For the last two seasons, fans of the Auburn volleyball team have seen the best from star middle blocker Camila Jersonsky. \0x10The junior from Buenos Aires, Argentina has continued her stellar play into the 2012 season, helping lead the Tigers to a perfect 6-0 start.
"I have a lot of pride in my game, so I focus on doing my best every time I step on the court," Jersonsky said.
"She's a big part of the way we want to run our offense," head coach Rick Nold said. "We like to run things through our middles. It just make things easier for our other hitters. She can go up against single blocks, double blocks; in any situation, we feel confident in giving her the ball."
Jersonsky started out the season in award winning fashion two weekends ago at the Green Bay Tournament. In the team's wild win over defending MAC champions Central Michigan and a dominating sweep of Drake, she registered a combined 15 kills.
But Jersonsky saved the best for last. She recorded a career-high 18 kills in Auburn's win over tournament host Wisconsin-Green Bay. \0x10Those kills came off of only 34 attacks, giving her a hitting percentage of .471. \0x10Those game stats are even more impressive when you consider that the Tigers' tournament-clinching win was a three-set sweep.
After that match, Jersonsky was named to the All-Tournament team and received the Most Valuable Player award.
"It's always an honor when you win an individual award, but it was mostly a team effort," Jersonsky said. "If the passes aren't there, there's no way that I can get the kills. The passes from my teammates were right there every time."
She continued to be an asset for Auburn in last weekend's War Eagle Invitational, getting 22 kills and another all-tournament honor.
The junior brings a great deal of experience to the Tigers' squad, both in NCAA play and international competition.
In fact, her great play as a member of the Argentinian national team helped bring her to the University.
"I was playing with the national team in Miami at the Pan American Cup," Jersonsky said. "I just happened to sit next to the Auburn coaches while watching one of the other games. We started talking, and they were like, 'Have you considered the possibility of coming to the U.S. and playing college volleyball?' I had been thinking about it, and we started sending emails back and forth after the Cup. I made my official visit to Auburn and loved it."
After signing with the Tigers, Jersonsky burst onto the SEC volleyball scene as a true freshman, earning conference All-Freshman honors in Auburn's Cinderella run to the 2010 NCAA tournament. In 2011, despite missing several games due to injury and international competition, Jersonsky led the Tigers in hitting percentage and blocks.
Auburn will look to Jersonsky at the upcoming SMU Doubletree Classic and next weekend's SEC opener at Mississippi State. If they can carry this early momentum into the bulk of the season, we could see another NCAA tournament for Jersonsky and the rest of the Tigers.
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