Sept. 26, 2002

When Jenny Duitsman was playing high school volleyball in Lincoln, Neb., she heard all about the University of Nebraska's volleyball team.

"I love Lincoln. It's home, Duitsman said. "Being from Nebraska, it is always a dream to play for the University (of Nebraska). It was always fun to go to the games as a kid. There is great tradition at Nebraska and the atmosphere is incredible."

Even with Nebraska being one of the top teams in the nation, Duitsman chose to come to Missouri.

"Sometimes it almost seemed wrong to leave or even think of leaving. It always felt like if your from Nebraska, you should go to Nebraska. My heart is at Mizzou now, but I will always respect Nebraska as a program."

Last year, as a freshman, she played in 24 games and had a hitting percentage of .417 for the Tigers.

She had her first career start last season against Baylor and came away with a career night, finishing with nine kills and a .483 hitting percentage.

Duitsman is now a sophomore for the Tigers this season and has already played an important roll for Mizzou this season.

She has seen significant time in all of Mizzou's matches this season, including nine starts as a middle blocker for the Tigers.

Her position requires more than just athletic ability.

"Volleyball is a very mental game. As a middle I am always thinking and reading the play. Where is the setter? Is she up or back? How many hitters are there? Where are the hitters at and where are they going? Where is the setter going to set the ball? Is she quick middle or do I need to wait on the block?

"I would say that mental aspect of the game is not only a challenge, but its also one of the best parts of the game."

At UMKC earlier this season Duitsman had nine kills on nine attacks for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.

She has also led the team in blocks several times, including MU's win over Alabama when she tallied five block assists.

Duitsman has not chosen a major yet, but said that although volleyball may be her first love, at MU school comes first.

"It is such a wonderful experience to be a student-athlete. It can be challenging at times to concentrate both on school and volleyball. It becomes easy to make excuses, but really there are no good excuses.

"If we work hard, people see that. If we don't, they see that, too. that holds true in the classroom, on the court, and in the community."

With the Tigers now 11-1 entering tonight's match with Texas A&M, Duitsman and the rest of the Tigers know that they have an opportunity for a very successful year.

"We have a long, tough season ahead," she said. "We have to stay focused. I have high expectation for our team. I know we have the talent to do great things. We just have to continue to take it to the court each time out there.

"We have done well to this point," Duitsman said. "But we have the abilities to be even better. I don't think we are at our peak yet."

And, well, Duitsman has one other goal for this season.

"Being from Nebraska...I would sure like to give them a run for there money."