University of Missouri
Texas State
Mizzou Takes CenturyTel Premier Title With Win Over Texas State
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 8, 2007
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Missouri volleyball team (6-2) played without the team's leading scorer, sophomore Julianna Klein, but pulled out a four-game, 30-23, 25-30, 30-24, 30-27, victory over Texas State on Saturday to win the CenturyTel Premier in San Marcos. Klein was named the Tournament MVP despite no playing time today. Frosh Weiwen Wang helped save the day with 18 kills and three aces to land on the all-tournament team.
Wang and sophomore Megan Wilson tied for the team's high with 18 kills. Wilson's tally on a .364 hitting strike is a new career-high.
Senior Na Yang, who scored on 10 kills today, adding 13 digs for her second double-double of the season was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Tigers had to play without the services of Klein who went down with a knee injury in the third game of yesterday's match against Houston. Klein is the team's leader with 4.44 kills per game and ranks second on the team with 2.85 digs per game. Future prognosis on Klein is still unknown.
Sophomore Lei Wang carded 50 assists on the day, adding five blocks and seven digs. Senior Tatum Ailes scooped 19 digs with frosh Caitlyn Vann adding 13.
Mizzou used a 6-0 run in game one off the serving of Ailes to run to a 30-23 game win. Although the Bobcats responded with a 6-2 run, the Tigers scored four of the final five points to close.
The Tigers fell to a quick deficit in game two, down at 12-5, recovering to come within three before losing the frame 30-25.
In game three, the Tigers were up as much as six at 12-6 before an 8-1 Texas State run squandered the lead. The teams would tie all the way to 23-23, but a Na Yang serving run and kills by Weiwen Wang gave Mizzou the 8-1 run to win at 30-24.
Game four was a heart-stopper. The Tigers went down as much as five at 14-9 after an 11-2 Texas State run. Back-and-forth the score went with seven ties and four lead changes in the set. The teams met at 27-all before a three-point push by the Tigers which was ended in dramatic fashion, a kill by senior libero Tatum Ailes on a third-hit save.
The Tigers next will host UMKC in a Wednesday matchup in the Hearnes Center on Wednesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mizzou will start conference play next Saturday at Texas.
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