University of Missouri
TCU
Missouri Volleyball Finishes 2-2 At Oregon State
9/7/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 7, 1999
COLUMBIA, Mo. - It was a tough first match for the Tigers as they lost to Northern Iowa in the first match of the Oregon State Volleyball Showcase (14-16, 15-13, 5-15, 7-15). Games one and two were by far the closest. Unfortunately, MU broke down in the final two games and appeared to lose confidence. Despite the loss, there were some positives. Freshmen Nicole Panzau and Christi Myers got their first career starts and played hard with the exception of some rookie jitters. Panzau finished the match with 12 kills while Myers had 11 kills and contributed five blocks.
The Tigers shined in their second match, taking the Portland State Vikings three games to one (15-0, 6-15, 15-13, 15-8). This time it was the veterans that sealed the victory. Sophomore Naaron Branson hit a .478 clip and junior Heather Gerber was 7-9 with no hitting errors, a .667 average. Sophomore Krista Johnson hit a perfect 1.000. Junior Annette Luyten also sparked the offense with five service aces, tying her career high. Following the perfect game one, Mizzou came out struggling in game two, at one point down 3-12. Head coach Disa Johnson called a time out to regroup, but the Tigers were only able to muster three more points. Game three was like a game of ping-pong, going back and forth. Missouri came out, down 1-10. Eventually, they came back to tie the game at 12 and went on to win 15-13.
More than any other match of the showcase, the Tigers fought like they wanted the victory in their third match. MU dominated three of the four games that they took from the TCU Horned Frogs. And, yet again, it was the play of the freshmen that put the Tigers above the .500 mark through three matches. Christi Myers and Nicole Panzau dominated at the net, recording 15 and 11 kills and six and four block assists, respectively. Redshirt freshman Lisa Morris also contributed 10 kills to the win.
In the final match of the showcase, Missouri was unable to overpower the host, Oregon State. The Tigers clawed their way through the first game, taking the Beavers 15-13. It was the play of Naaron Branson that paved the road to victory with her five kills. Those five kills turned into 13 before the match was over. Unfortunately, Branson?s play was not enough to overcome Oregon State. But it did lead her to a spot on the all-tournament team. Branson was the only non-Beaver or Northern Iowa Panther to be picked for the team.
