Nov. 13, 2000
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No. 23 Tigers Take Big 12 Break for Trip to Drake
The University of Missouri volleyball team takes a break from Big 12 action traveling to Iowa for the second time this season tonight as they take on the Drake Bulldogs in Des Moines. The Tigers are currently 21-5 overall and 12-5 in the Big 12. The 21 wins by the Mizzou squad equals the number of losses last years 10-21 squad registered. Mizzou currently sits in third place in the Big 12 behind Nebraska (24-0, 16-0 Big 12) and Kansas State (18-6, 12-4 Big 12) and will face Kansas on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan. The Tigers continued to make history during the 2000 campaign last Saturday defeating Texas for only the second time in school history and sweeping the season series from the Longhorns for the first time in MU history. Mizzou is 21-0 when winning the first game of a match in 2000 and 0-5 when losing the opening stanza.
A Closer Look at Drake:
The 2000 campaign has been an uphill battle for the Bulldogs as they currently sit at 7-20 on the year and 5-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are led by senior outside hitter Kim Bahr, who is averaging a team-high 3.23 kills per game and .239 hitting percentage. Bahr also leads Drake on defense recording a team-high 85 total blocks (8 block solos/ 77 block assists). Senior Stacy Kocourek has also been solid leading the team in digs per game (3.61) and and is second on the team in service aces with 16. The Tigers lead the all-time series 15-5-1. The Bulldogs and Tigers have split the past six meetings with the latest tilt going in the favor of Mizzou, a 3-0 sweep in Columbia on Sept. 4, 1998.
On Saturday, No. 11...
No. 23 MU Takes Season Series from Longhorns
The University of Missouri volleyball team continued its historical 2000 campaign Saturday night defeating the University of Texas Longhorns for only the second time in MU history, 15-9, 15-10, 15-9.
Mizzou put their patented balanced attack on display for the 1,195 Mizzou faithful, the fourth largest crowd in school history, with four Tigers reaching double figures in kills. MU was led offensively by the outside hitter combination of junior Naaron Branson and sophomore Lisa Morris. Branson recorded her third double-double of the season putting down 16 kills, 12 digs and three total blocks while hitting .519 for the match. Morris chalked up her eighth double-double of the season also putting down 16 kills while picking up a match-high 14 digs.
Kreklow Returns to Alma Mater
Monday night's match with Drake will be a homecoming of sorts for MU Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. Kreklow earned his BA in Social Sciences in 1980 and also played basketball for the Bulldogs. He was a first-team all-MVC (Missouri Valley Conference) and District 5 all-american performer his senior season for the Bulldogs before going on to a five year professional basketball career
Mizzou Continues to Climb: Now at No. 23
Tigers receive 245 votes in USA Today/AVCA Top 25
The University of Missouri volleyball team (21-5 overall, 12-5 Big 12) climbed one spot in last week's USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll to No. 23. The No. 23 ranking is the highest spot the Tigers have reached in the five consecutive weeks they have appeared in the poll. The five-week stretch is the longest time span the Tigers have been ranked in school history. This week's poll will be released late Monday afternoon.
MU Jumps into Top 30 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 30 in average home attendance. The Tigers rank 29th averaging 858 fans per home contest and have attracted seven of the top 10 largest home crowds in the programs 27-year history.
Tigers Continue to Flourish Under Kreklows
Mizzou is now 21-5 on the year and 12-5 in the Big 12 Conference under the tutelage of Head Coach Susan Kreklow and Associate Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. The 20 overall wins are the most by a Tiger team since 1992, when that squad was 22-11. The 12 conference wins are also a record for an MU volleyball team during the program's time in both the Big 8 (1983-95) and the Big 12 (1996-2000). The previous high was seven in 1983 and also in 1984.
2,009-A New Standard in a New Era
Mizzou played in front of the largest home crowd in school history in its loss to No. 1 Nebraska on Wed., Oct 25, 2000. The 2,009 Mizzou Maniacs who walked through the Hearnes Center turnstiles surpassed the former record of 1,350 on Oct. 31, 1997. The Tigers have drawn seven of the Top 10 crowds in school history this season and continue to roll through the Big 12 season.
Johns Adjusts
After the injury to junior outside hitter Kristen Johnson, freshman Ashlee Johns is making the transition from her normal middle blocker position to outside hitter. After experiencing some early growing pains, Johns is beginning to come into her own.
She is averaging 3.16 kills per game since the promotion and had great night on Oct. 28 against Iowa State when she put down 14 kills and recorded a .600 hitting percentage. Johns then added another solid effort to her developing portfolio registering a career-high 17 kills on Wed., Nov. 4 in the Tigers 3-0 sweep of Baylor.
Flexing Thier Muscle in 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 .358 hitting percentage while also ranking second on the team in total blocks with 73 total blocks (13 solo / 60 assists).
Myers continues to be a presence in the middle, averaging 3.04 kills per game while putting up a .356 hitting percentage. Myers has also proved to be the Tigers "immovable object," recording 118 total blocks (35 solo and 83 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 shares the distinction with former Tiger Melinda Wrye, who put down 24 kills on Nov. 14, 1992 against SEMO.
Branson joins Myers' Block Party
Against Baylor on Sept. 23, 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 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.
Getting Up for the Down Ball
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. Morris has doubled her excitement, recording eight double-doubles (kills and digs) this season and leads the team with 30 service aces.
She also leads the team in both kills (363) and attacks (998) while slating 60 blocks on the year. If Morris can maintain her 4.34 kills per game average, she will be only the second Tiger in history to average over four kills per game in a single season. Yvette Buhlig set the MU school record when she averaged 4.68 kills per game in 1992.
Junior Kristen Johnson made her return to the Tiger lineup and put down seven kills against Texas Tech on Nov. 4. Johnson had missed the past three weeks due to an injury to her left knee. She is third on the squad in kills (206) and hitting percentage, hitting a robust .319 on the year.
Home Sweet Hearnes has Proven to Be Upset Central
The Tigers are now 12-1 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.
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 has 4,720 assists for her career after her 49-assist performance against Texas. 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 Tiger's win over Kansas on Oct. 11, the Kreklows picked up their 100th total victory in the past three years.
2000 Tiger Tid Bits...
lThe Tigers are 65-19 in games. Mizzou's 21 wins more than doubles 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. Mizzou has defeated -No.19 Texas A&M (Sept. 13) -No. 24 Kansas State (Sept. 30) And has lost to: -No. 1 Nebraska (9/16) -No. 1 Nebraska (10/25) -No. 25 Texas A&M (10/21)
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 21-5 record this season, their record now stands at an amazing 106-5 in the last three seasons.
Double-Doubles Abound for 2000 Tigers
Below is a list of double-doubles that have been recorded by MU players in 2000.
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
Nov. 11 vs. Texas - 16 kills-14 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
Nov. 4 vs Texas Tech - 16 kills-15 digs
Nov. 11 vs Texas - 16 kills-12 digs