada's Stacey Gordon Tops the NCAA
Ranks.
November 8-04
Used by permission from Craig
Christie, Freelance Reporter
Trying to carve out a niche for yourself
and your sport, is difficult enough at any
big U.S. college. It’s even harder to do at
a place like Ohio State University (OSU)
where football and basketball dominate the
sports landscape. But Stacey Gordon has
proven that it can be done. Gordon, a 22
year-old Oshawa native has come to be
regarded as the best volleyball player in
the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA), and based primarily on her play, the
Buckeyes are ranked 7th in the country with
a record of 21-1 and poised to make a run at
a National Championship in December. Simply
put, she’s made volleyball a sport worth
watching at OSU. "A lot of the energy and
attention is going to be focused on football
but if you get the crowd and you have a
winning record…it’s fun to come out and
watch a volleyball game," said Gordon. "More
and more people are paying attention to the
record and realize we have a good team."
Through hard work, dedication and a
competitive nature that is unmatched, the
5’11" outside hitter and graduate of
Oshawa’s Eastdale Collegiate has cemented a
place for herself in OSU athletic history.
"What’s she’s done over her career is raise
the bar," said Jim Stone, coach of the OSU
women’s volleyball team for the past 23
years. "We’ve had quite a few All-Americans
at Ohio State and Stacey is certainly going
to have her own banner hanging here. She’s
as good a player as we’ve ever had."
From Stone’s point of view every aspect
of Gordon’s game is solid. "In terms of
skill she does everything well. She’s very
balanced. She hits well, serves well and is
a very good backcourt player in terms of
defence."
Coming out of Eastdale, Gordon was
recruited by all the major colleges based on
her play at the club level but chose to
attend Ohio State due to the overall package
of volleyball and academics. It didn’t take
long for her to make her mark on the court.
She was selected the Big Ten Freshman of the
Year in 2001 and in 2002 was named the Big
Ten Player of the Year. In fact, Gordon is
the only 3-time All-American in OSU women’s
volleyball history and the all-time OSU
leader in points, kills, and digs. She’s the
current NCAA leader in kills per game with
7.18 and in the classroom, the Coaching and
Sports Management major is also a
scholar/athlete. "It’s good to be recognized
for academics as well as athletics,
considering the amount of time I’ve put in
here and dedicated for Ohio State. I think
the awards we’ve won and the accomplishments
mean a great deal to me, especially being a
senior now."
After her career at Ohio State is over,
Gordon’s focus will turn to representing
Canada at the international level. Dr. Lorne
Sawula, coach of the Canadian national
women’s volleyball team can’t wait for her
to be a part of the program. "She’s probably
the best power hitter in the United States
right now," Sawula said. "Her contribution
would be immense and would be a very
important part of the future of Canada and
what we can do internationally."
"I’ve always wanted to play for Team
Canada," said Gordon. "It’s an important
thing to represent your country and play
with the elite athletes from Canada. It’s a
different challenge and I’m looking forward
to it." |