University of Missouri
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Kansas
No. 24 Mizzou Clips Jayhawks
10/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2000
Columbia, Mo. -The University of Missouri volleyball team picked up its 15th win of the season on Wednesday night in front of the second largest crowd in school history (1148). The Tigers prevailed over a pesky Kansas team 15-13, 11-15, 15-12, 15-8 as Mizzou improves to 15-2 on the season and 6-2 in the Big 12. Coach Susan Kreklow was pleased with the way the Tigers rallied around each other in the match.
"We really battled well tonight." Kreklow said. "We faced a lot adversity and had several changes in the lineup throughout the course of the match, but we eventually found our rhythm ."
Lisa Morris once again provided the cadence for the Tigers rhythm pacing Mizzou with 23 kills and 14 digs as she recorded her fifth double-double of the season. Several other Tigers had quality matches including junior Naaron Branson and sophomore Christi Myers. Branson was fantastic as she put down a season-high 19 kills and also had eight digs while sophomore Christi Myers was once again a presence slamming 15 kills and also collecting a match-high five blocks.
The match was a 2:10 minute affair that showcased very scrappy play. Mizzou jumped out to an 11-1 lead, and the game looked well in hand. However, the Tigers received a major scare in the game as junior Kristen Johnson went down with what appeared to be a knee injury and did not return to the match. The momentum swung to Kansas as the Tigers were able only to pull out a 15-13 win in the game. The second game was all Jayhawks as they dominated play and took the Tigers out of the rhythm grabbing a 15-11 win. Midway through the third game, the Tigers were able to claw back into the match thanks to some inspired play off the bench.
"When Kristen went down, we went to our bench and had people do a nice job, which was huge for us." Kreklow said. "Ashlee Johns, in particular, played outstanding for us in the third and fourth games."
Johns, who is a true freshman, collected a career-high five kills and also had two digs. Sophomore Rachel Reible also played well knocking down two kills in limited action. The Tigers clawed and scratched the rest of the way and were able to win both games three and four outhitting the Jayhawks .291 to .246 on the evening.
Senior Heather Gerber continued to be solid handing 55 assists while fellow senior provided spectacular dig after dig racking up 13 on the night. On the injury front, Kristen Johnson is schedule for a MRI on Thursday.
The win moves the Tigers to 15-2 on the year and 6-2 in the Big 12. Mizzou is 8-0 in the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center but will take to the road this weekend. The Tigers will take on 6-9 Oklahoma, who took on Texas tonight. The Tigers will then return home to take on Colorado on Wed., Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m.. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
