Oct. 24, 2005
Complete News & Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBIA, Mo.--The No. 8 nationally-ranked Missouri women's volleyball team will visit No. 24 Kansas State on Wednesday evening, looking for their first win in Manhattan, Kan., since 1993. The Tigers (15-2, 9-2 Big 12) sit in a tie with Texas for second place in the Big 12, riding a three-match winning streak. Kansas State (15-6, 6-5) is in a tie for fourth and is looking for a win after dropping two straight to top-20 teams. The match will be aired on Fox Sports Midwest, on a tape-delay basis, this Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Scouting Kansas State ...
K-State enters the match having lost to No. 1 Nebraska and at then-No. 16 Texas in their last two matches, now facing the third top-20 team in a row. The Wildcats have lost three-of-their-last-four, winning in a five-game match at Baylor on October 15 over the stretch. The `Cats have went 1-5 against teams in the top 25 and will have the upcoming weekend without a match.
Kansas State is a very young team, having lost three senior starters last season and returning only one, K-State went 20-11 in 2004, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Watch, Listen, Cheer: TV, Radio, and the Web
There are several ways for fans to watch, listen, and cheer for their respective teams from literally anywhere in the world.
LIVE Broadcasts (7:00 p.m.):
* Live stats - k-statesports.com
* Live audio - 1350kman.com
Tape-delayed broadcasts:
* Sunday, October 30, 1:30 pm ... Fox Sports Midwest
* Fox Sports Net - various times, check local listings
The All-Time Series ...
K-State leads the all-time series 35-27, but Mizzou's sweep over the Wildcats on September 24 stopped a nine-match winning streak by the `Cats. Although, Mizzou has lost the last 11 matches in Manhattan, dating back to 1993.
On the Rise Again
The Tigers moved up two spots to No. 8 in the country on the latest AVCA/CSTV Top 25 Coaches' Poll as announced Monday. Mizzou was ranked as high as No. 7 earlier in the year before losing to then-No. 18 Texas in Austin on October 12, dropping the Tigers to No. 10. Their seventh-place ranking was the team's all-time best standing in the poll.
Tigers Against the Top 25
The Tigers have already won four matches against the top 25 this season, matching a team-high set in 2004. The Tigers have defeated nine teams ranked in the top 25 under the Kreklows for a 9-27 record. Putting that in perspective, Mizzou won one match over a top-25 team under coach Disa Johnson in 1999 before not winning a match over a top-25 team since 1984.
Mizzou has had not much luck on the road against top 25 teams. The Tigers win in College Station this season over then-No. 15 Texas A&M was the team's fourth win on the road against a ranked team. In 2004, the Tigers defeated then-No. 23 Wisconsin and then-No. 25 Colorado in road tilts. And, the largest win in program history (so far) came at then-No. 8 Nebraska in 2003, when Mizzou defeated the Huskers in a five-game thriller, coming back from two games down to win.
The Rematch ... What Happened Last Time
It only took one hour, 20 minutes on Saturday for the No. 8 Missouri women's volleyball team to defeat No. 17 Kansas State in a three-game match that was dominated completely by the Tigers. In front of a roaring Tiger crowd of 2,438, the second-largest crowd in team history and the most to witness a regular-season match, Mizzou (10-0, 4-0) stunned Kansas State (11-2, 2-1), winning 30-19, 30-20, and 30-26.
Individually for the Tigers, juniors Jessica Vander Kooi and Nicole Wilson scored 11 team-high kills on the evening, with Wilson going errorless for the second-consecutive match, hitting 11-for-13 (.846). Mizzou again recorded a hefty amount of blocks on the night, scoring on 12, with nine coming from Wilson who tied a season-high. Missouri also scored eight points on service aces, three of which coming from senior Lindsey Hunter who had 40 assists, quarterbacking the team to 49 kills.
In what started out as Vander Kooi's show, Mizzou cruised in game one winning 30-19 off six kills from the junior. In nearly every instance of a Vander Kooi attack, the `Cats virtually froze in-place and could not respond to the variety and tenacity of a Vander Kooi streamline. Vander Kooi also had two aces in the frame along with one of her six blocks on the evening.
Mizzou went up early in the first stanza leading 11-5 following a double-block by Na Yang and Nicole Wilson. The Tigers were up 20-15 before Mizzou scored seven of the next eight points to lead 27-16 after the two Vander Kooi aces. KSU responded with three kills from team-leader Agata Rezende (who ended up with a match-high 15 kills), but Mizzou prevailed, winning 30-19.
