Oct. 2, 2000
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Tigers Travel to Lone Star State for Second Time in Two Weeks
The University of Missouri volleyball team continues to wrack up frequent flyer miles this week as they travel to Austin, Texas, Wed., Oct. 4 to take on the Texas Longhorns. The Tigers are coming off an upset win over then No. 24 Kansas State last Saturday and look for better results from this weeks trip to the Lone Star state. The Tigers lost a hard-fought five game thriller to Texas Tech on Sept. 27.
The Texas Longhorns are 7-12 on the season and 2-3 in the Big 12 Conference. The Horns are a young team with only two seniors on the roster. Injuries have also plagued Texas and they have been forced to use several different starting lineups. Texas is led by junior outside hitter Kathy Tilson, who is averaging 3.50 kills per game and is third in the team in total blocks with 22 on the year. On the serve and defensive front, freshman defensive specialist Lisa Lutkus has proved to be very effective racking up a team-high 27 service aces while also slating a team-high 124 digs.
UT has been perfect against the Tigers in the all-time series claiming an 8-0 lead. As a matter of fact, UT has lost only two games to the Tigers since their first meeting in 1996. The Tigers look to reverse that trend and also look to improve upon the second best start since 1982 by a Tiger squad.
Mizzou Sweep No. 24 Kansas State
In front of the largest crowd of the season (793), the University of Missouri volleyball squad picked up a much-needed upset win last Saturday over No. 24 Kansas State 15-9, 15-13, and 17-15. The Tigers improve to 13-2 on the year and 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference while the Wildcats drop to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Tiger win is the first over Kansas State since 1993 and also evens the all-time series at 26 matches apiece. The three-game loss was a first for the Wildcats this season.
In a match that featured somewhat sloppy play at times (28 total service errors between the two squads) the Tigers used outstanding blocking (20 total team blocks) and timely hitting to claim the win. Mizzou recorded a .242 hitting percentage while holding Kansas State to just .174.
Tigers Receive Votes
University of Nebraska Cornhuskers retained their No. 1 strangle hold on the top spot of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 this week. Mizzou more than doubled their vote total from last weeks poll picking up 70 votes, putting them approximately in 26th position. Texas Tech, who the Tigers lost to last week, jumped to No. 24 in the latest poll. The last time the Tigers were ranked was a three-week stretch in 1982 when the Tigers were ranked as high as No. 18 on October 19.
Branson joins Myers' Block Party
On Sat., Sept. 23, against Baylor there was music (provided by Point Mizzou, the MU Volleyball Pep band), food (provided by concessions stands), and of course, a crowd (776 Tiger faithful to be exact), so sophomore Christi Myers decided to throw a block party. Myers tied the Big 12 single match record with her five solo block performance. She finished the night with 12 total blocks.
Junior Naaron Branson joined the party on Sat., Sept. 30 when she also recorded five block solos in the Tigers three game sweep of No. 24 Kansas State. Branson, Myers, and three other players now share the Big 12 record. Myers leads the Tigers in blocks with 72 on the year (21 block solos/51 block assists).
Branson, Morris and Johnson: The Terminators
The outside hitters on the MU squad continue to put up big numbers this season. The latest example of this trend is the outstanding performance by junior Naaron Branson on Sat., Sept. 30 against Kansas State. Branson collected her first double-double of the 2000 season with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Sophomore Lisa Morris has proven to be a vital cog in the Tiger wheel. Morris has recorded four double-doubles (kills and digs) this season and leads the team with 19 service aces. She leads the team in both kills (189) and attacks (529), while also slating 37 blocks on the year.
Junior Kristen Johnson has also been outstanding thus far for the Tigers. Johnson is now second on the squad in kills (182) and attacks (388). She is second on the team in hitting percentage as well, hitting a robust .348 on the year.
Home Sweet Hearnes has
Proved to Be Upset Central
The Tigers are now 7-0 in the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center. MU has defeated two ranked opponents (then No. 19 Texas A&M and then No. 24 Kansas State), won the Lathrop & Gage Tiger Invitational, and pulled out a thrilling five game match over Baylor in front of the home town crowd. And speaking of hometown crowds, the Tiger played in front of the largest home crowd of the season (793) on Sat., Sept. 30 in a three-game win over Kansas State.
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 4,253 assists for her career after her 53-assist performance against Kansas State. The former record of 3,812 assists was 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 in the career block/assists category with 221.
The Kreklows and Co.
Head Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow have had great success in their coaching careers. They led Columbia College, an 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.
Tigers Faced Nebraska's Seventh Woman
The Tiger volleyball team traveled to Nebraska on Sat., Sept. 16., to take on the Huskers at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln. Besides having to face the No. 1 team in the land on their home court, MU witnessed the 11th largest crowd recorded by the AVCA this season-a rowdy 4,167.
Tiger Tid Bits...