AU Volleyball star Karla Kucerkova sat out the last two games of Saturday's match against Colgate, but not because of injury, head coach Barry Goldberg said in a phone interview Wednesday.
"She's fine," Goldberg said. "We just wanted to let her rest and give freshman Elizabeth Maloney a chance to play."
Maloney capitalized on the chance and nailed a career high of nine kills.
The Eagles took the first game from Colgate, 30-15, so Goldberg said he felt comfortable resting the outside hitter.
It was a rare occasion for Kucerkova to be sidelined. The two-time Patriot League Player of the Year has only missed seven games since 2001, her breakout sophomore year.
Kucerkova stood on the sideline for most of Saturday's match with a warm-up jacket over her right shoulder. Goldberg said she was only warming a sore shoulder that has persisted throughout her college career. If there are any questions about her, he said, they aren't about her health.
"The only question on Karla is whether she'll become the [school's] all-time kill leader," Goldberg said.
Kucerkova is third on AU's career kills list with 1,464. She needs 197 more for the record to surpass current record-holder Natasha Sylvain, who had 1,660 kills between 1990 and 1994.
Kucerkova is capable of taking the lead. She swatted 513 kills last fall, and a repeat of that performance would push her over the top.