Game one absolutely stunned Kansas State, who entered the contest having won 21-out-of-22 of the team's last matches over Missouri. The Tiger hitting percentage of .429 in the frame included Vander Kooi's six kills, and errorless three-kill games by Wilson and senior Lisa Boyd. The team matched their NCAA-leading 18 kill average in the game and recorded only three errors.
In the second game, Mizzou came out strong again, leading 13-4 after two aces by Abbie Booth. K-State would muster a 19-10 spread before the Tiger arsenal struck again, responding by scoring seven of the next eight point to capture a 26-11 lead. Wilson landed three kills and two additional blocks over the eight-point period. Mizzou claimed their only two hitting errors of the match off of two K-State blocks in KSU's 7-1 run, which put the score at 27-18. But, Mizzou closed the books on the frame with two Boyd kills to win 30-20.
The Tigers hit .516 in the second frame, hitting 18-of-31 kill attempts, committing only two errors.
KSU put a scare into the Tigers in game three. Mizzou cruised to a 20-10 lead before the `Cats woke up and went on a 10-1 run to pull within one at 21-20. The Tigers shut out K-State, responding with two more Wilson blocks and K-State hitting errors to win 30-26.
Last Time Out ... Iowa State's Upset Plans Thwarted
The No. 10 Missouri women's volleyball team (15-2, 9-2) defeated Iowa State in Big 12 play Saturday night in a four-game hit-fest, 30-23, 23-30, 30-12, and 30-23. Lindsey Hunter nearly recorded a triple-double, having 54 assists, 10 digs, and eight kills on errorless hitting. In addition, Mizzou had four hitters in double digits in kills, and Jessica Vander Kooi had a 11 kill-14 dig double-double in her home state. Junior Nicole Wilson recorded nine of the Tigers' 14 team blocks.
Missouri played a very even keeled match, with hiccups coming only in game two. With an overall hitting percentage of .329, the Tigers only recorded seven combined hitting errors in games one, three, and four.
"I think the girls did a nice job of coming back in games three and four, after playing badly in game two," said Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. "Being able to focus and concentrate on the road helped us pick up our level of play in the latter part of the match. In games three and four, we served tougher, and I thought that helped contribute to our win."
Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) went errorless in attack errors on the night, recording a career-high eight kills off several setter dumps and joust wins. In addition, Hunter scored on two blocks and two service aces while digging 10 Cyclone attacks and spread 54 assists on the teams' 67 kills and .329 hitting.
Four Tigers recorded double digits in kills, sophomore Na Yang led with 14 kills, followed by senior Lisa Boyd with 13, junior Nicole Wilson with 12, and Vander Kooi with 11. Vander Kooi (Hinton, Iowa) recorded her seventh double-double of her career, adding 14 digs. Sophomore Tatum Ailes, who leads the Big 12 in digs, recorded 19 on the night, and had 15 serve receptions without an error. Wilson, with nine blocks and 12 kills nearly recorded her first double-double of her career.
In the first frame, the Cyclones jumped to the lead first, grabbing a 9-6 advantage quickly. With Hunter at serve, the Tigers rattled off five-consecutive points to lead 11-9 after a Hunter ace. The Cyclones responded with a 5-3 run to tie the score at 14-14. Mizzou then scored eight for three, to lead 22-17 following another Hunter ace. Iowa State scored three on a run to come within two once again at 23-21. After a Tiger timeout, Mizzou scored seven of the next nine points to take the game, 30-23.
In a hard-hitting game one, Mizzou outhit ISU .447-.302, on the graces of 19 kills on only two errors. Shen Danru and Yang gave Mizzou five kills apiece in the frame, combining for 10-of-16 hitting, recording no errors.
In game two, the Cyclones attacked quicker than before, jumping to an 8-5 lead after a 5-0 run. Mizzou tried to counter with two kills after a timeout, but Iowa State got the better, scoring on the next seven-of-nine to go up 15-9. The teams traded score for score until ISU lead 24-16. Wilson laid down two kills in a row, forcing the Cyclones to take a timeout, closing the lead to seven at 25-18. But, it was too little too late for Tigers in the frame, who fought back by scoring three straight on two Boyd kills and a Boyd-Hunter double-block, but couldn't hold off ISU who won, 30-23. ISU outhit Mizzou in the stanza .283-.149, blocking five of the Tigers' attacks.
