University of Missouri Athletics

A native of Merrill, Iowa, Vander Kooi was a transformational talent who helped the MU volleyball program turn the corner and become a top-25 mainstay. She was a two-time AVCA honorable mention all-American (2005, ’06) playing on MU teams that went to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons, including 2005 when the Tigers were 25-5 and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. She was the Big 12 Conference and AVCA Central Region freshman of the year in 2003, and all-Big 12 and all-region in 2004, ’05 and ’06. Vander Kooi’s name is all over the Tiger record books in career kills, points, total blocks, block assists, blocks per set and solo blocks. She was a three-time academic all-Big 12 choice and was a second-team academic all-American in 2006. She played professionally for the Mayaguez Indians in the Puerto Rican Superior League for three years. In 2011, she was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Volleyball Hall of Fame. She has also been assistant volleyball coach at Morningside College where her husband is the head wrestling coach.