Nov. 25, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo.--The No. 10 women's volleyball Missouri squad will wrap its regular-season play on Saturday, hosting Texas A&M in the Hearnes Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A ceremony celebrating Tiger seniors, Lindsey Hunter, Lisa Boyd, and Shen Danru will take place before the match, with cake and refreshments served following play. Truman Club members receive free admission and a Kids' Carnival will take place in the concourse with inflatable games and face painters. With a Tiger (21-4, 15-4 Big 12) win and a Texas loss to No.1 Nebraska, Mizzou would finish the Big 12 season tied for second.
Scouting Texas A&M ...
The Aggies have won seven-of-their-last-eight matches, having lost to only No. 1 Nebraska in the five-week stretch. Texas A&M (16-12, 9-10) uncharacteristically had a slow, slow start to the Big 12 season, dropping nine-of-11 decisions to begin conference play, losing six consecutive over early to late September. Texas A&M and Missouri tied for third in the Big 12 in 2004 with a 14-6 record, and the Aggies returned six of seven starters from last year's crew.
The Aggies are coached by Laurie Corbelli, and, similar to Mizzou, her spouse, husband, John, is the associate head coach of the squad. Corbelli is 13th year as coach of A&M and garners a 394-224 career record.
Outside hitter Laura Jones leads the NATION with 6.02 kills per game from all matches, adding 3.13 digs per game.
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 (6:30 p.m., central):
* Mizzou All-Access ... mutigers.com
* LIVE Audio ... kcou.mu.org
* LIVE Stats ... mutigers.com
All-Time Series
Texas A&M dominantly leads the all-time series with the Tigers, 17-5. In Columbia, A&M has won six of nine meetings. The Tigers won their first ever match in College Station earlier this year, and has won two of the teams' last three matchups.
Last Time Out ... Tigers Win Team-Record 15th Conference Match at Kansas
The No. 10 women's volleyball team (21-4, 15-4 Big 12) grabbed a win at Kansas (15-13, 7-12) on Wednesday night in a 30-25, 27-30, 30-16, and 30-18 pre-Thanksgiving fashion, to gain 1½ more points in the Mizzou-Kansas Border Showdown, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers. Four Tigers scored double digits in kills, with Na Yang scoring a match-high 17 kills on the evening while senior Lindsey Hunter scored the 42nd double-double of her career with 50 assists and 10 digs. Mizzou's 15th-conference win sets a new school record.
Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) had a fantastic night, spreading 50 assists as four Tigers gained double-digit kill totals on .301 team hitting. Hunter also added ten digs and seven errorless kills, six from setter dumps to record a tied-career high .778 hitting percentage. In addition, Hunter added four blocks and two aces.
Along with Yang's 17 kills, Nicole Wilson and Jessica Vander Kooi scored on 12 kills apiece and Lisa Boyd added 11. Wilson grabbed a .500 hitting percentage, scoring her 12 kills with only one error on 22 attempts.
Tatum Ailes dove for 17 digs - Shen Danru tallied 15 digs.
The match started slowly as both teams were bit by the hitting-error bug, swapping unforced points in game one's beginning. With Shen Danru back behind the line at 8-6, her jump serve put Kansas off their guard, and Mizzou rattled off four more points after the side out to gain their largest lead of the game at 12-6. The Jayhawks responded with three straight as part of a 6-2 run to pull back within two. Kansas kept the pace in scoring and the Tigers pulled a side-out after a Wilson kill to lead 24-21. Wilson was then part of two double-stuff blocks in the next two points to pull the Tigers away, grabbing a 26-21 lead. A solo block by Danru and a KU hitting error finished the Jayhawks off in the first set, 30-25. Mizzou only mustered 15 kills in the frame on a lackluster, .186-hitting performance. The Jayhawks hit .083 in the stanza.