The Tigers came out of the break ready to shoot the lights out at Hilton Coliseum. To start the third game, Mizzou, off the serve of Tatum Ailes, scored eight straight, two off Yang-Wilson double-blocks, four off two kills apiece by Yang and Wilson, and two off Hunter's dump for a kill and joust win. The Tigers continued to throw everything at the Cyclones, leading 21-7 before Iowa State's second timeout. Another scored put the Tigers up 22-8, their biggest lead of the game, and closed out the frame with a Danru ace, winning 30-12. Mizzou hit .533 in the stanza on 17-of-30 hitting, recording just one hitting error. In addition, ISU was held to a -.049 swing percentage.
In game four, Mizzou went up big again, leading 10-3 after a two kill and block assist, three-point run by Vander Kooi. The teams traded scores from there with Mizzou having a four-point mini-run that gave Mizzou 19-8 lead before putting the game away at 30-23.
The Monkey Off Thy Back
While wins over Texas A&M in College Station and a sweep over Kansas State may have seemed like normal occurrences in the Tigers' fast start to the season, they actually were victories that were a long-time coming. Mizzou had never won in College Station in nine previous tries before the Tigers four-game win over Texas A&M. Kansas State had the Tigers' number previous to their meeting on September 24, as K-State had won nine straight over Mizzou before the three-game Tiger sweep. However, the Tigers are looking for their first win in Manhattan since 1993 when visiting on October 26.
The stubborn monkey of the bunch is of the Cornhusker variety. Mizzou has lost 49 of the last 50 meetings with Nebraska dating back to 1982. Mizzou's lone win in the stretch came in 2003 when the Tigers stunned then-No. 8 NU in Lincoln, winning in a five-game thriller after losing games one and two.
Wayne Kreklow Wins No. 500 As Collegiate Coach
Missouri Head Coach Wayne Kreklow currently stands at 501-198 (.717) as a collegiate coach, combining careers as an assistant, co-head, and head coach in teaching women's and men's teams at Mizzou and Columbia College. Kreklow won game No. 500 of his collegiate career with a sweep of Oklahoma on October 19.
Here's a breakdown: (all are women's teams unless noted)
1989 - Missouri assistant coach - 6-27
1990 - Missouri assistant coach - 9-19
1991 - Missouri assistant coach - 10-22
1992 - Missouri assistant coach - 22-11
1993 - Missouri assistant coach - 10-18
1994 - Columbia College co-head coach - 40-19
1995 - Columbia College co-head coach - 55-5
1996 - Columbia College co-head coach - 44-2
1997 - Columbia College co-head coach - 43-3
1997 - Columbia College (men) co-head coach - 9-14
1998 - Columbia College co-head coach - 45-0
1998 - Columbia College (men) co-head coach - 25-5
1999 - Columbia College co-head coach - 40-0
1999 - Columbia College (men) co-head coach - 19-5
2000 - Missouri associate head coach - 24-7
2001 - Missouri associate head coach - 20-11
2002 - Missouri associate head coach - 26-8
2003 - Missouri associate head coach - 19-11
2004 - Missouri associate head coach - 20-9
2005 - Missouri head coach - 15-2
TOTAL: 501-198
Big 12's Second Half ... NOW!
The second meeting of Iowa State and Missouri marked the beginning of the second-half of the Big 12 Conference season. Mizzou went 8-2 in the first half of `05, matching last year's start. In 2004, Mizzou went 6-4 in the second half.
Columbia, Lovin' The Volleyball ... Mizzou Seventh Nationally in Attendance
By the looks of the Hearnes Center on October 5th versus Nebraska, with the Tiger crowd of 7,298 roaring to its loudest volume seen at a volleyball match, Columbia, Mo. - the middle-sized town in the middle of the middle-west, may well become a volleyball town in the near future. With a steady increase of average attendance since the Kreklows' arrival in 2000, the 2005 crowd average may well skyrocket. Earlier in the season, Mizzou hosted K-State and 2,438 fans watched that match, the then-second largest crowd in team history.
The 7,298 crowd nearly tripled Mizzou's previous attendance record of 2,638 set last year in a win over Texas A&M. In fact, Mizzou's total attendance through five home matches prior to the Nebraska match was around 6,208. The October 5 crowd overly doubled that figure.
The Tigers now are averaging 2,378 fans per home contest, ranking seventh in the country.
