Sept. 20, 2000
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COLUMBIA, Mo.--The University of Missouri volleyball team continues its busy schedule this week as they take a road trip to Iowa State on Wed., Sept. 21, and then host the Baylor Bears on Sat., Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. The Tigers are in the midst of a nine-match-in-14-day streak that will end Saturday against the Bears. The team will then have a four day break before traveling to Texas Tech. The Tigers have flourished thus far under new Head Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. MU is now 10-1 on the year and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Mizzou looks to bounce back from last weekends setback at the hands of No. 1 Nebraska as they travel to Ames, Iowa to take on the Cyclones. ISU is 2-7 on the year and 0-2 in the conference. They are led by junior Nanette Allen who leads the Cyclones in kills (86), and kills per game (2.77). ISU owns the series between the Cyclones and the Tigers, 26-20. This series has definitely been dominated by streaky play by both teams. From 1989-1996, the Cyclones dominated the Tigers, winning 16 straight matches. However, the Tigers have had ISU's number from 1997 to the present winning the last six battles. On Saturday, the Tigers welcome the Baylor Bears to the Hearnes Center for a 7:00 p.m., matchup. The Bears are 7-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears were ranked 24th earlier in the year, but fell out of the Top 25 after losing to No. 22 Kansas State. The Bears did receive 106 votes this week, missing the top 25 by just 16 points. Baylor currently leads the series with the Tigers 6-2. The two teams split two matches last year with the Tigers picking up a dramatic 3-2, win over the then No. 23 Bears in Columbia on Nov. 6, 1999 in Columbia.
A look at last week...
Tigers fall to Huskers: Mizzou drops first match of the season to No. 1 Huskers The University of Missouri volleyball team will have to settle for the second best start to a season by a MU squad. The Tigers 10-game winning streak ended Sat., Sept. 16 as MU fell to the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, 15-0, 15-9, and 15-3. MU was led by sophomore Lisa Morris, who put down nine kills, five digs, a block solo and a block assist. Junior Kristen Johnson also continued to play solid picking up eight kills and four digs.
Mizzou Downs No. 19 Texas A&M: Tigers are 10-0, will face top-ranked Nebraska on Saturday Columbia, Mo. - In what was undoubtedly the University of Missouri volleyball team's most exciting match of the season, the Tigers knocked off No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies, 15-12, 15-8, and 15-8. In front of 537 Tiger fans, the Aggies came out on fire stepping out to a 7-2 lead in the first game. The Tigers then went on to score six unanswered points, but then fell behind once again, 12-8. After a Mizzou time out, the whole complexion of the match seemed to change as the Tigers rattled off seven straight points to win the game, gain the momentum, and eventually win the match. Leading the way for the Tigers once again were the usual suspects of sophomore Lisa Morris and junior Kristen Johnson. Both outside hitters registered 13 kills on the night to lead the Tigers while Morris also added two service aces. Junior Naaron Branson and Christi Myers both had solid nights knocking down nine kills a piece. Senior Heather Gerber continued her outstanding play picking up right where she left off, an MVP performance at the Lathrop & Gage Tiger Invitational last weekend, and handed out 41 assists.
Gerber Breaks Four Grand: Senior setter Heather Gerber claimed the MU all-time career assists title on Fri., Sept. 8 with her 35-assist performance against Morgan State. Gerber now has 4,013 assists for her career after her 23-assist performance against Nebraska. The former record of 3,812 assists was formerly held by Cindy Atterberry who graduated in 1993. Senior Annette Luyten also continues her climb up the MU record charts and is now in the No. 4 position the career block/assists category with 219.
The Kreklow's and Co.: Head Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow have had great success in their coaching careers. They led Columbia College, a NAIA school here in Columbia, to two straight national championships and accumulated a six-year record of 461-81. In 1998 and 1999, the Cougars went a combined 85-0. It is rare for a husband and wife to be coaching the same team with such great success. But the Kreklow's are only one of the two husband-wife tandems on the Tiger staff. Assistant Coaches Deng Yang and Cheng Fung are also married.
Outside Hitters Continue to Spark Tiger Attack: The outside hitters on the MU squad have continued their solid play throughout the non-conference schedule. Junior Kristen Johnson wasted no time after transferring to MU from Washington State to make an impact for the Tigers. Johnson now leads the Tigers in kills (124), is second on the team in attacks (254), and has recorded a .370 hitting percentage to date. Sophomore Lisa Morris is also showing signs of having a great career at Mizzou. She is second on the team with 114 kills on a team-high 313 attacks, while also slating 26.0 blocks on the year.
Double-Double's abound for 2000 Tigers: Below is a list of double-doubles that have recorded by MU players in 2000. Lisa Morris
Sept. 2 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock - 12 kills-15 digs
Sept. 2 vs. Oral Roberts - 15 kills-18 digs
Sept. 8 vs. TCU - 16 kills-11 digs
Sept. 9 vs. Marquette - 12 kills-10 digs
Christi Myers
Sept. 9 vs. Arkansas State - 11 kills-11 blocks
Tiger Tid Bits...
The Tigers are 30-4 in games this season, the best mark in the Big 12. MU is currently ranked sixth in the Big Twelve at 10-1 and 1-1 in conference action. Mzzou's 10 wins this season equals the team's win total from a year ago when they went 10-21.
MU is 1-1 against ranked opponents this season, beating then No. 19 Texas A&M and losing to No. 1 Nebraska.
Since 1996, Mizzou is 1-3 in the third game of Big 12 Conference Regular season competition.
Head Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow were a combined 85-0 in thier last two seasons at Columbia College before taking over at Mizzou. With the Tigers 10-1 record this season, their record now stands at an amazing 95-1 in the last three seasons.