By Wayne Witkowski
Courtney Matlock, a former Jackson Memorial High School girls volleyball star, became the first Montclair State University player to be named to the first team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) team three times last fall.
Matlock has two new goals as she heads into her senior season. She wants to lead the Red Hawks to the conference championship for the first time since 2007 after they fell short in a championship-game sweep by eight-time champion Stockton University last season, 25-16, 25-18, 25-10. And she wants to share that glory with twin sister Kimberly, the Red Hawks’ setter who was a second team All-NJAC selection, as they prepare over the summer for preseason practices that begin in mid-August.
“That hasn’t happened in a while,” Courtney Matlock said of Montclair State’s last title, as she had nine kills in the title match.
Kimberly Matlock had 19 assists that day.
The Red Hawks finished 18-14.
Montclair also lost in the NJAC finals to Stockton in 2009.
An outside hitter, Courtney Matlock is 339 kills away from the school career record, a reachable goal as she had 336 kills in 108 sets last season, including 19 in an NJAC tournament semifinals victory over Kean University, 25-15, 25-22, 22,25, 25-20. Not bad for a player a bit shorter than many in college at that position at 5 feet 9 inches tall. She sat out part of her freshman season with an ankle injury.
“I’m not the tallest player. I just work hard with endurance training and do jump training,” Courtney Matlock said. “People don’t realize how much endurance comes into it from the energy spent in all the jumping. I make sure I don’t hit too low or too high where they can spike it back.”
Last season, she also had 35 service aces, which she felt very good about.
“I put my time into that,” she said.
She also had 31 total blocks.
As for the kills, she credits much of that to her twin sister, an NJAC second team selection last season as Montclair State’s setter, leading the conference at 9.8 per game with 911. She surpassed 30 assists 22 times and 50 assists three times, with 53 in an early-season match against Gordon College. She also had 30 service aces.
“She really came into her own. She’s the best setter in the conference in my point of view,” Courtney Matlock said.
Kimberly Matlock remains a bit modest.
“There are a lot of pretty talented setters in the conference,” she said. “I have a very wide knowledge of positions, always getting the ball to who is on fire. A lot has to do with communication of the other players to the setter and getting [the ball] to people in position [to finish off points]. And when there is a tough hitter on the other side [of the net], I just move the ball around.”
Kimberly Matlock didn’t begin playing setter until her senior year at Jackson Memorial when she was moved to that position. She started her college career as a setter at Goldey-Beacom College, an NCAA Division II school, but left after a year and rejoined forces with her sister with the Division III Red Hawks. Kimberly Matlock says she has come to like playing setter a lot because she doesn’t have the height or the killer instinct at the net as a hitter but has developed the knack to control the pace of the game.
Both sisters say its been fun playing together again as they did in high school, where former Jackson Memorial coach Jason Ulrich, who left there to become an assistant coach the past three seasons at Georgian Court University, says Courtney Matlock has been the best player in the program’s history.
“In my freshman year, it felt weird not being together [with Courtney]. And since then, it’s been great,” Kimberly Matlock said, as they will continue to be roommates this upcoming school year.
The Matlock sisters have been assisting Ulrich at his annual Jackson Recreation Volleyball Camp that has had more than 70 campers from third to 12th grade at the Tuesday and Thursday sessions through July, with most in the seventh through 12th grade group. Ulrich says they have been a vital asset to the camp along with former Jaguar Jen Kwiecinski, who is currently playing at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Being in charge at the camp has helped Courtney Matlock reinforce her role as a leader, as she serves as captain for the upcoming season.
“I feel I’m a natural leader. I like to lead,” she said.
There is good chemistry in the team going into preseason with only three players graduated from last year — two of them starters. But with seven seniors this fall, there is more of a sense of urgency, as they want to complete their college careers on a championship note.
“I’m super confident. We have a lot of experience, a lot of talent,” Kimberly Matlock said. “We know each other very well and what we’re good at.”
Just like at the Jackson recreation camp, Courtney Matlock said she wants to continue in the sport, teaching the younger girls the elements of the game.
“I never want to stop playing, but I know the Olympics are unreachable as a Division III player,” she said. “I love playing and teaching it to others and seeing their eyes wide open, which tells me they’re thinking, ‘I love this sport.’ “