A bit of pre-Thanksgiving slumber kicked in on the Tigers in game two as the Jayhawks scored six-consecutive points to take an early 8-3 lead after three-consecutive blocking points. However, the `Hawks killed their own momentum, also doing so three times in the first game, with a service error. The Tigers chewed at the `Hawks lead and tied at 18-18. But KU fired back, scoring on six-of-the-next-nine points to force a Mizzou timeout with the Tigers down 24-21. After two Missouri points, Kansas went on a 5-1 run to bring-up game point. The Tigers threatened, scoring on the next three, but a kill by Kansas' Caitlin Mahoney sealed the deal a 30-27 Kansas game two win. Kansas was on a hot hitting streak, committing only two unforced errors in the frame, garnering a .368 hitting ratio. On a bright note, the Tigers' Jessica Vander Kooi added five kills in the game and Hunter added to her errorless kill total with two more setter dumps to add to her first game, two kill total.
The Jayhawks were down only one after a three-point run to put the score at an 11-10 Tiger advantage to start game three, and then the Tiger offensive-attacking machine finally awoke from its mild slumber. A Boyd kill and another Hunter dump started the momentum, then Na Yang went insane, scoring on five kills in the next six points to put the Tigers up seven at 18-11. Yang scored on a normal slam, a pillow-like tip, and an overpass slam to take control, as Mizzou scored 18 kills on its first 20 points. After a Wilson kill on the 20th point, Hunter went back to serve and scored two-consecutive aces, to put the Tigers up 22-12. Another mini-run of three for the Tigers, ending with a Abbie Booth ace, put the Tigers up 25-13. Wilson added another ace, combined with a Danru kill to put Mizzou up 28-14. A Danru kill ended a Tiger 19-6 run that gave Mizzou the game three win 30-16.
Offensively in the third game, the Tigers had scored on 22 kills, six coming from Yang and five coming from Wilson. The Tigers outhit KU in the frame .463-.152.
The Tigers took a 10-5 to start game four, forcing a Kansas timeout after another Wilson ace. Mizzou continued with a 16-7 run to dominate the net. Kansas tried to restart their engines, scoring on a 6-1 run, but the Tigers prevailed, winning 30-18. Mizzou hit .346 in the frame, holding Kansas to a .000 percentage (11-11-36).
Flashback ... September 16 ... Mizzou Wins In College Station For First Time Ever
In a two hour, 20 minute, marathon of a volleyball match, the No. 10 Missouri women's team took down No. 15 Texas A&M, 3-1, in front of 2,455 Aggie fans. In front of one of the loudest crowds in America, Mizzou won their first match ever in College Station while the Tigers' Lindsey Hunter became Mizzou's all-time set assist leader. Three Tigers tallied double-doubles.
The Tigers (8-0, 2-0) defeated the Aggies (7-4, 0-2) by a line score of 29-31, 30-28, 30-24, and 30-25.
"I think we were very pleased by how girls kept persistent throughout the night," said Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. "A&M has a very tough volleyball team, and think our girls handled a tough crowd and the tough team well. In game four, the girls really had to earn that win. A&M battled to the end and we're very happy."
Sophomore Na Yang led the Tigers with 19 kills, a career-high. Junior Jessica Vander Kooi (Hinton, Iowa) scored season-highs with 18 kills along with 17 digs to score her fourth double-double and her third double-double against a top-15 team. Senior Shen Danru added 12 kills and a season-high 20 digs. Sophomore Tatum Ailes (Bellevue, Neb.) set a new career-high with 24 digs. Abbie Booth (Kansas City, Mo.) added 16 digs and three service aces. And, junior Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) tallied eight total blocks.
In addition, Lindsey Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) became Missouri's all-time assist record holder on the night as well, tallying 56 total assists, grabbing 44 by the end of game three to surpass Heather Gerber.
The Tigers succumbed to their first game loss of the year, falling 31-29 to start the match. The Tigers opened the game with an Abbie Booth ace. The Tigers would lead 2-1, but a 7-2 Aggie run made the score 8-4. A&M would continue to widen the lead to 17-11, before Mizzou went on a 6-2 run, spurred by Jessica Vander Kooi, who grabbed two kills and an ace in the period to make the score 19-17 and cut the lead. The teams traded several kills and eventually the score was in favor of A&M 26-23. After a Tiger timeout, The Tigers went on a 5-1 run to lead 28-27 as a result of five kills. Mizzou held a 29-28 lead after a Na Yang kill, but the Aggies would score the next three points to capture the first game.
