[1] She was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M University and she competed in both the 2000 and the 2004 Olympics as part of the U.S. women's national team.

[4][5] As a student at Burleson High School, Sykora dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete, but was unwilling to choose between volleyball, basketball, and track and field.

[7] While attending Texas A&M University, Sykora competed in volleyball, basketball and track, winning a Big 12 Conference title in the heptathlon.

[5] As a sophomore, Sykora set a school record with 24 digs in a three-game loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.

While on the Japan Tour, she recorded a career-high 22 digs in the June 30 match, before becoming the team's primary passer and defensive player on the bronze-medal winning Pan American Games squad.

She was named Best Libero at the Nike Americas' Volleyball Challenge, helping her team to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

[5] Although the team placed fourth at the Olympics, Sykora was ranked second amongst all the players for her 123 digs, including a career-high 26 against Korea in the five-set quarterfinal win.

[5] The following year, Sykora earned the Best Libero Award at the Montreux Volley Masters after leading both the serve-receive and digging categories.

[5] At the close of the international competitive season, Sykora joined the professional volleyball team Mirabilandia Teodora Ravenna in Italy's Serie A1.

After a week in the ICU, Sykora's state had improved and she was able to breathe and eat on her own and could walk around the hospital's halls with the help of nurses.

[16] In December 2012, Sykora announced that she was retiring from professional volleyball playing, since she was not yet fully recovered from the accident she suffered while defending Vôlei Futuro.