Sept. 29, 2005
WACO, Texas - It wasn't necessarily easy, but the No. 7 Mizzou women's volleyball team defeated Baylor (9-6, 1-3) Wednesday night in Waco, Texas, in a 30-28, 30-25, 30-24 sweep. Missouri won their 11th-consecutive match, marking the team's longest winning streak since 2002, and with an 11-0 record, grab the best Tiger start to a season since 1982.
Mizzou (11-0, 5-0) also won their fifth-consecutive conference match, matching an all-time team high (2000).
Junior Jessica Vander Kooi led the Tigers with 15 kills, sophomore Na Yang added 14. Reigning Sport Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week Nicole Wilson went errorless for the third match in a row, grabbing 11 kills on 21 attempts. Senior Lindsey Hunter had 41 assists, and Tatum Ailes netted 20 digs. Vander Kooi scored her fifth double-double of the season adding 11 digs to her 15 kills. Abbie Booth was also in double-digits with 10 digs. Also, senior Shen Danru is one ace from tying Yvette Buhlig's all-time Mizzou service ace record, adding two on the night (162).
Baylor struck first and fast to start game one, going up 6-1 with six quick kills before a Tiger timeout. The Tigers were plagued in the first frame by several overpasses, and the Bears capitalized. Adding tough serving, Baylor kept the lead strong, up five, their biggest lead of the stanza at 14-9 after an ace by Emily Huston. Baylor continued to lead through 20-16 before another Tiger timeout. Mizzou finally tied the score for the first time after an early 1-1 tie, by scoring four straight to make 20-20 the score. Missouri grabbed their first lead of the game after a Vander Kooi kill, one of three in a four-point stretch, to go up 22-21. The teams would continue to trade position until the score was tied at 25-25. A Yang kill, a Baylor set error, and another sneak attack by Mizzou's Hunter gave the Tigers a 28-25 lead. Needing three attempts at game point, the Tigers finally took the game with a 30-28 score.
In the first game, Baylor was a tough customer, digging several of Mizzou's attempts, setting very well, and spreading their offensive attack to keep the Tigers on their toes. Mizzou's passing in the first frame may have been less than desired, but it still produced 22 kills in the game. Vander Kooi had seven kills, with Yang adding six in the frame. The teams combined for 112 attempts and 56 digs. Tatum Ailes already tallied 11 digs by the end of game one. Mizzou barely outhit Baylor .298-.273 in the frame.
The Bears and Tigers tangled in another hard-hitting battle in game two. With Mizzou hitting .350 and Baylor hitting .293, there was no mistake to say that play from game one carried to two. The two teams knocked each other around several rotations in the start, with none gaining a clear advantage until with Mizzou up 21-20, did the Tigers go a 3-0 run to go up 24-20. Shen Danru added an ace in the run to come one shy of Mizzou's all-time ace record. Mizzou scored on four of the final five rallies to win 30-25. The Tigers spread their offense, scoring 20 kills in the stanza with Vander Kooi adding six, Wilson grabbing five, and Yang tallying four.
The Tigers struck big out of the gate to start game three. A Vander Kooi 5-0 serving run gave the Tigers a 9-3 early lead as Baylor made their first streak of the match of unforced hitting errors. Mizzou would control for most of the remainder of the match with the exception of a 6-1 Baylor run to make the score 17-14 from a 17-8 start. The Tigers were up 27-18, but lost six of the next eight points before winning 30-24.
The road trip continues Saturday for the Tigers as they will travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech at 3:00 p.m.
For more information on Mizzou volleyball, visit mutigers.com.