Game one was a battle of attrition. The teams combined for 112 attacks, 52 digs, and 39 kills, resulting in super-long rallies, a hard hitting game for sure. The difference was the Aggies ability to keep the ball under control, as A&M committed only two hitting errors while Mizzou made seven. Nicole Wilson went an errorless 6-for-9 in the Tiger cause in the opening frame. A&M hit .321 in the game - the Tigers hit .220.
Another thriller in game two followed. A&M was up 13-8 after two consecutive service aces. Then, Booth continued to give the Tigers a favorable serve, as the Tigers scored six-consecutive points with Abbie behind the line. In the run, Booth scored her second and third ace of the game and Wilson was part of three blocks to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead. The Tigers went on a 5-0 run after trailing 18-17. Mizzou still lead at 27-23 following a Vander Kooi ace, but the Aggies responded with a 3-0 run to cut the lead to one. With the Tigers up 29-28, A&M committed a ball-handling error to give the Tigers game two.
The Tigers zoomed to a fast start in game three, going up 9-3 before an A&M timeout. Over the run, Vander Kooi and Shen Danru recorded three kills apiece and Vander Kooi added another ace. Before another A&M timeout, the Tigers went on an additional 9-4 run to go up 18-8. An Aggie 5-1 run before a Tiger timeout closed the gap to 19-13. The Aggies would try to close the gap once down 25-17, by going on an 8-4 run, but another ball-handling error ended the stanza in favor of the Tigers to give Mizzou the 2-1 match-lead. In the third-game alone Danru and Ailes had seven digs and Booth grabbed six.
Frame four would best be described as a game of tug-of-war between the two top-15 teams. No team gained a real advantage until the score tied at 20. With Tatum Ailes at serve, the Tigers scored five straight points, capped by an Ailes ace and a Yang kill. A&M came back with three straight of their own to make the score 25-23. The Tigers scored on five-of-the-seven remaining points to carry the match-win 3-1.
The Tigers did however end their streak of consecutive-games won at 21 with the game one loss. The Tigers came close to the 24 school-record consecutive-game wins.
Sweeping the Top-10s
So, after not ever sweeping a top-10 team in the history of Mizzou Volleyball, this 2005 squad decided to change that. It started with the second match of the season, as a No. 21 Tiger team swept then-No. 9 Tennessee in Columbia on Sunday, September 4, immediately gaining attention on the national scene. So much attention in fact that the pollsters pushed the Tigers to a No. 14 ranking the next day. But, another top-10 opponent in then-No. 9 Wisconsin was on the week's docket, as the Tigers traveled to Bozeman, Mont., to take on the Badgers on that next Saturday. The Tigers swept Wisconsin and moved to the top 10 themselves for the first time in school history.
On November 20, No. 10 Texas came to town and the then-No. 11 Tigers took care of business in straight sets, and a result bounced back into the top 10.
In those three matches, some Tigers have emerged as immediate stars to the Tigers' hit parade. The Tigers averaged 19.2 kills per game in those sweeps on a .307 hitting percentage. A huge part of that was because of the immaculate setting by senior Lindsey Hunter who has averaged 16.56 assists per game in the team's sweeps. Offensively, Na Yang has averaged an insane 5.11 kills per game in those matches with a .323 hitting percentage to boot. Senior Lisa Boyd has averaged 1.33 blocks per game in those sweeps.
