Should the Virginia women's volleyball team ever feel complacent or desires to take a day off, it need only look within its ranks to regain its inspiration.
According to her teammates and coaches, junior middle Simona Kuipers has earned classroom success and overcome freshman-year injuries with a determined work ethic. They are amazed on a daily basis with her competitive fire and her dedication to improving her volleyball game.
"Simona is a probably the biggest over-achiever on our team," Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "She's not our fastest or strongest or quickest, but with the tools that she has she optimizes them. She brings to the team someone who proves that with a lot of hard work and dedication in the strength room and conditioning that you can improve yourself, that no matter how gifted you are, you can always be better."
The Cavaliers recognized her contributions last year by awarding Kuipers the 2000 Iron Hoo Award. Given to the team member who works hardest every day in every aspect of volleyball life, the award recognized Kuipers' battle back from a first-year injury to challenge for a starting role as a sophomore.
"I was kind of surprised that I got that award because there are some other great hard workers on this team," Kuipers said. "But that is the most important award I ever got in my life. It was a really special award to me because when I first came in here I only played in three games all year. I had to do a lot of work to get where I am."
She has definitely come a long way. In Virginia's 3-1 win over N.C. State on Sunday, Kuipers had a team-high .409 hitting percentage with 12 kills. She also led the Cavaliers with five blocks. Kuipers ranks seventh in the ACC with 51 blocks in 50 games, for an average of 1.02 per game.
One of only four upperclassmen on this year's Virginia squad, Kuipers' hard work and determination earned her a spot on the starting lineup. But according to Aldrich Shelton, she fulfills a more important role on the young team: Kuipers is a leader.
"On the court she's our leader in an emotional way," Shelton said. "She's our sparkplug. We look for her to make a big play for us, to really fire us up in that way."
Virginia senior co-captain and outside hitter Jenny Harmon said Kuipers' determination and drive are important assets for the Cavaliers.
"Simona is by far the most competitive person I've ever met in my entire life," Harmon said. "She is a very determined person, very goal-oriented, brings a lot to the team with her aggressive nature. She sets a great example I think for everyone, about how hard work can pay off."
As the Cavaliers (6-12) head into tonight's tough non-conference road match against Georgetown (11-6), the team will be relying on Kuipers to again provide the leadership and consistency that has marked her recent play.
"We need Simona to keep posting those high-hitting percentages," Shelton said. "She may not necessarily get the most kills for us, but we need for her to be extremely efficient when she does get the ball. That is her role, and if she can continue to do that, the team will just keep getting better and better"
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