In 2004, Mizzou reached its highest national-attendance ranking before '05, ranking 19th in the country with a 1,460 average.
The RPI in the RKPI ... Mizzou No. 5 in the Country in Index
The RichKern.com RKPI is a lot like the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) used in men's and women's basketball (among others) to measure all of the nation's teams based on their winning percentage, strength of schedule, and road- and quality-wins. The formula, among other things, is used by the NCAA Women's Volleyball committee in formulating the 64-team post-season NCAA Championship Tournament field. By on the way, volleyball's "Selection Sunday" is November 27, aired on ESPNews.
Missouri currently ranks fifth in the RKPI, the highest in school history.
Oh, Yes, They CallED It the Streak ... Hoogity-boogity
No more streaking ... Nebraska put a stop to that, but Mizzou started the season 12-0, their best start since 1982 in which the team went 19-0 to start the season.
Mizzou also set a new team record when defeating Texas Tech, winning their sixth-consecutive conference match at the time.
The Tiger loss to No. 18 Texas stopped a five-match road-winning streak. That streak tied the school's record from 1982.
Those Third Games
Sometimes the Tigers can be just deadly in game threes. No teams have seen that more than Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa State. Against Kansas, Mizzou hit .485 in the 30-11 game three, holding Kansas to a -.071 percentage. In addition, the Tigers recorded six blocks in the stanza, and recorded 18 kills on only two errors. Kansas was held to four kills and six errors.
At Colorado, Mizzou closed the book on the Buffs with a 30-11 game three. Mizzou in that frame went errorless, hitting .654 with 17 kills on 26 attempts. Along with three service aces and five blocks, the Tigers were virtually unstoppable at that point in Boulder. Colorado was held to a .091 hitting percentage on 10 kills and no blocks (part of a blockless match for CU).
While the third game at Iowa State was not the Tigers' third game-win of the match, it was a moral clincher to the set. After losing game two 30-23, the Tigers came out like gangbusters in the set, scoring the first eight points off Tatum Ailes' serving. Then the Tigers extended the leads to 10-1, then 13-2, then 16-4, then 22-7. The 30-12 game victory was due in large part to the Tigers' 17-1-30 hitting (.533) and holding Iowa State to -.049 hitting.
Ailes Out-Digging The Conference
Through 11 matches of the Big 12 season, sophomore Tiger Tatum Ailes is leading the league with 4.45 digs per conference game. That's over 10 percent better than second place Angie Lastra of Kansas State (4.00). Ailes, who set Mizzou's season records in digs and digs per game her freshman year, has 141 digs in 31 conference games.
After having a successful career at Bellevue West High School in Bellevue, Nebraska, Tatum Ailes has brought that success to Mizzou. Last year as a freshman, she not only set school records for digs in a season with 432 and digs per game in a season with 4.19 but also set the mark for digs per game in a career. The latter record broke the old record by over 15 percent proving her dominance defensively last season. Ailes also had at least two aces three times in a game including her personal-best six aces against Kansas.
Whatcha Servin'?
Well for Missouri, the batch is a tough one to muster for Tiger opponents. The Tigers once again lead the Big 12 in league matches in service aces per game with 1.82 per game. The Tigers have proven deadly in several rotations as junior Jessica Vander Kooi leads the team in Big 12 matches with 0.45 aces per game, ranked second in the conference. Tied for fifth in the conference is Shen Danru and Lindsey Hunter, who have added 14 aces in 38 games this Big 12 season (0.37 per game).
In 2004, the Tigers finished sixth in the league in aces per game with 1.32.
Not the Exception, The Rule ... Wilson Shows Deadly Efficiency
Junior Tiger Nicole Wilson has had a phenomenal start to 2005 campaign, as she has become very, very hard to stop. Through 17 matches, Wilson is hitting .440 for the season.
Wilson was named AVCA National & Big 12 Player of the Week (see more below), in part because of a 11-of-13, errorless performance against then-No. 17 Kansas State. Her .846 hitting in that match became a new Missouri school record.
What is mostly amazing is that Wilson has already had eight matches in which she has hit over .500. In 2004, she only had four such matches. She's also hit over .600 four times in '05, and over .700 twice.
