University of Missouri
Eastern Washington
Tigers Sweep EWU, Move to 4-0 in 2010
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2010
MALIBU, Calif. - The Mizzou volleyball team improved to 4-0 on the season after sweeping Eastern Washington, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-17), in game one of the Pepperdine Asics Challenge at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday (Sept. 3). Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia (Cali, Colombia) paced Mizzou with 16 kills on .312 hitting while reigning Big 12 Rookie of the Week Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minn.) dished 37 helpers, leading a Mizzou offense that hit .311.
"Overall I thought it was a pretty good match for us today," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I thought Jules, Catie and Paola all played very well for us and it was just another great team effort for us. The back row played really well and we were in system most of the match.
"Eastern Washington is a very athletic team," Kreklow continued. "So it was nice for us to get out there and battle against a team that is that athletic. That is the benefit of playing in tournaments like this. You really get to see how your team responds to some different situations and I thought we handled it well today."
Aside from Ampudia - who led Mizzou in kills for the first time this season - the Tiger offense was anchored by the play of its middle hitters, Catie Wilson (Omaha, Neb.) and Brittney Brimmage (East St. Louis, Mo.). Wilson hit a team-high .583 with seven kills on 12 errorless attacks while Brimmage hit .412 with 10 kills. Freshman Lisa Henning (Blue Springs, Mo.) added eight kills while senior Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) finished with five kills on .286 hitting. The match marked the third time in four matches that Mizzou has hit at least .300.
Mizzou's back line was also dominant in the match, out-digging EWU by 15 with 45 total digs. Senior libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) matched her season-best with 19 and was the only Tiger in double-digits on the back row. But despite having just one player in double figures, eight different Tigers tallied a dig in the match. Kreklow was the next-best behind Vann with seven, just missing her second career double-double.
Kreklow had another fine night as well as she dished 37 assists - one off of her career-best 38 - as she averaged 12.33 per set as she continues to lead the league in that department with her 12.17 per frame. Mizzou's offense (15.50 kills per set) continues to lead the league while its hitting percentage (.322) is second in the league. Wilson is currently pacing the Big 12 in hitting at .537 as well. With her 19 digs in the match, Vann also moved into second place in the league, averaging 5.33 digs per set this season.
Mizzou took the first set handily as Kreklow dished 11 assists on 13 Tiger kills, nine of which came from Brimmage and Ampudia. Brimmage totaled four kills on just four attacks for a perfect attack percentage through the first set while Ampudia totaled a team-best five kills in the first frame on .300 hitting. The Tigers used a run in the middle of the set to pull away as EWU struggled to slow both Brimmage and Ampudia and the Tigers claimed the first frame, 25-16.
The second set was much tighter as the Eagles ran off to a quick 4-1 lead due in large part to several Tiger miscues. But Mizzou rattled off eight of the next 11 points to gain a 9-7 edge. The Tigers never relinquished that lead despite taking the Eagles' best shot as they claimed the set 25-22. The back row play of Vann, who posted eight digs in the set, along with the rest of the back line was key in the Tigers' second-set win. In fact, the Tiger back row pulled in 18 digs in the frame. Ampudia led the Tigers with six kills on .308 hitting in the set.
Mizzou dominated play in the third as it hit .424 while limiting EWU to just .129 hitting, helping the Tigers win the set, 25-17. The Tigers will continue play at the Pepperdine Asics Challenge tomorrow as they will play Rice and Pepperdine. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
