Aug. 26, 2006
LONG BEACH, Calif. - True freshman Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) stood on the baseline before Saturday's match against Villanova (0-2) announced as a Missouri (2-1) volleyball starter for the first time in her career, probably not knowing she would do something that no Tiger has done since 2003. Klein's seven service aces paced No. 13 nationally-ranked Mizzou to a 30-20, 30-20, 30-27 sweep of the Wildcats in the Tigers' final match of the Long Beach State Invitational in Long Beach, Calif.
Only six other times in Mizzou history has a Tiger accumulated seven or more aces in a match, and only twice before in a three-set match. Klein also added seven kills and two blocks in her first Tiger start, racking 15 total points.
Senior Jessica Vander Kooi led all with 14 kills on a much-improved .303 hitting percentage, grabbing her first double-double of the season by adding 13 digs. Vander Kooi also had eight blocks and led all with 18 points.
Nicole Wilson and Na Yang added 10 kills apiece. Redshirt freshman Lei Wang dished 36 assists and added four kills as Mizzou hit .301 as a team. Melissa Allbery contributed on six of the team's 12 blocks.
The Tigers finished the tournament 2-1, defeating Alabama State in a sweep yesterday afternoon before being swept by Long Beach State last night.
"I felt we did a good job bouncing back from last night," said Head Coach Wayne Kreklow. "We built on a decent game three from last night and started to get into a better rhythm with a lineup change. Villanova is a solid team, and they will have success this year, but today we kept them out of their tempo."
"This weekend has been beneficial for us a team," continued Kreklow. Last year, we had returned six starters from the past two years before. This year, with a lot of new names in the lineup, we are in the process of finding our new identity as a team. This weekend helped us see where we are at and where our players needed to go in the next few weeks."
Mizzou jumped to a five-point lead in game one after two-consecutive double blocks by Vander Kooi and Allbery to make the score 12-7 in favor of the Tigers. After two points by the Wildcats, Mizzou's Klein rattled off six points at serve, capped by two-consecutive aces to put Mizzou ahead 18-9 and out of reach. Allbery scored five blocks for the Tigers in the frame as Yang and Klein added five and four kills, respectively, in the stanza.
After the Tigers won the opening point in game two, Klein went back to serve and grabbed another two aces to give Mizzou a 3-0 lead as part of a 12-4 starting run. Mizzou pulled away, 11 ahead after another serving run by Klein, as she added ace in a four-rally rotation. The Tigers were paced by their best offensive game of the weekend, as Vander Kooi connected on eight kills with Yang adding four. Klein would go on to add another ace in the frame to snatch four in the game.
The third game was tied eight times on the way to 9-9. An 8-4 Tiger run, helped by two kills by Nicole Wilson and a double-block by Vander Kooi and Wilson put the score at 17-13, forcing a `Nova timeout. The Wildcats fought back with an 8-3 run to take the lead at 21-20 and force a Tiger timeout. With a two-point streak by Mizzou the teams continued to be tied at 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27, before a service error by Villanova and a block by the Wildcats that went wide game Mizzou a chance at match point. A great pass by Abbie Booth connected with setter Lei Wang who used a quick pass to let Nicole Wilson hit a ball over the net that `Nova could not save for the match.
The Tigers will open their home season on Tuesday against UALR, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Hearnes Center. For Mizzou students, there will be a First-Serve Tailgate Party in the Hearnes Fieldhouse starting at 5:30. At the tailgate will be free food and T-shirts for those who sign up for VolleyZou. ###