Oct. 27, 2000

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Tigers Look to Get Back on Track Against Cyclones
After losing two consecutive matches for the first time this season, the University of Missouri volleyball squad is looking to get back on track as it hosts the 2-19 Iowa State Cyclones Saturday night in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers are 9-1 in the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center this season. Despite the mini-losing streak, the Tigers have won seven of their last 10 matches and are tied for third place in the Big 12 at 8-4 in the Big 12 Conference and 17-4 overall. The Tigers trail No. 1 Nebraska (12-0 Big 12, 20-0 overall), No. 21 Texas A&M (9-3 Big 12, 13-5 overall) and share the third spot with Kansas State in the conference standings. The match is the second meeting between the Tigers and the Cyclones in the 2000 season. MU dominated the first face off, sweeping the ISU at Des Moines Area Community College, 15-8, 15-5, 15-5. Sophomore Lisa Morris paced the Tigers with 16 kills while junior Kristen Johnson pitched in with 12. The Cyclones have struggled this season, checking in with a 2-19 overall record and a 0-12 Big 12 mark. Offensively, senior Stacy Nicks has been solid putting down 2.70 kills per game and also leads the team in blocks per game (1.08). The Cyclones are hitting only .116 on the year while opponents have registered a .256 hitting percentage. Despite their struggles this season, the Cyclones still own a 26-21 advantage in the all-time series over MU. The Cylones dominated the series between 1989 and 1996, winning 16 straight over the Tigers. However, the Tigers are on a seven-match winning streak in the series.

2,009-A New Standard in a New Era
Mizzou played in front of the largest home crowd in school history in their loss to No. 1 Nebraska on Wednesday. The 2,009 Mizzou Maniacs that walked through the turnstiles at the Hearnes Center surpassed the former record of 1,350 on Oct. 31, 1997. The Tigers have drawn five of the Top 10 crowds in school history this season and continue to roll through the Big 12 season.

On Wed., Oct. 25... Top-Ranked Nebraska Too Much for MU
Tigers play in front of largest crowd in school history Despite playing in front of the largest crowd in Missouri volleyball history (2,009) the 25th-ranked University of Missouri volleyball team was swept by No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 15-7, 15-4, 15-11. The Huskers hit .346 on the night and held Mizzou to .146 as the Huskers improved to 20-0 overall and 12-0 in the Big 12. Game one was all Nebraska as it jumped out to a 13-1 lead. The Tigers made pulled within six, 13-7, but were unable to ebb the Husker tide and dropped the game, 15-7. The Huskers dominated game two as well, hitting .515 and using aggressive serving and effective schemes to throw the Tigers out of their offense. Mizzou hung with NU in the third game and was within one point, 12-11, before the Huskers put away three straight points following a NU timeout. The Huskers took the game 15-11 and recorded its 20th win of the season. The Tigers did not have an answer for Nebraska junior Kim Behrends, who put down six kills in each of the first two games and finished with 14 kills for the match. The Huskers recorded six service aces and 12. 0 total blocks including eight by junior Jenny Kropp. Sophomore Lisa Morris again paced the Tigers, putting down 14 kills and four digs while freshman Ashlee Johns pitched in with nine kills. Sophomore Christi Myers had a solid night at the night at the net, recording six total blocks (3 solo/ 3 assists).

Mizzou Jumps into Top 40 in Attendance
Susan and Wayne Kreklow have brought a winning attitude and a new look to Missouri Volleyball. Along with the new attitude, a new interest in the program has taken shape. The proof of this turnaround lies in the Tigers recent jump into the NCAA Top 40 at No. 31 in average home attendance. The Tigers are averaging 771 fans per home contest and have attracted five of the top 10 largest home crowds in the programs 27-year history.

Tumultuous Trips to Texas
The Lone Star State has not been kind to Mizzou this season. Of the three MU losses, two have come in Texas (the 3-0 setback to A&M and a 3-2 loss to Texas Tech on Sept. 28). Mizzou has one trip to Texas remaining on the schedule when it travels to Baylor on Wed., Nov. 1. The lone win in the Lone Star State came on Wed., Oct. 4, when the Tigers swept Texas.