Wilson also stands third in the conference (all matches) in blocks per game (1.45) and seventh in points per game (4.50)
The (Multi-)Talented Miss Vander Kooi
Another tough Tiger to stop junior Jessica Vander Kooi. In all matches this season, Vander Kooi, a 2004 AVCA All-Central Region selection, is fifth in the conference in aces per game (0.39), sixth in points per game (4.57), tied for 12th in kills per game (3.57), tied for 14th in blocks per game (1.13), and 14th in digs per game (2.86). Basically, she's everywhere, all the time, doing anything needed for the team.
Whenever a team may feel they are starting to get an advantage over Missouri, here comes junior Jessica Vander Kooi. In several instances so far this season, Vander Kooi would come up with outstanding plays in the form of body-crushing slams for the kill, well-planned blocks, or point-saving digs, to demoralize the opponent. No. 9 Tennessee had kept the Tigers on their toes in the game one of the Sunday Tiger sweep, but whenever the Lady Vols saw an opening to game, it was quickly closed by Vander Kooi. In that game alone, Jess had six kills, ending up with 12 overall. In addition to the kill total, Vander Kooi had 11 digs to record her 30th career double-double. Against No. 9 Wisconsin, it was more of the same. More tip shots, more slams to the corner of the court, more block-shattering hits. In game one against the Badgers, Vander Kooi recorded five kills always in the most opportune times. For each match, but one, this season so far, Vander Kooi has at least recorded 10 kills.
At then-No. 15 Texas A&M, Vander Kooi recorded her third double-double over a top-15 team, clutching the Aggies with 18 kills and 17 digs, adding four blocks.
Danru Now All-Time Kills Leader, Looking For All-Time Scorer
So currently Danru is Mizzou's all-time leader in kills, service aces, digs, and total attempts (broken last year). With 55.5 more points scored, Danru will pass Christi Myers (yes, we had a recount!) to become Mizzou's all-time scorer. What an all-around career for the Tiger!
Career Records Broken By Danru
Category Currently Previous Record Date Broken
Total Attempts 4,034 3,515 (Buhlig) 2004
Digs 1,306 1,149 (N. Branson) Oct. 1 at Texas Tech
Aces 169 163 (Buhlig) Oct. 5 vs. No. 1 Nebraska
Kills 1,496 1,478 (Buhlig) Oct. 12 at No. 18Texas
Points 1,761.5 1,814 (C. Myers) ??? ... needs 55.5
She's Bad ... She's Nationwide
Well, she's kept this SID busy, so many noteworthy news-shorts that junior Nicole Wilson gets her own "notes within the notes" section ... here's some more on Nicole Wilson
Wilson AVCA National & Big 12 Player of the Week - Sept. 26
On September 26, Tiger junior Nicole Wilson received some big news as she was chosen both as the AVCA's National Player of the Week and the Big 12's Player of the Week. In a two-match winning-stretch in the week, Wilson averaged 5.25 points, 3.83 kills, 2.83 blocks, and 0.67 digs along with a .719 hitting percentage in sweeps at Colorado and at home against No. 17 Kansas State.
The Lincoln, Neb., native was errorless at the net over the strech, recording 23 kills in 32 attempts. At CU, Wilson tallied 12 kills on a .632 hitting percentage while posting eight blocks and two digs. Wilson compiled a perfect serving performance as well in 12 attempts. On Saturday, Wilson was 11-of-13 (.846) against the Wildcats. She also contributed nine block assists to the No. 8-nationally ranked Tiger effort.
In addition, Wilson currently stands as Mizzou's all-time hitting percentage leader with a .351 average (jumping .010 in that week alone). This season Wilson is hitting .439, which is second in the Big 12 in all games played.
Three flawless matches in a row ... leads Big 12 in hitting in conference season
Add in those two matches above to a win at Baylor the following Wednesday and you get that Wilson recorded no errors while scoring 34 kills, having a .642 hitting percentage over a three-match stretch.
Here's the match-by-match run down:
Date/Opponent K-E-TA (Pct.)
9/21 at Colorado 12-0-19 (.632)
9/24 vs. No. 17 K-State 11-0-13 (.846)
9/28 at Baylor 11-0-21 (.524)
TOTAL 34-0-53 (.642)
Not only errorless, but almost perfect against No. 17 K-State
No, that wasn't a typo up above, Wilson went 11-for-13 (.846) with no errors in a big three-game sweep over No. 17 Kansas State. In addition, Wilson had nine blocks in the match, capping an improbable week of great hitting and tough defense.
