A major stumbling point for most of the teams facing the NIU women’s volleyball squad is to find a way to get through the block put up by the Huskies.

And, just as frequently, the person stuffing the opponent’s attacks is senior middle blocker Amy Foulke.

Head coach Pete Waite has been quoted before the season began, calling her one of the premier blockers in the country. Not surprisingly, she’s led the team in blocking for the last three seasons.

“(In her four years here) she’s been one of the best pure blockers on the team,” Waite said. “She has natural instincts for the ball.”

Foulke is close to two Huskie career records. When this season opened, Foulke stood only 19 solo blocks and 46 assist blocks away from the all-time career marks (held by Cathy Holmes with 126 and 372 respectively). There is little doubt these records will fall before long and she will officially be the greatest blocker in NIU history.

“Amy’s been one of our starters for the last four years,” Waite said. “Coming in as a freshman, she’s been a major contributor. She’s gotten better in her entire game, including her defensive play.”

That’s not to say she can’t play offense. Currently, Foulke ranks fourth on the Huskie kill chart. If this trend holds, she’ll finish second behind Kori Schauer.

However, she still doesn’t see herself as the leader on the court.

“Because there’s five seniors, I think we’re all floor leaders,” she said. “We all pick each other up when we need it. There’s no one person that dominates (as the leader).”

Coming out of Central High School in Salem, Wis., Foulke earned seven high school varsity letters, three in volleyball, two in basketball and two in track.

Her volleyball experience is quite impressive.

Foulke played for three years in the Spring City Volleyball Club. She participated in the 1988 junior Olympic Nationals and Senior Elite Training Camp in 1992.

Last summer, Foulke traveled to San Antonio for the 1993 United States Olympic Festival.

She has been named to First-Team All-North-Star Conference in 1991. She also was named Most Valuable Player in the Mid-Continent Conference Championships in 1992 and earned all-tournament honors at the National Invitational Volleyball Championships, also in 1992.

With all that experience, it’s little wonder opposing teams are having problems dealing with the blocking wall of doom.