May 31, 2001

Shanghai, China - The University of Missouri volleyball began its second week of training in China on Tuesday. After arriving in Shanghai yesterday and having the day to rest and relax, the Tigers trained with the Shanghai Cable TV station volleyball team. The competition is considered to be some of the best in China as many onlookers gathered outside the gymnasium to watch the Tigers practice and play against the talented team.

After a 7:30 a.m. wake up call, the Tigers ate breakfast and then had a light walk through at 9:00 a.m. working on mostly defense, passing and transition. After lunch, Mizzou held its second practice of the day at 3:00 p.m. in the Olympic sports training center, practicing with the Shanghai team. The Training Center is just a two-minute walk from the Tigers hotel and is right next to a huge soccer/ track and field venue. When the Tigers asked assistant coach Deng Yang and Chen Feng what the name of the stadium was, they said that the stadium is known simply as the "80,000 person stadium" because that is the capacity. Following practice, the Tigers had supper and then were able to relax for the evening.

The Tigers exchanged gifts with the team, led them through their pre-practice warm up, and then trained with them on various drills and held a short scrimmage. Despite going up against a much larger squad in the Shanghai team, Mizzou was able to hold their own. Senior Krista Johnson played exceptionally well in the scrimmage. She put down nine kills on 16 attacks while committing only two errors. Senior Katie Sowers continued her solid play picking up nine digs in the two-hour scrimmage.

The Tigers will continue their training tomorrow with two practices scheduled with the Shanghai team as they train for the upcoming 2001 campaign.