Wilson Puttin' In Down ... at Colorado
A big part of the Tigers errorless game three at Colorado was junior Nicole Wilson. In the entire match, Wilson went errorless, grabbing 12 kills on 19 attempts (.632). In addition, Wilson was part of eight of 18 total-team blocks in the night. Having nearly errorless matches consistently, may be a key reason why Wilson is Mizzou's all-time hitting percentage leader (see below).
Nicole Wilson, New Career Record Holder
When junior Nicole Wilson stepped on the court for the third game versus Montana State in mid-September, many may not have known that a new school record had just been broken. Wilson's career hitting percentage of .357 is a new school record, bettering the old record by .036* Of course, this is an active record and will change throughout the season. Wilson became eligible for the record after playing in her 200th game of her career.
* of course, it keeps changing
If You're Goin' To Play In Texas (or Colorado or Missouri) ... You've Got to Have A Good SETTER on Hand
Hunter Becomes Mizzou's All-Time Assists Leader ... Also joins 5,000-assist club
At the end of game three in the Tigers' 3-1 win over No. 15 Texas A&M in College Station, Missouri setter Lindsey Hunter had exactly 44 assists on the night, putting her at 4,958 in her career. At that point, Hunter became Mizzou's all-time assist leader, passing Heather Gerber (1997-2000).
Adding 47 assists in last the September 21 sweep of Colorado in Boulder, Hunter became the first Tiger in the 5,000-assist club, standing at 5,015.
Hunter's name will be prominent in the NCAA record book once the season is done, and one thing that Hunter is getting closer and closer to doing is cracking the top five all-time in NCAA history in assists per game. Here's a list of the current standings:
Career Assists Per Game - NCAA Division I all-time
1) Kelly Campbell, Colorado (96-99) ... 14.45 apg ... 431 games, 6,228 assists
2) Erika Selsor, UCLA (98-01) ... 14.01 apg ... 445 games, 6,234 assists
3) Roz Pelayo, Santa Clara (97-00) ... 14.01apg ... 409 games, 5,732 assists
4) Emily Sallee, Ball State (97-00) ... 13.84 apg ... 463 games, 6,408 assists
5) Kele Eveland, Georgia Tech (00-03) ... 13.83 apg ... 483 games, 6,464 assists
6) Lindsey Hunter, Missouri (02-05) ... 13.70 apg ... 394 games, 5,396 assists
Hunter Named Big 12 Player of the Week - September 5
Lindsey Hunter, a native of Papillion, Neb., tallied 100 assists in two Tiger victories on September 2nd and 4th, including the upset of No. 9 nationally-ranked Tennessee. Hunter, winning her first conference player of the week honor of her career, led the Tigers to sweeps over Utah (30-28, 30-22, 30-21) and the Lady Vols (30-27, 30-23, 30-20) at the Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Mo.
In the season opener against the Utes, Hunter recorded 45 assists, two service aces and six digs. It marked the 80th time of her career to post 40-plus assists in a match. She also guided three Tigers -- Jessica Vander Kooi (13), Na Yang (11) Shen Danru (10) -- to double-digit kills in the win. Missouri compiled 55 kills in the match.
Hunter, a 2004 AVCA All-American, dished out 55 assists versus No. 9 Tennessee while leading No. 21 Mizzou to a .353 team-hitting percentage. The squad hit at a .500 efficiency in game three to clinch the match. Five Mizzou players reached double-digit kills in the upending of the Lady Vols. Hunter also contributed five digs, three block assists, three kills and a service ace. It was the Tigers' first Top-10 victory since 2003 when they defeated then No. 10 Nebraska in Lincoln. It also accounted for the only sweep over a Top-10 opponent in school history.
On the week, Hunter averaged 16.67 assists, 1.83 digs and directed Missouri to a .307 hitting percentage. She currently leads the Big 12 in the assists category, while Missouri is the top-ranked team in assists (18.33 apg) and tied for first with Colorado in kills at 19.17 per game.
Hunter is the first Tiger since Shen Danru to be named Big 12 Player of the Week, as Danru in September 2003 averaged 5.14 kills and 4.14 digs per game in a two-match series that included a sweep of Texas Tech.
Setting for Success
In three seasons at Missouri, senior Lindsey Hunter has made a name for herself as one of the most dominating setters in the Big 12 and throughout the country, leading the Big 12 in assists per game all three seasons. She has been named to the National-A2 Training Team twice and in 2004, Lindsey ranked fourth in the nation in assists per game with 14.43. In the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2004, Lindsey recorded 62 assists against Arkansas. Lindsey's success on the court has only been equaled in the classroom and she was named an Academic All-American in 2004. Already, the 2005 season is looking bright for Lindsey as a preseason All-Big 12 selection.