National Statistical Rankings
As of November 20
Notable Big 12 teams and individuals on the tops of the NCAA Statistical Rankings - out of 317 teams (released each Tuesday)
TEAM
Assists Per Game: Missouri, 2nd, 16.16 apg ... Nebraska, 7th, 15.78 apg
Blocks Per Game: Nebraska, 1st, 4.24 bpg
Hitting Percentage: Nebraska, 4th, .323 ... Missouri, 9th, .298 ... Texas, 17th, .278
Kills Per Game: Missouri, 3rd, 17.22 ... Nebraska, 5th, 17.17
INDIVIDUAL
Assists Per Game: Lindsey Hunter, Missouri, 5th, 14.04 apg ... Michelle Moriarty, Texas, 9th, 13.41
Blocks Per Game: Melissa Elmer, Nebraska, 1st, 2.27 bpg
Hitting Percentage: Nicole Wilson, Missouri, 5th, .424 ... Melissa Elmer, Nebraska, .416
Kills Per Game: Laura Jones, Texas A&M, 1st, 5.95
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
* Lisa Boyd played in the 100th match of her career at No. 1 Nebraska on November 13
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 15 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 974 currently
* Both are close to scoring their 300th blocks of their career, only two other Tigers all-time have reached that plateau
Plenty to be Thankful For ... An Early Lookback at 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 currently went 6-3 against top 25 teams, capturing a new school record in wins over top-25 teams in a season (old record was 4 in 2004)
* For the fifth time in six years the Tigers reached the 20-win mark, capturing No. 20 in a sweep at home over then-No. 10 Texas on November 20.
* The Tigers in 21 wins have swept 16 matches in three games
* With 15 conference wins, the Tigers set a new school record in that category
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.
* On November 20, Mizzou recorded their third sweep of the season and third all-time over a top-10 team with a three-game smashing over then-No. 10 Texas in front of 4,012 Tiger fans ... in addition, Texas has won 15-of-16 entering the match, and the Tigers stopped a nine-match Longhorn winning streak, but extended Mizzou's home winning-streak over Texas at home to six.
The Close Calls
* On November 13, Mizzou visited No. 1 Nebraska ... in front of the Huskers 67th-consecutive sellout, Missouri took games one and two, marking the first time in the all-time series that Tigers have went up 2-0 ... but, Nebraska won the last three games, winning only their second match all-time when coming back from two games behind
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
* At home versus Baylor the Tigers hit a season high .486 in the match, conversely the Bears had a Tiger-opponent season-high percentage of .337
* In the sweep at home of Texas on November 20 the Tigers hit over .300 in each game
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 4,012 fans in an November 20 match versus Texas, 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
* Five of Mizzou's top-six 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 ... the Tigers re-entered the top 10 after sweeping then-No. 10 Texas on November 22
* 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 22)
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
* Vander Kooi racked up 23 kills (the team's season high) along with 22 digs in the five-game loss at No. 1 Nebraska ... her 23 were the most by a Husker opponent for the season ... marked the second 20-20 match all-time of Vander Kooi's career
* 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 three times this season (October 1 at Texas Tech, October 26 at Kansas State, and November 20 versus Texas) ... has recorded career highs in blocks (6) versus Kansas on October 15 and October 29 versus Colorado.
* The Texas 21 kill total from Yang was only in three games (7.00 kpg), accompanied by a .372 hitting percentage
* 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)
* The following were named members of the Academic All-Big 12 Team: FIRST TEAM: Abbie Booth, Lisa Boyd, Shen Danru, Jessica Vander Kooi, and Na Yang; SECOND TEAM: Lindsey Hunter
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, those statistics for that year have to be kept out of the record books.
The Comeback at K-State (October 26) ... A Vander Kooi Cooling
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 that 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 2,265 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 50 of the last 51 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.
The RPI in the RKPI ... Mizzou No. 8 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.
Ailes Out-Digging The Conference
Through 17 matches of the Big 12 season, sophomore Tiger Tatum Ailes is leading the league with 4.23 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 23 matches, Wilson is hitting .424 for the season, ranking fifth in the nation in the category.
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. At No. 1 Nebraska, Vander Kooi nearly burned down the NU Coliseum, scoring 23 kills and 22 digs for her second-career 20-20 match. In the Tigers' fast start of winning the first two games in Lincoln, Vander Kooi had 15 kills and 11 digs alone.
If You're Goin' To Play (well, anywhere) ... 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.