University of Missouri
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Kansas
Tiger Offense Sparks Sweep of Kansas
10/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou volleyball team improved to 14-8 on the season and 6-6 in Big 12 play after sweeping the rival Jayhawks, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 28-26), on Wednesday night (Oct. 27) at the Hearnes Center. Four Tigers finished the match with more than 10 kills, led by 13 from senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia (Cali, Colombia). Her 13 kills were a match high. Mizzou also matched its season-high with 13 blocks in the sweep. The 13 are also the most by the Tigers in a three-set match.
Mizzou 3, Kansas 0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | F | |
| KANSAS | 23 | 21 | 26 | x | x | 0 |
| MIZZOU | 25 | 25 | 28 | x | x | 3 |
| Stat Leaders | ||
| KANSAS | Statistic | MIZZOU |
|---|---|---|
| Riley (16) | Digs | Vann (26) |
| Tate (33) | Assists | Kreklow (42) |
| Two Players (9) | Kills | Ampudia (13) |
| Tolefree (.571) | Att. % | Brimmage (.467) |
| Two Players (4) | Blocks | Brimmage (7) |
"I thought we did a lot of things well tonight and it showed at the end of the match," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I thought we served and passed a lot better than we did the first time that we played Kansas and that helped lead to a pretty good offensive attack. The match felt a lot closer than a sweep because I think Kansas is a team that matches up very well with us."
Aside from Ampudia, the Tiger offense saw senior Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) pitch in 11 kills while Brittney Brimmage (East St. Louis, Ill.) added 10. Brimmage also added a team-high seven blocks, one off of her career-best. Freshman Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minn.) and senior Catie Wilson (Omaha, Neb.) also blocked well, adding six and five, respectively. Kreklow's six blocks are a career-best while Wilson's five blocks went along with six kills and two aces, giving her 11 points on the night.
Kreklow also quarterbacked a Tiger offense that finished with 49 kills in the match as she assisted on 42 of those in just three sets. Her 42 assists are her fourth-best three-set total this season but she spread 18 of those in the first set, assisting on all 18 of the Tigers' kills in the first.
The improved Tiger block also led to great play from the Tiger back row as Mizzou pulled in 57 digs in the match, a three-set high for the Tigers this season. Senior libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) posted her fourth 20-dig effort in the last five matches with 26, a three-set season-best. Over her last five matches, Vann has 116 digs and is averaging 6.11 per set in that span. Ampudia also posted 10 digs on the night, giving her a double-double, her sixth of the season.
Mizzou came out and was as impressive offensively in the first set as it had been all season, posting 18 kills on .342 hitting. The offense was a key reason why the Tigers were able to run away from Kansas in the first, 25-23. Mizzou posted four of its 13 blocks in the first and five players finished the frame with three or more kills.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair until Mizzou pulled away late in the set. With the score 20-19, Mizzou scored five of the next seven, four of which came on kills, to take the set, 25-21. Brimmage had two of the four kills down the stretch to help the Tigers pull away.
The third set may have been the most entertaining set of the match as Mizzou rallied from an early 5-8 deficit to send the frame to extra points. In fact, Kansas led 22-21 late in the third and the teams traded points until the score was knotted at 26. But the Tigers turned to Klein, who was playing in her final home match against Kansas, and she tallied back-to-back kills to give Mizzou the set, 28-26, and the match.
A season-high 2,651 fans watched the Tigers top their archrivals on Wednesday. Mizzou will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts the Kansas State Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center as it will look to "Bust the House." For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