Make `Em Say, Uh, Uh, Na-Na Na-Na, Na-Na Na-Na
What a fast start to the season it has been for sophomore Na Yang. The 6-3 outside hitter has been all over the place for the Tigers in their first six matches, tallying double-digit kill totals in each of Mizzou's appearances (those were three-game sweeps, by the way). Yang went an errorless 13-of-22 against UMKC to secure a .591 hitting average. Against Montana State, Yang tied a career high with 17 kills, and then bettered with 19 at then-No. 15 Texas A&M.
Looking now around the midway point of the season, Yang has had 14 double-digit kill total matches this season (thru October 22) thus far. In 2004, Yang only had nine for the entire season. Her kills per game average has went from 2.39 in '04 to 4.05 currently.
Against No. 1Nebraska, Yang recorded a career-high in blocks with four. Breaking news, she then topped that record against Kansas with six blocks.
Mizzou Volleyball ... In Technicolor (Future Tiger Matches on TV)
Here's a quick listing of when and where future Tiger matches will be on TV (not including internet live streams)
TD = Tape-delay
November 13, at No. 1 Nebraska, 5:00pm ... CSTV
Takin' Care Of Business ...
The Tigers lost game one at No. 15 Texas A&M 31-29 in mid-September, marking the first game-loss for Mizzou after seven-straight match sweeps. Winning 21 games straight, the Tigers swept through all seven non-conference opponents including then-No. 9 Tennessee and No. 9 Wisconsin. Mizzou's team-record for consecutive games won is 24, set in 2000. In this year's stretch was two sweeps over top-10 teams in Tennessee and Wisconsin, marking the first Tiger sweeps over top-10 teams.
No Block For You
Colorado was held to zero blocks on September 21 in Boulder. After looking over the past five years' worth of box scores, it looks like something like that doesn't happen to often. Although, last year Mizzou held the Buffs to one block on the Tigers home floor. But, outside of that match, that sort of feat is a real rarity.
The Tiger Block Party
While Colorado was held without a block, Mizzou tallied 18 blocks on the night, the most the team has seen in a match in three years, especially for only a three-game match. In a five-game thriller in 2003, Mizzou put down 21 blocks against K-State at home.
Flawless, Part 2
In game three against Colorado (yes, a lot of good came out of the match against the Buffs), Mizzou went the entire stanza without committing a hitting error, but more remarkably, they hit .654 in the frame. While in 2003, the Tigers had four games in which they went without an error, they never have recorded a hitting percentage in a stanza before, like they had against the Buffs, particularly on the road against a conference opponent.
Here are some other notable, errorless games the Tigers have had...
* In 2003, the Tigers defeated Nebraska (then No. 8) for the first-time ever in Lincoln. In the clinching game five, Mizzou went 9-for-23 (.391) without an error, taking the game 15-9.
* Also in 2003, the Tigers lost to Texas A&M in College Station, but in a game two win, Mizzou averaged .606 in the frame without an error.
Number 9 ... Number 9 ... Another Went Down Behind
The Tigers have played considerably well against teams ranked No. 9 in the country recently, and that was tested again last weekend. Last year the Tigers lost to No. 9 Texas in Austin on October 13, then rebounded to defeat the No. 9 Longhorns in the Hearnes Center on November 14. In the first weekend of September, Missouri took down No. 9 Tennessee. In early September, the Tigers traveled to Bozeman, Mont., and took down No. 9 Wisconsin in another three-game sweep.
It's Baby Time!
The Tiger volleyball family has a new member. Assistant coach Deng Yang delivered a 7 lb., 14 oz., baby boy on Wednesday (August 31st) at 5:15 p.m. Yang, and husband, Chen Feng, named the new Tiger, Logan Chen.
The Ol' Switcheroo
In their sixth season as coaches of the University of Missouri Women's Volleyball Team, Wayne and Susan Kreklow are swapping positions. After five seasons working as Associate Head Coach of the Missouri Women's volleyball team, Wayne Kreklow will take on the title of Head Coach while his wife Susan will assume the position of Associate Head Coach to the team. The Kreklow's have been very successful in their previous seasons at Missouri, turning the Missouri Women's Volleyball team into a force in the Big 12. Before coming to Missouri, the Kreklows were co-head coaches at Columbia College for both the men's and women's teams.
Since Missouri does not proclaim the Kreklows as co-head coaches, the NCAA will consider their win-loss records separately. Susan's win-loss record stands at 109-46 through five seasons. The .703 winning percentage is the best in school history for a coach's career. Prior to Missouri, Susan was head coach of Columbia College's women's team from 1990 to 1993 and co-head coach with Wayne from 1994 to 1999. As a women's coach, Susan accumulated a winning record of 565-132 (.811) over 15 seasons. Susan was also co-head coach with Wayne for Columbia College's men from 1997 to 1999, giving Susan an overall record of 618-156 (.798).
Wayne brings to Missouri a 267-29 (.902) women's head coaching record from his days with Susan at Columbia College which will stand as his NCAA-official coaches' record through six seasons. Added to a 53-24 (.688) record from coaching Columbia College's men's team, Wayne is 320-53 (.858) overall as a head coach. Prior to joining his wife at Columbia College in 1994 as co-head coach, Kreklow was an assistant coach at Missouri under Craig Sherman for five years.
The Kreklow Revolution
In their previous five seasons at Missouri, Wayne and Susan Kreklow have revolutionized Tiger Volleyball. In their first season at Missouri in 2000, the Tigers jumped from ranking ninth in the Big 12 to second and Susan Kreklow was named the 2000 Big 12 Coach of the Year. In 2002, the Tigers finished No. 20 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll, the highest year ending ranking in Missouri history. Through the Kreklows' leadership, Missouri has been to five consecutive NCAA tournaments, certainly a different look from the years of winning only four to five conference games a season.
Super Seniors
For three seasons, they have dominated the Big 12 conference with their abilities to hit, assist, and kill and as Lisa Boyd, Shen Danru, and Lindsey Hunter enter their final season at Missouri, they show no signs of slowing down on or off the court. Since coming to Missouri, Lisa Boyd has been a two-time Academic All-Big 12. In 2004, she was the Big 12 leader in hitting percentage and took over the Missouri record for hitting percentage with an astounding .384. Shen Danru has also left her mark on Missouri, being named, in each of her three seasons, to the Academic All-Big 12 and the All-Big 12 teams. She is not only the school record holder in career kills per game and attacks but last season moved into second on the all-time list of service aces. Not to be outdone by her senior counterparts, Lindsey Hunter has added her own touch to Missouri Volleyball as a two-time USA National A2 team member and a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection. Hunter has led the Big 12 in \assists since joining the Tigers and in 2004, was named Academic All-Big 12. Already in 2005, Hunter has been named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. No doubt the 2005 season holds many more accomplishments for the three super seniors as they prepare to say goodbye to the Tigers and as Missouri prepares to say goodbye to three of its volleyball legends.
Spanning the Globe
In 2001, Missouri added its first ever Eastern Hemisphere player with Shen Danru, a freshman out of Shanghai Sports School who had been part of China's Junior National Team in 1999. Since beginning her career at Missouri, Danru has set a new school record in career kills per game and attacks. Following in Danru's footsteps is Na Yang, a sophomore from Shan Dong, China who played with Danru on the 1998 Chinese World Teenage Championship Team. A promising player, Yang started in 12 games as a freshman and had double-doubles in kills and digs last year in four matches. In 2005, Missouri adds two more China natives to its team in Lei Wang and Yi Zhang. Wang played twice with the Chinese Junior National team and attended Shanghai Sports School. Zhang was named MVP of the Chinese Youth Volleyball team in 2000 and in her first semester at Missouri in the winter of 2005 had a GPA over 3.7 and topped over 300 students to be at the top of her math section. For 10 days in May 2005, the Missouri Volleyball team visited China, playing matches against Bei Hang University and Beijing University.
Yep, They're Smart Too
In 2004, seven members of the Missouri Volleyball Team were Academic All-Big 12 Honorees and in 2005, the team will welcome back six of those seven. 2004 was the first time senior Lindsey Hunter, juniors Jessica Vander Kooi, Abbie Booth and Nicole Wilson were named Academic All-Big 12 along with two and three-time honorees, seniors Lisa Boyd and Shen Danru. Boyd was an honoree in 2003, Danru in 2002 and 2003. In the winter semester of 2005, the Tigers set a new team record with a team term GPA of 3.29, beating out the previous semester's record of 3.27.