University of Missouri
Maryland
Mizzou Sweeps to Spoil Maryland's Home Opener
9/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Missouri volleyball team (3-1) made quick work of host Maryland (1-3) on Friday night, winning 26-24, 25-14, 25-15, in the first day of the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Invitational in College Park, Md. Sophomore Weiwen Wang (Nanjing, China) led the Tigers with 11 kills in Maryland's 2008 home opener.
Wang calculated a .348 hitting strike on the evening (11-3-23), hitting .500 until late in the third when she committed two-straight errors.
Sophomore Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) was the only other Tiger in double digits with 10 kills. Juniors Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) and Amanda Hantouli (Omaha, Neb.), who shared birthdays on Thursday, played solid. Wilson tabulated seven kills and added two blocks while Hantouli tallied five kills and lead all with three blocks.
Junior setter Lei Wang (Shanghai, China) rallied with two service aces and 25 assists, adding eight digs.
Sophomore Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) picked up 13 digs, alongside frosh Priscilla Armendariz (Kansas City, Mo.), who notched 10.
Maggie Schmelzle's 14 kills led Maryland, who managed only a .019 hitting percentage on the evening.
The first set began with both teams nearly matching point-for-point on the way to 11-11. A few Mizzou miscues helped the Terps to a 4-1 run to spread the score to 15-12, but a kill by Hantouli, a solo-stuff by Klein, and a Maryland attack that went long tied the score at 15-15. After Maryland scored on a kill, Hantouli returned with another kill to spark a 5-1 Mizzou run and give MU a 20-17 lead. Megan Wilson responded to back-to-back Maryland sideouts with thunderous kills from both the left and right sides to make the score 22-19. Two-straight from Maryland's Maggie Schmelze pulled the score within one, but a Terp service error and a kill by Hantouli from an overpass gave Mizzou a chance at set point at 24-21. Schmelze added a kill, and a solo block, and along with a Tiger hitting error, tied the score at 24. Mizzou was able to pull off the set win with a Klein kill and a Lei Wang sneak, ending a long rally, to give the Tigers the 26-24 win. Defense and unforced errors ruled play, as Mizzou was only able to outhit the Terps -.095 to -.082. Weiwen Wang and Hantouli led Mizzou with three kills apiece. Schmelze would score on eight kills during the game for Maryland.
Mizzou forced Maryland to use its first timeout in the second set after connecting on a 7-3 run that included seven Mizzou kills, three coming from Weiwen Wang, giving the Tigers an 11-6 lead. Missouri would continue to get comfortable, running off four straight, which included a Lei Wang ace, that was book-ended by two more Schmelze kills to give Mizzou a 15-7 advantage. Another hammered kill by Megan Wilson forced Maryland to their last timeout at 16-8. At this point in the set, the Tigers were hitting .667 with an errorless 10 kills coming on 15 attempts. The Tigers continued to dominate, allowing only one non-sideout point for the remainder of the set. Klein scored an ace to make the score 22-12, as everything was going right for MU. The Tigers even converted a kill from Megan Wilson directly after a serve reception bounced off Priscilla Armendariz's chest. In a night-and-day-like comparison, Mizzou mounted a .591 hitting strike, committing only one error in the frame. Weiwen Wang led MU in the second with five kills.
In the third, the teams met at 5-5 before a three-point Mizzou run, that included an Armendariz ace, would produce an 8-5 MU lead. The Terps would come within one at 10-9, but a Lei Wang service run that also included an ace and a Hantouli-Brimmage double-block spanned three points to take the Tigers take Mizzou to a four-point, 13-9 lead. Vann would serve another Mizzou three-point run, capitalized by a Brimmage-Weiwen Wang double block to spread the lead to 17-11. Mizzou would be able to end the game and the match on a 8-4 streak. Mizzou held the Terps in the set to -.083 hitting.
The Tigers will complete play at the Spring Hill Suites Invitational on Saturday with a double-header, playing Kentucky (3-2) at Noon, eastern, and St. John's (3-2) at 5:30 p.m., eastern.
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