June 22, 2001

Story ran on Thursday, June 21, 2001

Susan Kreklow can sit at her desk and allow her imagination to take her away. In just about every corner of her office lies a reminder of her recent trip to China.

Whether it's the signed volleyballs, the framed pictures, the teacup sets or the slick black vase on the bookshelf, each item has a story to tell.

"This was a once and a lifetime opportunity for us to experience something culturally different," Kreklow said. "It wasn't like a vacation for anyone because we were practicing for most of the days. But the experience was something the team won't be able to re-create again."

Earlier this month, the Tigers traveled with two professional club teams in China. The trip's purpose was to allow for the team to practice with the Chinese teams, which had a higher skill level, in the hope the Tigers could learn more about the game.

The Tigers got more than they could have ever bargained for both culturally and athletically. Missouri first played the Jiang Su province team, the home club of MU assistant Deng Yang. The Tigers began their trip at the Nanjing Physical Education Institute, where much like Olympic training centers in the United States, the students are there specifically to train for sports and also academics.

As the team pulled through the gates of what basically amounted to a fortified campus, the Institute's students lined up in traditional outfits to greet them.

"As we were getting off of the bus, we met the mayor of the city and they presented us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers," Kreklow said. "They were incredibly generous. But it was neat to see all of the kids dressed up like that."

The Tigers were led to the gymnasium, which was completely filled with fans and students. As the two teams practiced and later scrimmaged, the noise of horns, cymbals and drums rippled through the crowd of over 3,000.

"It was neat to even practice in front of 3,000 people," senior Rachael Taylor said."We felt like superstars in a way. It was such a different atmosphere because of how loud they got in cheering on their team."

After their first match, the Tigers traveled along the back roads of the area to get a closer view of the lifestyle. While riding in the bus, the Tigers often saw farmers working with simple outdated equipment and rows upon rows of old worn houses.

In addition to seeing how the majority of the population lives, the team got the chance to work just as hard as its Jiang Su counterparts. MU practiced on a similar schedule as its host teams, waking up early in the morning and practicing by 8 a.m., having a quick lunch and practicing again.

"It was neat to be a part of living the daily lives of a club team," Taylor said. "They play volleyball all of the time, and we learned how much work they put into it."

The Tigers did not win any of its games, but the experience will pay off next season.

"Everybody on our team improved dramatically, not only because of the competition we played but because of what we learned through our adversity," senior Katie Sowers said. "It has given us more confidence to play against better competition knowing what we know."

After spending the rest of the first week in towns like Tong Zhou, Zi Dong and Hai An playing in small gymnasiums and packed crowds, the Tigers would often spend their down periods with their host team.

The team would also spend time in local schools, visiting the kids in the classrooms. The players said more often than not they were swarmed by the students.

"The schools that we visited were different because they were centered around one thing like trade schools or private ones," Sowers said. "A lot of the students liked coming up to us and speaking in English, which many were really good at despite their age."

The Tigers then traveled to Shanghai, where they faced the Shanghai women's team. While the Jiang Su team played in more rural settings, Shanghai, which is more modernized, played in even larger stadiums. The Tigers played in front of 8,000 people once.

Shanghai allowed the team to have more modern conveniences like McDonald's and shopping areas. The team was split up in a shopping district with members of the Shanghai team.

"The girls really wanted to get to know us," Taylor said. "It was neat to just hang out with them and do stuff like we normally do."

Kreklow said the trip was certainly a success.

"Practicing with clubs of that high level really helped our team," Kreklow said. "They helped us develop the areas we needed to work on."