Tigers Hang Tough in AVCA/USA Today Coches Poll
The University of Missouri volleyball team remained in the American Volleyball Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25 for the third-straight week, dropping to No. 25. The Tigers are now 17-3 on the year and 8-3 in the Big 12 Conference. The drop came after the Tigers, who were No. 24, were swept by the Texas A&M Aggies last Saturday, 16-14, 15-13, 15-3. The Aggies, who were No. 25, jumped to No. 21. Prior to Oct. 9, 2000, a Mizzou squad had not been ranked in the AVCA poll since Nov. 1, 1982, when that team was No. 20. The highest rank a Tiger team has reached was the No. 18 slot on Oct. 18, 1982.

KJ and Christi: Monitoring the Middle
Junior Krista Johnson and sophomore Christi Myers have provided a spark at the middle blocker position for the Tigers this season. Krista (KJ) Johnson has been the Tigers "unstoppable force" recording a team-high .369 hitting percentage while also ranking second on the team in total blocks with 56 total blocks (7 solo / 49 assists). Myers continues to be a presence in the middle averaging 3.00 kills per game while putting up a .363 hitting percentage. Myers has also proved to be the Tigers "immovable object" recording 95 total blocks (28 solo and 67 assists) on the year.

Morris Ties MU Termination Mark
Sophomore Lisa Morris' 24-kill effort in the Tigers 3-0 sweep of Oklahoma Oct. 24 tied an MU record for kills in a three game match. The Overland Park, Kansas native now shares the distinction with former Tiger Melinda Wrye, who put down 24 kills on Nov. 14, 1992 against SEMO.

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 party, a block party to be exact. 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 82 on the year (23 block solos / 59 block assists).

On the Outside, Looking In
With the second half of the Big 12 schedule under way, the Tiger outside hitters will be asked to continue their outstanding production. Sophomore Lisa Morris must chew Wrigley's Double Mint Gum by Wrigley's. Morris has doubled her excitement, recording seven double-doubles (kills and digs) this season and leads the team with 26 service aces. She leads the team in both kills (290) and attacks (790), while also slating 44 blocks on the year. Junior Kristen Johnson has also been outstanding thus far for the Tigers. She is currently rehabbing after an injury to her left knee and is expected to return to the Tiger lineup in approximately one to two weeks. Johnson is third on the squad in kills (194) and attacks (417). She is third on the team in hitting percentage, hitting a robust .341 on the year. With the injury to Johnson, freshman Ashlee Johns has been asked to step out from her middle blocker spot to outside hitter and has been solid. Johns is averaging 2.53 kills per game in 19 games played. She recorded a career-high 12 kills on Wed., Oct. 11 in the Tigers 3-0 sweep of Kansas.

Home Sweet Hearnes has Proven to Be Upset Central
The Tigers are now 9-1 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 hometown crowd.

Tiger Tid Bits...
lThe Tigers are 53-16 in games this season. Mizzou's 17 wins this season eclipses the team's win total from a year ago when they went 10-21.

lMU is 2-3 against ranked opponents this season and 0-2 against Top 10 teams beating then No. 19 Texas A&M on Sept. 13, losing to No. 25 Texas A&M on Oct. 21, losing to No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 16 and Oct. 25, and defeating No. 24 Kansas State on Sept. 30.

lHead Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow were a combined 85-0 in their last two seasons at Columbia College before taking over at Mizzou. With the Tigers 17-4 record this season, their record now stands at an amazing 102-4 in the last three seasons.

Gerber With the Assist
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 4,498 assists for her career after her 30-assist performance against Nebraska. 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 Eclipse the Century Mark
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. In the Tigers Wed., Oct. 11 win over Kansas, the Kreklows picked up their 100th total victory in the past three years. 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 19th largest crowd recorded by the AVCA this season-a rowdy 4,167.

Four Tiger Volleyball Matches to Be Broadcast on Radio
Through the joint efforts of the Premier Marketing Group, Ellis Copy Center, and Missouri Sports Properties, fans of the Tigers will be able to enjoy Tiger volleyball action on KWWC 90.5 FM.. The Wed., Nov. 22 battle with Oklahoma will be the final home match of the season and will be included in the package. All matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. Central time.

Double-Doubles Abound for 2000 Tigers
Below is a list of double-doubles that have been 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 Sept. 27 vs. Texas Tech - 29 kills-21 digs Oct. 11 vs. Kansas - 23 kills-14 digs Oct. 18 vs. Colorado - 17 kills-10 digs

Christi Myers
Sept. 9 vs. Arkansas State - 11 kills-11 blocks Sept. 23 vs. Baylor - 13 kills-12 blocks Sept. 27 vs. Texas Tech - 17 kills-12 digs

Naaron Branson
Sept. 30 vs. Kansas State - 10 kills-10 digs