Courtney Eckenrode joins the Tigers for the spring
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou volleyball head coach Wayne Kreklow is happy to announce that former Texas Gatorade Player of the Year Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) will join the team in 2015. Eckenrode will transfer to Mizzou from San Diego State where she started 19 matches at setter. She comes to Mizzou as a sophomore and will be eligible to play in 2015, with three years of eligibility remaining.
"Courtney is an extremely gifted athlete with a tremendously high ceiling and we are excited to add her to our team," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "Courtney will come in right away and fit in with our group really well and we envision her helping our program compete at a very high level. She is an extremely decorated high school player out of Texas and started at San Diego State late in the year. She has great athletic ability; her quickness and overall feel for the game will help us."
Eckenrode joins Mizzou from San Diego State where she played in 27 matches for the Aztecs, starting 19. She led the team with 9.72 assists per set and amassed 865 total assists, also a team-best. She pitched in nine aces and 186 digs (2.09 per set). She was eighth in the Mountain West Conference in assists per set. She also tallied eight double-doubles, including a 55-assist, 14-dig effort in the season-finale against UNLV. Both of those marks are career-highs for Eckenrode. The Woodlands, Texas, native was part of a 6-2 offense at San Diego State before she earned the starting job on Sept. 19 at Alabama.
Before her stint at San Diego State, Eckenrode had a decorated high school career for The Woodlands High School (The Woodlands, Texas) and head Coach Leslie Madison. She was the Class 5A State Tournament MVP after guiding The Woodlands to a 2013 State Championship. She was also Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2013 and was both USA Today's and MaxPreps Volleyball Player of the Year. Her team was 45-0 and ranked first in Texas and second nationally as she has competed at a very high level throughout her career.
On the club circuit, Eckenrode became one of the most sought-after setters in the nation. Playing for Houston Skyline, she was the team's MVP twice. She helped Skyline qualify for Nationals twice and was also a member of Willobrook Club, which qualified for Nationals all six seasons that she was with the team. She was selected by PrepVolleyball.com as one of the top 150 `Senior Aces' coming out of high school. She earned Second Team High School Under Armour All-America distinction during her senior year from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouVB.