Nov. 11, 2005
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COLUMBIA, Mo.--Since once a season isn't enough, the No. 12 Missouri women's volleyball team will once again face No. 1 Nebraska, this time in Lincoln, starting Sunday at 5 p.m. The match will be aired live on CSTV and online at huskers.com. The Tigers are on a three-match winning streak, housing a 19-3 overall and 12-3 Big 12 record. The Huskers have won 48-consecutive regular season matches, and are holding a 24-0 overall record.
Scouting Nebraska ...
No. 1 Nebraska currently owns a 24-0 overall and 15-0 conference record. In the AVCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, the Huskers own 58 of 60 first place votes with Washington (who is the only other team still undefeated in the nation) ranked second.
Aside from winning 24-consecutive matches and 48-consecutive regular season matches, the Huskers have won the last nine matches in sweeps, now having won 27-straight games. The Huskers' lowest scoring production in a game came at the hands of Missouri on October 5, when the Tigers held NU to 22 points in the game-two Mizzou win. Nebraska is 72-6 in all games played this year.
As of Monday, the Huskers were ranked No. 1 in the nation in blocks per game (4.25) and fourth in hitting percentage (.326). The Huskers' Melissa Elmer is leading the nation individually in blocks per game (2.27), and is also fifth in the nation in hitting percentage (.426).
The Tigers are fourth in the nation in kills per game (17.18) with Nebraska fifth (17.13).
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.
The match from NU Coliseum is SOLD OUT (and has been since the beginning of the season)
LIVE Broadcasts (5:00 p.m., central):
* CSTV - located on DirecTV channel 610, Dish Network channel 152, and in Columbia on Charter Cable digital channel 404 ... T.K. Brothers in Columbia on Forum Blvd., will have screens dedicated to the match as well!
* Live video - free on HuskersNside ... via huskers.com ... https://www.huskersnside.com//reg2/Start.dbml?SPSID=11&SPID=23&DB_OEM_ID=100&DB_OEM_ID=100
* Live audio - huskers.com ...
* Live stats - huskers.com
Tape-delayed broadcasts:
* CSTV - Monday, Nov. 14, 9:00 p.m. ... Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2:00 a.m. ... all times central
All-Time Series
Nebraska leads the all-time series 60-3-1, having won the last four meetings ... Mizzou last defeated the then-No. 8 Huskers in 2003 in Lincoln, fighting from two games down to win for the first time versus NU since 1982.
Last Time Out ... Baylor Falls to Tigers Super-Duper Hitting
Happy Birthday to Na Yang! The day before her birthday the sophomore outside hitter landed 13 kills on 25 errorless attempts in the Tigers sweep of Baylor Wednesday.
The No. 12 Missouri women's volleyball team defeated the Baylor Bears (14-13, 5-10 Big 12) in a three-game sweep on Wednesday evening, 30-23, 30-22, 30-23 in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers (19-3, 13-3 Big 12) recorded a season-high .486 hitting percentage, winning their third straight match, in their third-straight sweep. The Tigers now get ready for a meeting with No. 1 Nebraska that will be aired live on CSTV Sunday at 5 p.m.
Mizzou was paced by senior Lindsey Hunter who spread 52 assists (17.3 apg) as the Tigers had 62 kills (20.7 kpg) on a season-high .486 hitting average. Na Yang and Lisa Boyd led the team with 13 kills apiece, followed closely behind Jessica Vander Kooi with 12, Nicole Wilson with 11, and Shen Danru with 10. Tatum Ailes had match-high 13 digs.
The Tigers also scored on six service aces, three of which coming from Wilson.
Melanie Hammerly lead the Bears in kills with 14.
In game one, Missouri slowly started to pull away, scoring two points to each Baylor side-out. While up 18-15, Mizzou started to pull away, scoring on two-straight Wilson kills, a solo block by Wilson, and a Yang kill to take a 22-15 lead. Baylor responded with four-consecutive when down 23-16 to pull once again within three. However, Mizzou scored closed the book with a 7-3 run to win 30-23. As was the case all evening, the teams played stellar offensively. The Tigers outhit the bears in the first game .483 to .300.
The Tigers hit a mind-boggling .600 in game two, spreading 23 kills on zero unforced errors, hitting into only two blocks. Mizzou used runs of three and four, served by Abbie Booth to take a 14-10 initial lead, forcing a BU timeout. The Bears responded with three-straight to come within one, but the Tigers came back with a 16-9 run to end the game, winning 30-22.
The Tigers committed only two hitting errors in game three to win 30-23. The teams traded nine ties in the game, until with Mizzou up 19-18 did the Tigers start to separate from the Bears. Mizzou scored on three straight with two un-assisted overpass kills by Lisa Boyd to go up 22-18. Mizzou followed with an 8-4 run to close the door.
Flashback ... October 5 ... Shucks ... Tigers Couldn't Hold Leads Versus No. 1 Huskers in Front of 7,298 Tiger Fans
The previous meeting between the two teams this season was a thriller. Mizzou lead in each game in front of 7,298 Tiger fans in their four-game loss.
Here are the leads Mizzou had in the match against the Huskers and the outcome:
GAME 1 - Mizzou led by six, 7-1 ... scored tied at 17-17, 18-18, 19-19 ... NU goes on 11-7 to win 30-26
GAME 2 - Mizzou led 6-0, then by 11 at 22-11, NU scored 11 of next 19 ... MU won 30-22
GAME 3 - Mizzou led 3-1, ties at 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 19-19, 21-21, 22-22 ... Nebraska went on 8-1 run to win 30-23
GAME 4 - Mizzou led 21-15 ... Nebraska goes on 7-4 run to cut lead to 25-22 ... NU goes on 8-2 run to win 30-27
It was a milestone night for the No. 7 Missouri women's volleyball team on Wednesday. Even though the Tigers (12-1, 6-1 Big 12) dropped a tough match to No. 1 Nebraska (13-0, 6-0), 3-1, Mizzou established itself as an up-and-coming national power as 7,298 fans packed the Hearnes Center, nearly tripling the old school record.
Mizzou dropped its first match of the season, 26-30, 30-22, 30-23, and 30-27.
Sophomore Na Yang led the Tigers with 18 kills. Sophomore Tatum Ailes recorded a match-high 20 digs, and junior Nicole Wilson grabbed seven of the Tigers total 12½ blocks. In addition, senior Shen Danru became Mizzou's all-time service aces leader with two consecutive points.
Another Flashback ... October 15, 2003 ... Tigers Come Back From Two-Match Deficit to Defeat No. 8 Huskers, Biggest Upset in Tiger History
Mizzou volleyball picked up its biggest win in recent memory defeating No. 8 Nebraska 3-2 (28-30, 24-30, 30-25, 31-29, 15-9) on Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb. The win was the first for Missouri over Nebraska since 1982, snapping a streak of 44 straight losses to the Huskers and ends a 24-match losing streak for MU in Lincoln dating back to 1977.
A strong defensive performance led the Tigers to the comeback win, as they totaled a season-high 106 digs. Three MU players had at least 20 digs and two more recorded at least 15. Juliana Godoi led MU as she tied a career high with 22 digs. Jessica Vander Kooi set a career high and Shen Danru tied her career high with 20 digs each. Sara Parks added 17 and Lindsey Hunter had 15.
Danru added 22 kills for her ninth double-double of the year and Hunter had 41 assists to pick up her third double-double this season.
The Huskers took the first game of the match, but not without a fight from Mizzou. Nebraska tried several times to put away the Tigers, but each time found Missouri making a comeback. Down 8-15, MU won four straight points and took eight of the next 10 points to cut the NU lead to one. Later in the game, with Nebraska leading 23-18, Missouri put together a 6-1 run to tie the score at 24. The two teams split the next eight points and were tied at 28, before the Cornhuskers won the final two points to claim the opening-game victory.
Nebraska took the lead early in game two and extended it to as much as 11. Mizzou attempted a late comeback, using a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 26-21. However, Nebraska regained control of the game and extended its lead in the match to 2-0 heading into the intermission.
For the first time since 2001 and for only the third time since 1984, Missouri won a game against the Huskers, by taking game three 30-25. MU used runs of 5-0 and 7-0 to build a lead of as much as 10 over the Huskers. A late rally by Nebraska was not enough to catch Mizzou, forcing a game four.
The Tigers then sent it to a fifth game by winning a second game over Nebraska for the first time since 1998 and for only the second time 1984. Mizzou led 27-21 before the Huskers won six straight points to tie the score. The two teams went back-and-forth until a Lisa Boyd kill gave Mizzou the game-winning point and tied the match at two.
Missouri, with its momentum for winning games three and four, jumped out to a 9-1 lead to start the fifth game. Nebraska attempted to climb back into the game, but each time, the Tigers were able to put an end to the Husker charge and eventually put the match away with a 15-9 game-five win.
MU improves to 14-4 on the year and 7-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Nebraska, who lost to Kansas State at home last Saturday and has lost two in a row at home for the first time since 1999, drops to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
--Josh Murray
Once, Again, Another Flashback ... September 30, 1982 ... Tigers Last Win Against Huskers in 21 Years
Quoted from the Columbia Missourian, Richard Angeloni, reporter:
"They're for real. The Missouri women's volleyball team continued their cinderlla season as they defeated six-time Big Eight champions Nebraska Thursday night in the Hearnes Center.
"The action-packed, drama-filled victory reassured Missouri of their presence in the NCAA volleyball poll. The 17-0 Tigers are currently ranked 18th.
The match went the full five games. The teams were dead-locked at 2-2 after Nebraska took the fourth game, 9-15.
The Tigers came out storming in the fifth game. Missouri built up a 9-1 lead on the strong play of Sharen Olmstead and Debbie Urbanckas. It appeared Missouri would roll to an easy victory. Then, the roof caved in. The experienced Cornhuskers used their height to their advantage to block Missouri's kills and turn them into easy points.
'Nebraska is a tough team,' explained Missouri coach Mike English. `They are used to pressure situations,'
The Cornhuskers forged ahead 14-13 on the play of Cathy Noth and Sharon Kramer. Noth and Kramer dominated the net a Nebraska out-scored Missouri 14-3.
The Tigers regained the lead as Debbie Urbanckas, Sharen Olmstead, and Ritchie Ponquinette took control of the front-court. With the Tigers ahead 16-15, Olmstead leaped to slam the ball past two stunned Cornhusker defenders.
`It was a long time coming,' said Olmstead of the final kill. `We wanted this game bad.'"
Milestones Achieved and Yet to Go
Done
* Lindsey Hunter played in the 400th game of her career versus Colorado on October 29
* Hunter eclipsed the 5,500-career assist mark versus Colorado on October 29
* Hunter had her 100th-career 40-plus assist match at Oklahoma on November 5
* Hunter also had her 40th-career double-double with 47 assists and 12 digs at Oklahoma on November 5
* Jessica Vander Kooi became the eighth Tiger all-time to record 250 blocks in a career
What 2 Watch 4
* 5,873 total career assists will put Hunter in the top 25 all-time in NCAA history in the category
* With 34 digs, Hunter will be only the seventh Tiger all-time to reach the 1,000 dig mark
* Also can reach 1,000 career kills by end of the season ... has 943 currently
* Both are close to scoring their 300th blocks of their career, only two other Tigers all-time have reached that plateau
The State of Texas Comes To The Zou
Four home match for the Tigers to end the regular season in November and four opponents from the state of Texas. The Tigers host Texas Tech on November 2, Baylor on November 9, Texas on November 20, and Texas A&M on November 26.
An Early Lookback of 2005
Sure, we haven't completed the season, but this is a good time to set back and reflect a little on the season that has already unfolded with many, many storylines.
Team Streaks/Trends
* Mizzou went unscathed in non-conference play, winning all six matches in sweeps, going 18-0 in games, including in wins over then-No. 9 Tennessee and then-No. 9 Wisconsin.
* The Tigers won 21 consecutive games to start the season, the longest-such streak since 2000 (won 24 games consecutive)
* Mizzou also won 12 consecutive matches to begin the season (ending with a four-game loss to No. 1 Nebraska), marking the team's longest winning stretch and best season start since 1982.
* The Tigers set a new school record, winning six-consecutive conference matches (during the start of conference season)
* Mizzou also went on a five-match road winning streak during the season, tying the team's record set in 1982.
* Mizzou has currenly went 5-2 against top 25 teams, capturing a new school record in wins over top-25 teams in a season
Monumental Wins
* On September 4, the Tigers swept then-No. 9 Tennessee at home, recording their first sweep over a top-10 team in school history, winning only their second all-time over a top-10 team
* In Bozeman, Mont., the Tigers defeated then-No. 9 Wisconsin, marking the Tigers' second sweep over a top-10 team in a week's time
* On September 16, Mizzou defeated Texas A&M in College Station for the first time in school history, the first in 10 tries.
* Kansas State had won nine-consecutive matches over the Tigers coming into this season, and that streak was snapped on September 24 as Mizzou won at home in a three-game sweep.
* For the first time since 1993, Mizzou also defeated then-No. 24 K-State in Manhattan, winning in five games, coming back from a two-game deficit ... the match win was also only the Tigers fifth road win all-time versus a top-25 team.
* The K-State match ended with junior Jessica Vander Kooi scoring on three consecutive blocks.
Team Statistical Dealings
* On September 21, the Tigers held host Colorado to zero blocks in a three-game sweep, conversely the Tigers recorded a season-high 18 blocks on the night ... in the same match, the Tigers went the entire third game with committing a hitting error, hitting a season-high .654 in the frame
Crowding the Hearnes Center
* On October 5, 7,298 Tiger fans came to the Hearnes Center to watch the then-No. 7 Tigers take on No. 1 Nebraska.
* Mizzou has also grew their average season attendance by 55% from 2004's 1,460 average ... the Tigers drew 3,699 fans in an October 15 match against Kansas, 2,571 fans in a October 29 match against Colorado, and 2,438 fans in a September 24 match against Kansas State
* Four of Mizzou's top-five all-time crowds have now come from the 2005 season.
Other Firsts
* The October 5 match versus No. 1 Nebraska was the first all-time televised from the Hearnes Center ... the Missouri Sports Network aired the match on a tape-delay basis on local UPN station KZOU and televised the match live in Kansas City on MetroSports, who also produced the broadcast.
* For the first time in Mizzou volleyball history, the team was ranked in the national top 10, starting on September 12 and remaining there for seven-consecutive weeks ... the team peaked at No. 7 in the country and was at that spot for three weeks (October 3, 10, 17 polls) ... the teams' previous all-time-high ranking before 2005 was 18th, occurring in 2003.
* Also for the first time in Tiger volleyball history, the team ranked in the top 10 in attendance, peaking on October 31 with a sixth-place national ranking.
* The team also reached the top five for the first time in school history in the RPI. Their previous high was the 2004 final index when the team placed 24th.
Records Broken
* Lindsey Hunter broke Mizzou's all-time assist record previously held by Heather Gerber (4,954) on September 16 at then-No. 15 Texas A&M
* Hunter also became the first Tiger to jump over the 5,000-assist mark, doing so at Colorado on September 21.
* Shen Danru became the Tigers' all-time digs leader, topping Narron Branson (1,149) at Texas Tech on October 1.
* Danru jumped over Buhlig (163) on October 5 versus No. 1 Nebraska in the all-time service aces category.
* Danru became Mizzou's all-time kills leader, jumping over Yvette Buhlig (1,478) on October 12 at then-No. 18 Texas
* Danru also became Mizzou's all-time scorer over Christi Myers (1,814) at Oklahoma on November 5.
* Nicole Wilson became the current Tiger all-time leader in hitting percentage
* Wilson also became the current Tiger all-time leader in blocks per game (1.08 - as of November 8)
Individual Feats
* On September 5, Lindsey Hunter was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in her career after recording a 100-assist week in sweeps over Utah and then-No. 9 Tennessee.
* Hunter was also named Tournament MVP for both the Tiger Invitational and the Holiday Inn Classic
* Hunter nearly record a triple-double twice in the season ... on October 22 at Iowa State she recorded 54 assists, 10 digs and eight kills ... on October 29 versus Colorado, tallied 59 assists, 13 digs, and eight kills.
* Jessica Vander Kooi has recorded three double-doubles over top-25 teams ... she nearly recorded a quadruple-double when playing at No. 24 Kansas State on October 26, recording 14 kills, 21 digs, eight assists, and nine blocks
* Abbie Booth began Big 12 play with 12 service aces in four three-game sweeps, averaging one per game.
* Shen Danru recorded 17 kills on .326 hitting, adding 19 digs and four blocks at Kansas State on October 26.
* Lisa Boyd - at Colorado on September 21, recorded 11 kills with only one error (.556) in road sweep, also tallying eight blocks in the match ... against No. 1 Nebraska on October 5, went 12-2-20 (.500) and recorded five blocks ... at Iowa State on October 22, nearly went errorless going 13-1-26 (.462), adding five blocks.
* Tatum Ailes - recorded 12 digs in each of the Tiger sweeps over then-No. 9 Wisconsin and then-No. 9 Tennessee ... had 41 serve receptions against No. 1 Nebraska, committing only one error, even after severely jamming elbow in game four
* Na Yang has scored a career-high 21 kills twice this season (October 1 at Texas Tech and October 26 at Kansas State) ... has recorded career highs in blocks (6) versus Kansas on October 15 and October 29 versus Colorado.
* Nicole Wilson was named Big 12 & National Player of the Week on September 26 after recording a week of errorless play in sweeps at Colorado and at home versus then-No. 17 Kansas State, hitting .719 over the stretch with 17 kills (3.83 kpg), 5.25 ppg, 2.83 bpg, and 0.67 dpg ... in the K-State match on September 24, Wilson record 11 kills on 13 attempts (also having nine blocks), recording a conference-season high hitting percentage of .846 ... went three matches in a row without committing an error in late September going 34-of-53 (.642) over the stretch
Awards & Honors
* Lindsey Hunter and Jessica Vander Kooi were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team
* Lindsey Hunter was named Big 12 Player of the Week on September 5.
* Nicole Wilson was named Big 12 Player of the Week followed by being named AVCA National Player of the Week on on September 26th (details above)
Inside the Numbers ... 22 points and game threes
The lowest point-total a team has held Mizzou to in a game this year is 22 ... Texas did so in their sweep of the Tigers on October 12.
Did you know? The Tigers are 20-2 in all game 3s this season, the only losses coming from Texas in Austin and against Nebraska. Mizzou is averaging 29.3 points in game threes while their opponents have been held to 21.3 points in the third frame.
Double-Checking That Record Book
Sorry about this gaff. After investigating the record book and talking with some people in the NCAA, it appears that Mizzou's records for blocks and blocks per game were a little deceiving and needed to be changed. The method of calculating blocks in 1983 was such that every block, even those that are returned, termed "zero blocks" were counted. Obviously, that is not the case these days, as in order to be credited with a solo block or block assist, the block action must fall for a point for the blocking team. That is the reason why Mizzou's blocking records seemed way out of reach. Unfortunately, those records effect Tiger alumni Dianne Berg and Dina Herzog whose blocking prowess was felt by opposing teams in the mid-80s. But, without knowing exactly which blocks fell for points, they're statistics for that year have to be kept out of the record books.
The Comeback at K-State (October 26)
It was a volleyball match that resembled a Rocky movie on October 26, as the No. 8 Tigers won in Manhattan over No. 24 K-State for the first time since 1993, coming back, from two games down to win the match.
Not to mention game five, when each team went "punch"-for-"punch", like the Round 11 montage in Rocky IV, tying the score a match-high eight times in frame, ultimately tying for the last time at 11-11. That's when the "Eye of the Tiger", in this case, junior Jessica Vander Kooi stepped in. After throwing down a kill off a block, giving the Tigers a side-out and the 12-11 lead, Vander Kooi proceed to build a wall at the net that lasted the remainder of the match. Wildcat Sandy Werner, who had 16 kills up-to-that-point, tried to bust through the wall on three successive rallies, and was stopped each time by Vander Kooi in a block assist or solo block.
Here's point-by-point how the end of Wednesday night's match went:
Score: 11-11
K-State serve (Rita Lilliom), kill by Vander Kooi (assist by Lindsey Hunter) ... score MU 12-11, MU side-out
MU serve (Nicole Wilson), block by Lisa Boyd and Jessica Vander Kooi (attack error by Sandy Werner) ... score MU 13-11
TIMEOUT K-STATE
MU serve (Nicole Wilson), solo block by Vander Kooi (attack error by Sandy Werner) ... score MU 14-11, Mizzou match point
MU serve (Nicole Wilson), block by Lisa Boyd and Vander Kooi (attack error by Sandy Werner) ... score MU 15-11 ... Mizzou wins match
Vander Kooi (Hinton, Iowa) grabbed her eighth double-double of the season, and her fourth over a ranked opponent, notching 14 kills and 21 digs, adding nine total blocks (three on the final three points alone) to tie a career-high in the category. Vander Kooi nearly had a quadruple-double as she also had eight assists on the evening.
Columbia, Lovin' The Volleyball ... Mizzou Eighth 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 2,2265 fans per home contest, ranking eighth 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 Monkey Off Thy Back
While wins over Texas A&M in College Station and an early-conference-season 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. Another monkey was thrown from the train when the Tigers defeated K-State for the second time this season in a five-game thriller in Manhattan. The win was the Tigers first in the "Little Apple" since 1993.
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.
Big 12's Second Half ... NOW!
The second meeting of Iowa State and Missouri on October 22, 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.
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 seventh in the projected RPI. The highest in school history was the Tigers fifth-place ranking that went for the past previous five weeks.
Those Third Games
Again the Tigers are 20-2 this season in the third game of matches.
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 15 matches of the Big 12 season, sophomore Tiger Tatum Ailes is leading the league with 4.31 digs per conference game. Ailes, who set Mizzou's season records in digs and digs per game her freshman year, has 233 digs in 54 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.
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 21 matches, Wilson is hitting .425 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 nine 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.
The (Multi-)Talented Miss Vander Kooi
Junior Jessica Vander Kooi almost scored a quadruple-double at then-No. 24 Kansas State on October 26, when she scored 14 kills for the Tigers, on 21 digs, nine blocks, and dished eight assists. The Tigers came back from two games behind to win in five and win for the first time in Manhattan since 1993. What was even more incredible, was Vander Kooi clinched the Tiger victory, scoring on three-consecutive blocks to score the matches' final three points.
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.
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) ... 13.69 apg ... 413 games, 5,654 assists
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.
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.