Lindsay Matikosh is a very intense athlete. Even when speaking about the sport, she could go on without edging. She brings that kind of intensity to the court as well.
The Mid-American Conference recognized her attitude and intensity last week when they presented her as the MAC East Athlete of the Week for the second time in her career.
If Matikosh was not named the team's Top Newcomer, she was named the team MVP. Last season she passed the 1,000 mark for digs and kills, one of only four players in Bulls history to accomplish the feat. She is third in the single-season record column for attack attempts, third in kills, and fourth in digs.
It's not the statistics that keeps her on the court, though.
"I'm very passionate, very intense," said Matikosh. "I do everything I can in my position to keep the ball off of the floor, and put it down on the other team."
Matikosh was recruited to UB before current head coach Sally Kus arrived, however she was one of her coaches while she played for a club volleyball team, the Cheetah Club.
"I did not recruit Lindsay, she was already here when I accepted the coaching position," said Kus. "Lindsay was a member of the Cheetah Volleyball Club, which I coordinated, so I knew Lindsay and her talents."
Other schools recognized her talents, including some of UB's MAC competitors, Ball State and Northern Illinois.
"I came to UB because it was close to home," said Matikosh. "I am very close to my family, and I love having them come watch me. When I came on my recruiting trip here, I just loved the girls. I just felt very comfortable here."
Matikosh selected UB, but she saw very early how much her future opponents respected and enjoyed the sport of volleyball.
"Even just to Ball State, around the Midwest you can tell it's a volleyball town. Buffalo is a football and baseball town. There, it's volleyball. They have mascots just for the volleyball team."
Playing in that kind of atmosphere can lend a certain excitement to the game, but it also has consequences when you are the visiting team.
"They also have those hecklers that bother everyone, and they call you all out, and you start laughing in the middle of a match and that's not good."
Was one region better than another at the sport?
"I think we're kind of even, North and South. It's East versus West where the real difference is," said Matikosh. "Like, they breed volleyball players out there."
Matikosh plays as an outside shooter, so her position is an opportunistic one.
"I'm an outside shooter, which means that 90 percent of the balls come to me. If you can't run plays or if you can't set right, I get a lot of broken plays," said Matikosh. "Usually outside hitters are all around players. We pass and serve."
"Lindsay is a solid player," said Kus. "She plays a total game. She serves as aggressively as she hits and passes as well as she digs. She is a natural athlete who has great anticipatory skills. She understands the tactics of the game and executes explicitly."
Matikosh is a senior now, and she expresses regret that she will not be able to play college volleyball after this year, but she has several options to take following the end of her season and semesters here.
"I'm a social sciences interdisciplinary, with a concentration in early childhood education," said Matikosh. "I love little kids. I worked a camp here and my favorite court was the little court."
"They came to one of our games, and they were like 'Lindsay!,' " said Matikosh. "I just love that, it makes me feel so good."
