Ampudia, Brimmage Honored by COBRA Magazine
7/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
July 14, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - COBRA Magazine announced its All-Preseason team on Wednesday (July 14) and the Mizzou volleyball team was well-represented. Highlighting the selections was Tiger senior Paola Ampudia (Cali, Colombia) who earned a spot on the All-Preseason First Team. Junior middle hitter Brittney Brimmage (East St. Louis, Ill.) was also named to the All-Preseason Third Team. The COBRA Magazine All-Preseason team honors the top black collegiate players heading into the 2010 season.
Ampudia was a clear choice for the magazine's first team as there were few players in the country that were more dominant in the second half of the 2009 season. In fact, over her last 16 matches, Ampudia totaled 281 kills (nearly 18 per match) which was more than any other player in the Big 12 during that span. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and was the league's newcomer of the year for her efforts. She finished the season with 410 kills as she became the 11th player in program history to break the 400-kill plateau in a season and the first to do so in the 25-point set era. Of her 410 kills, 202 came against NCAA Tournament competition in 2009 as well.
Ampudia also set three school records in 2009, highlighted by her 35-kill output at Kansas in a four-set win. The 35 kills were also a Big 12 record for kills in a four-set match; her 78 total attacks in that match were also a school record. Ampudia also posted 26 kills in a three-set loss at Texas A&M, a Mizzou single match record for kills in a three-set contest.
Brimmage also put together and fine season in 2009 as the Tigers' starter at middle hitter and after a fine spring season, Brimmage will enter 2010 with high expectations. The Tiger junior finished 2009 with 106 kills while hitting .303, the second-best clip on the team. She also pitched in 53 blocks and accounted for 135.0 total points during the season. The tallest Tiger on the roster at 6-3, Brimmage can also touch the highest height of any Tiger, making her a threat offensively and defensively heading into the 2010 season.
COBRA Magazine is one of the top publications in the volleyball world and celebrates diversity in collegiate athletics. Its mission is to monitor the success of volleyball players of African descent in hopes of encouraging black girls to pursue the sport.
The 2010 Mizzou volleyball season will open on Aug. 20 when Mizzou plays host to the annual Black & Gold scrimmage inside the Hearnes Center. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
