March 31, 2003

Missouri junior Mary Lauren Smith has been selected to participate in the USA Volleyball A2 Training program this summer in Lake Placid, N.Y. Smith is one of just 24 athletes chosen to take part in the program and is the first Tiger volleyball player ever to be selected for the training session.

"This is an tremendous honor and a great opportunity for Mary Lauren," Missouri Head Coach Susan Kreklow said. "She had a great season last year and has put in a lot of work to get better. This selection shows that all of her hard work is paying off. We are very proud of her and excited about the experiences she will gain from this opportunity."

Smith was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season, finishing the year with a 3.80 kills per game average. She had five matches in which she recorded at least 20 kills, including each of Missouri's two postseason matches. Against Northwestern, the Tigers' first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, Smith had a career-high 28 kills and hit .358 to lead MU to victory. She followed that with a 22-kill performance against Northern Iowa in Mizzou's second round match.

She was named the AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week and the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after recording back-to-back 20-kill matches against No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 23 Colorado. Smith also appeared in the 'Faces in the Crowd' section of the Oct. 21 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Smith reached double figures in kills 26 times in 2003, including each of the final 10 matches of the season. She hit over .400 in six matches last season and reached the .500 mark three times, including a season high .667 hitting percentage against West Virginia on Sept. 7.

The USA Volleyball A2 Training program will start July 7 and continue until August 3.