University of Missouri
Tennessee
No. 21 Mizzou Volleyball Sweeps Away No. 9 Tennessee
9/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 4, 2005
Box Score | Photo Gallery
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Five Tigers posted double-digit kills Sunday afternoon as the No. 21 Missouri volleyball team dominantly swept the No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vols at the Hearnes Center, winning the championship match of the 2005 Tiger Invitational. The victory marks the fifth time in six seasons that Mizzou has opened the campaign with two consecutive victories.
The Tigers (2-0) made quick work of Tennessee (2-1), winning in one hour, 35 minutes with game scores of 30-27, 30-23, and 30-20.
Sophomore Na Yang led the Tiger attack with a match-high 15 kills, just two shy of her career high. She was joined in double-figures by senior Shen Danru (13), junior Jessica Vander Kooi (12) and senior Lisa Boyd and junior Nicole Wilson (10 each). Mizzou's 63 kills equaled the team's 2004 high for a three-game match.
Danru added 14 digs to notch her 54th career double-double, and Vander Kooi's 11 digs prompted her 30th double-double of her career. Sophomore libero Tatum Ailes also chipped in with 12 digs. Boyd tallied a team-high four blocks in the win.
Senior setter Lindsey Hunter dealt out 55 assists on the afternoon, giving her 100 for tournament (16.7 apg). The Papillion, Neb., native also contributed an ace and three block assists in the win.
Mizzou posted a .353 hitting percentage, including a .500 slugging average in the match's third game, while holding the Lady Vols to .239. For the tournament, Mizzou hit .307. The Lady Vols still managed a .239 match hitting percentage, as Yuliya Stoyanova led Tennessee with 14 kills.
In game one, the Tigers went ahead 24-21, in a hotly contested beginning to the match. Tennessee went on a four-point run, and the Tigers found themselves down 27-25 after a Lady Vol triple block. The Tigers rallied, scoring five straight points to take the game 30-27. Yang had two kills in the five-point run.
In game two, Mizzou jumped out to a 19-13 lead, but a six-point Lady Vol run made the score 22-21 in favor of Tennessee. With Ailes at serve, the Tigers went on a 9-1 run to close the second frame. Yang again proved big in the Tiger run, notching three kills and a block assist in the sequence.
The same story emerged in game three, as the Tigers controlled scoring in the game's beginning, taking a 22-16 initial lead. Mizzou never looked back as an 8-4 run, ending with a Boyd, Hunter double-block, sealed victory.
On Friday, Missouri swept Utah 3-0 before Tennessee defeated Utah on Saturday 3-0, setting up the championship match.
Hunter was named the 2005 Tiger Invitational Most Valuable Player, and was joined on the all-tournament team by three teammates - Vander Kooi, Wilson and Yang. Tennessee's Yulia Stoyonova and Amy Wilson rounded out the squad. Wilson led the tournament field with a .531 hitting average, placing only two errors on 32 attempts.
The Tigers will a have a quick turnaround from this match as they will host UMKC, Tuesday, in the Hearnes Center at 6:30 p.m., before traveling to Bozeman, Mont., for Montana State's Holiday Inn Classic next weekend.
Live game action can be seen of all of the Tiger home matches via Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com. At the website, fans around the world can watch Mizzou Volleyball in progress with Jim Wulfson's call on KCOU Radio in the background. For a small fee, fans can logon and watch live action or archived match-ups, all in high-internet quality.
For more information on upcoming matches, visit mutigers.com.
Photo Gallery:
by: Kyle Coburn/MU Athletics
Photos cannot be used without permission from MU Athletics Media Relations office.
