September 14, 1998

COLUMBIA, Mo. -

Tigers Start Season off on a Winning Note
The University of Missouri womens volleyball team started the 1998 season off on a winning note by capturing the Tiger Invitational title. Unlike last season, the Tigers started off the season in front of their home crowd. The Tigers opened up the tournament by defeating Drake 3-0 and Northeast Louisiana 3-0. MU had a tougher time on Saturday, taking four games to defeat Western Kentucky and finished out the Invitational by defeating Bradley 3-0. "We played solid as a team," said coach Johnson. "At times we were really great and at times we were really average. Overall, though, we were solid. It was good to be tested and I saw some real bright signs." Senior Renee Rosinski and sophomore Heather Gerber were named to the all-tournament team for their performances. Sophomore middle blocker Annette Luyten dominated the tournament on both ends, earning all-tournament honors. "This gives us a good basis of where we need to be at practice," said Luyten. "Preconference games are meant to get focused and ready for conference play. I saw some improvements to make and stuff I need to personally work on and iron out, but it wasnt too bad for the first tournament of the year."

Scouting the opponents
Wake Forest enters the Invitational with a 4-1 overall record. The Deacons defeated Marshall, St. Johns and UNC-Greensboro in the Deacon Invitational. The Deacons fell to Oklahoma 3-1, earning second place. The Deacons are led by freshman Trina Maso de Mayo. Maso de Mayo is averaging 4.50 kills per game for Wake Forest. Fridays match will be the first meeting between Wake Forest and Missouri. Oregon enters this weekends tournament with a 3-3 record. In the Oregon Invitational, the Ducks defeated Denver and Northern Arizona. The Ducks fell to Fresno State 3-0. The Ducks are led by senior outside hitter Madeline Ernest. Ernest is averaging 5.53 kills per game for the Ducks. Saturdays match between Missouri and Oregon will be the second meeting between the two teams. Oregon leads the series 1-0. Minnesota enters the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record. The Golden Gophers won the Naval Academy Tournament this weekend by defeating Virginia, Loyola, Buffalo, Navy and American. The Golden Gophers offense is led by sophomore outside hitter Nicole Branagh. Branagh is averaging 5.05 kills per game. Missouri and Minnesota have met 12 times. Minnesota holds a 10-1-1 advantage over the Tigers.

Family ties
Tiger sophomore Jen Gerlach has a special tie to the Oregon setter. Oregons Julie Gerlach is Jens younger sister. Julie is a freshman setter for the Ducks and is expected to start for Oregon.

Ties that bind
Minnesota head coach Mike Hebert was the former head coach at the University of Illinois. Hebert coached Disa Johnson during her playing days for the Fighting Illini. Johnson also assisted Hebert at Illinois before coming to Missouri.

New faces
Disa Johnson has expanded her staff this season. Johnson has added assistants Andy Nedzel and former MU Tiger Jen Siebert. Nedzel come to Missouri after spending two years at Sports Performance Volleyball Club in Illinois. Siebert joins the staff after spending three seasons as member of the Tiger squad. Siebert serves as a student assistant.

Lefty in the house
Freshman hitter Naaron Branson becomes Johnsons first lefthanded hitter at Missouri. Branson, from Ft. Smith, Ark., will see a lot of playing time on the right side for the Tigers.

Noting Johnson
Head coach Disa Johnson begins her fifth season at the helm of the Tigers volleyball program. Last season was Johnsons most successful since taking over the reigns five years ago. In the rebuilding process at Missouri, Johnson has compiled a 30-97 record. Last seasons 15-20 record marked her best season with the Tigers. Johnson came to Missouri from Illinois, where she was an assistant coach for four years. Johnson served as the captain of the Illinois volleyball squad in 1986 and 1987, helping the Illini win consecutive Big Ten Championships. In 1987, the Fighting Illini advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

Tournament honors
Senior Renee Rosinski and sophomore Heather Gerber were named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team. Sophomore Annette Luyten earned MVP honors for her outstanding performance. Luyten led the team in hitting percentage, hitting at a .357 clip for the weekend. Luyten also led the team in kills, banging our 3.69 per game.

Mus record when. . .
3-0 three games 1-0 four games 0-0 five games 2-0 on Fridays 2-0 on Saturdays 0-0 on Sundays 4-0 in September 0-0 in October 0-0 in November 2-0 in white uniforms 2-0 in black uniforms 2-0 when playing before 5 p.m. 2-0 when playing after 5 p.m. 3-0 when leading 2-0 after two games 0-0 when trailing 2-0 after two games 1-0 when 1-1 after two games 4-0 at home 0-0 away 0-0 at a neutral site 4-0 outblock the opponent 0-0 outblocked by the opponent 4-0 have more kills than opponent 0-4 opponent has more kills

Tigers vs. conferences
0-0 Big 12 1-0 Sunbelt 2-0 Missouri Valley 1-0 Southland 0-0 Atlantic Coast 0-0 Pac 10 0-0 Big Ten 0-0 Southeastern 0-0 Patriot League 0-0 America East