All-Decade Volleyball Team

A new week, a new Central Oklahoma all-decade team. Today, it's the volleyball squad of the 2000s.

The majority of this team comes from the early 2000s and five of my seven players actually played together in 2002. And that unit, not coincidently, was on my list of top 10 teams of the decade.

Leading the way and the runaway MVP in my mind is Alma Brahimaj, one of three outside hitters on my team. A four-time first-team All-Lone Star Conference North Division pick from 1999-02, Alma was -- quite simply -- amazing. Just a great, great player who owns school records for single-match (46), single-season (644) and career (2,404) kills, with the all-time mark also an LSC record. She had 600-plus kills in three of our four seasons and also ranks second in career digs at UCO with 1,833.

Another outside hitter who played the same years as Alma is Lexy Fortner. A three-time first-team All-LSC North performer in her own right, Lexy and Alma created quite a pair in spearheading a potent UCO offense and they led the Bronchos to 56 wins and back-to-back LSC North titles their last two years. Lexy finished with 1,555 career kills, fourth on the school's list.

My final outside hitter played only one year for the Bronchos, but what a sensational player Mari Araujo was. A remarkable athlete who could virtually do it all on the court, Mari collected 629 kills and 536 years in leading UCO to a school-record 32 wins and the second round of the national tournament in 2007.

My two middle blockers are Tori Walker and Katy Wallace, who played together a couple of years. Tori was at UCO from 2001-03 and Katy from 1999-02 and both were terrific blockers at the net who also had high attack percentages. Tori was a two-time first-team All-LSC North performer and had 337 career assisted blocks, while Katy earned second-team All-LSC North honors three times and ended with 366 career assisted blocks.

At setter I went with Stacey Meek, who owns school records for single-season (1,660) and career assists (5,604). Another great all-around athlete, Stacey received All-LSC North Division recognition all four years during her stellar stay from 2000-03.

Rounding out the team at libero/defensive specialist is Lacie Allen, who played from 2004-07. Lacie was incredible after being moved to libero her final two years, making some of the most unbelievable digs I've ever seen. She capped her career with a magical senior season, becoming UCO's first-ever NCAA Division II volleyball All-American while collecting a national-record 996 digs and she finished her career with a school- and LSC-record 2,765 digs.

So there it is, my all-decade volleyball team. Coming tomorrow, women's soccer.