For years, Erin Kracl watched as her sister Lauren dominated the area volleyball scene and took home just about every award possible. Except one.
Erin finally has done something her big sister didn't do, and she is loving every second of it. The younger Kracl, a junior middle hitter at Eudora High, is the 2005 All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year.
"My sister never received this award," Kracl said. "I am honored. It's something new. We are quite competitive, and now I can say that I have something on her."
Kracl dominated the competition this fall, amassing an astounding 431 kills during her junior campaign. She was named to the Kansas Volleyball Assn. all-state-tournament team when Eudora advanced to the Class 4A bracket and also was named to the All-Frontier League team for the third consecutive season.
"She's just a tremendous all-around volleyball player," said Jill Stutler, Kracl's coach at Eudora. "When she came in her freshman year, her sister was our top hitter, and she was kind of in the background, but the last two seasons, she has really dominated."
Lauren Kracl led Johnson County Community College to the NJCAA Div. II national championship just last week. She was named the MVP of the tournament after her squad defeated Cowley County in the championship match to complete a 35-4 season.
Stutler coached both Kracls at Eudora and says Erin might be even more talented than her sister.
Photo Gallery
All-Area Volleyball
The All-Area volleyball team was selected by The Journal-World sports staff and is based heavily on voting by area coaches and performances throughout the season. All area coaches have an opportunity to vote for first-team, second-team and honorable-mention honors.
"Erin has better jumping ability and can see the court a little bit better than Lauren," Stutler said. "Lauren has a little more power, though. She is more of a power hitter, and Erin is more of a hit-the-ball-straight-down hitter. I'd say that Erin is probably a little better blocker than Lauren is, as well."
Kracl has emulated her sister's game since she started playing volleyball in the sixth grade. She wouldn't be where she is today without her big sister, she said.
"She has been my idol my entire life," Kracl said. "She taught me to love the game. I got to play with her for a while, and that is something that I really miss. She taught me a lot about hitting with power and just having great intensity and love for the game."
At 5-foot-10, Kracl isn't the prototypical middle hitter, but her vertical leap - over 26 inches - makes up for her smaller size. She often is underestimated because of her size, something that doesn't bother her one bit.
"It is mainly because of my sister," Kracl said. "People will say, 'Oh well, she is just Lauren's little sister, and she is shorter and smaller.'"
It looks almost certain that Kracl will be playing her college volleyball at the Div. I level. She already is receiving interest from Oklahoma, Baylor, New Mexico and Colorado State and should gain even more attention during her upcoming club volleyball season this winter.
If Kracl were to advance directly to a Div. I school, she once again would have bragging rights on her sister. Just like the award, it would be one of the rare things that Lauren didn't do.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.