Sept. 30, 2003

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Missouri looks to get back on the winning track after Texas A&M handed MU its first Big 12 loss of the year last Friday...the Tigers are now 10-3 on the year and 3-1 in the conference following the 3-1 defeat to the Aggies...Shen Danru was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 5.14 kills and 4.14 digs per game in MU's two matches last week...Kansas comes to Columbia with a 10-4 record and is 2-1 in the Big 12...the Jayhawks have won three straight including wins over Colorado and Baylor...MU holds a 37-30 lead in the all-time series with Kansas...the Tigers swept the series last season and have won five of the last six and eight of the last 12 matches.

Scouting the Jayhawks
Kansas brings a 10-4 record and a 2-1 Big 12 Conference mark into Columbia on Wednesday. The Jayhawks have won three straight matches, including wins over conference opponents Colorado and Baylor. KU's only Big 12 loss came from No. 10 Kansas State. Earlier in the year, Kansas upset then No. 13 Minnesota 3-2 at the Minnesota Tournament. Three Jayhawks players are averaging over 3.00 kills per game led by freshman Janaina Correa with a 3.85 average. Ashley Michaels has a 3.13 kills per game average and leads the team with a .361 hitting percentage. Michaels also leads KU with 0.87 blocks per game. Sara Rome has a 3.55 kills per game mark and leads the Jayhawks with an average of 2.96 digs per game. MU swept the season series last year with KU. Ray Bechard is in his sixth year as the Jayhawk head coach and has compiled a 92-74 record.

The MU-KU Series
Missouri holds a 37-30 lead in the all-time series with the Jayhawks. MU swept the season series last year and has won four of the last five and eight of the last 12 matches between the two teams. Last year, after recording a three-game sweep in Columbia, Mizzou won a five-game thriller in Lawrence, taking game five 15-12 to claim the match victory.

A Look Back
Mizzou volleyball faced its first ranked opponents of the season on Friday as it traveled to College Station, Texas to face No. 25 Texas A&M. The Aggies handed the Tigers their first Big 12 Conference loss of the season, taking a 3-1 (30-21, 30-25, 25-30, 30-22) win. MU snaps a five-game winning streak with the loss and has still never won in College Station, Texas in eight attempts. Shen Danru led Missouri as she recorded her sixth double-double of the season. She had 20 kills and 17 digs and has recorded a double-double in three of the Tigers' four Big 12 matches. Mary Lauren Smith added 19 kills and Nicole Wilson had eight as she made her first career start for the Tigers. Sara Parks had 14 digs and Lindsey Hunter had 57 assists in the match. Missouri fell behind in game one, trailing by as many as seven at 12-5. MU cut the Aggie lead to two with a 6-1 run. However, Texas A&M was able to build the lead back and go on to the opening-game win. Texas A&M took a 2-0 lead into the intermission by winning game two by a 30-25 score. The Aggies jumped out to another early lead, taking an 11-7 advantage. Missouri again came back, tying the score at 14. The game remained close and was tied at 20 before A&M closed on a 10-5 run. MU was the one to take the lead to start game three, building an early 10-7 lead. Missouri expanded the lead to as many as five and was able to hang on for the 30-25 win, forcing a fourth game. Texas A&M held a commanding lead for most of the fourth game and took the match victory with a 30-22 game four win.

Up Next
Mizzou travels to Ames, Iowa on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match against Iowa State. The Tigers remain on the road next Wednesday as they take on Kansas State at 8 p.m. in Manhattan, Kan. MU next home match in on Oct. 11 against Texas. Game time for that match is 2 p.m.