MOORHEAD -- Alexandra Lippert loves the psychology of the blocked shot.
"I kind of like the mind games type of thing," said Lippert, a Concordia College freshman from Willmar. "I like people getting shaken up and whatnot. I just can't stop. It's like an addiction."
The 6-foot-4 center has been getting her fix this season.
Lippert, a former All-Area player for the Cardinals, leads the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 3.7 blocks per game. Six games into her college basketball career, she has already tied a Cobbers school record with eight blocks in one game.
Lippert is on pace to set the school record in blocks for a season. Beth Drager (who was 6-3) holds the mark with 84 blocked shots in 2003-04.
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"We can gamble because we have Alex behind us and she will just block them anyways," Cobbers senior point guard Erica Nord said.
Lippert has allowed the Cobbers to change the way they play defense. She can play behind players in the post due to her size.
Lippert is tied for the tallest player in program history. Patty Kubow (1985-89) was the other 6-4 player to play at Concordia. Coincidentally, Cobbers head coach Jessica Rahman played with Kouba and now coaches Lippert.
In recent years, Rahman hasn't had the luxury of a true post presence. The Cobbers' tallest starter last season was 5-10.
"In the past, we've almost had to guard post players with a person and a half or almost double team them because of not being as tall," Rahman said.
Now they have Lippert, who questioned at one point whether or not she would make the team.
"I was getting nervous that I was going to get cut for awhile," Lippert said. "When they started talking about tryouts and stuff, I was getting really nervous. I was hoping to at least make the JV team. ... I think I was overreacting maybe a little bit."
Nord knew Lippert had nothing to worry about.
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"That's just Alex," Nord said with a laugh. "She is funny. I'm like, 'You're 6-4. Do you think there's a chance you're going to get cut?' Not a chance."
Nord could tell that from the first time she played with Lippert in a pick up game in September. That first impression had Nord saying, Lippert was "going to be a stud."
"Even in the next couple years, she is going to be phenomenal," Nord said. "She's learning, but she's learning fast."
Lippert has started four games. She took over for senior post Ali Demmer, who hurt her knee in the second game this season.
Lippert has 22 blocks through six games. Last season, Brittany Jossart and Lindsey Schultz had nine blocks in 26 games, tying for the team lead.
"As a coaching staff we knew that if we could teach her the system quickly she could definitely make an impact," Rahman said.
Lippert said having four seniors surround her in the starting lineup - Nord, Jossart, Schultz and Maggie Bauernfeind - has helped in her transition. They have helped her both on and off the court.
"They are all really good mentors toward me," said Lippert.
