Sept. 21, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo.--When watching Mizzou take on Ohio University on Saturday afternoon, don't forget about the No. 22 Tiger volleyball team (8-4, 2-1) who take on No. 5 Texas (8-2, 3-0) in the Hearnes Center at 6:30 p.m., in what should be a show-stopper. The Tigers are on a two-match winning streak and have taken down the Longhorns in the friendly confines in each of the last six meetings in Columbia. However, Texas is in the nation's top five and Mizzou is missing a win from their all-time resume in the category.
No. 5 Texas at No. 22 Missouri
Saturday, September 23, 6:30 p.m.
Webcast: Mizzou All-Access ... subscription required ...
http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=miss
Radio: none.
Live Stats: MUTigers.com ...
Coaches: Missouri (8-4) - Wayne Kreklow (Drake '80) ... 9-3 vs. Texas
300-38 overall (8th season), 33-9 at Mizzou (2nd season), 142-55 with wife at Mizzou (7th season)
Texas (8-2) - Jerritt Elliott (CS-Northridge, `91) ... 3-7 vs. Missouri ... 164-60 (7th season) overall ... 113-50 (6th season) at Texas
Series Matchup: Texas leads the all-time series, 11-9 ... Mizzou has claimed all nine of their victories in the series since 2000 and the beginning of the Kreklow era (12 matches) ... The Tigers have won six-straight at home versus the Longhorns, with the last three coming in sweeps
Other Facts: Mizzou is 0-31 all-time versus top-five teams, 0-9 all-time against teams ranked No. 5 ... the highest-ranked team a Mizzou team has defeated is then-No. 6 Hawaii in the regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
Scouting Texas ...
The No. 5 nationally-ranked Texas Longhorns come into Columbia riding a three match win streak. The Longhorns are 8-2 on the season and 3-0 in the Big 12. Texas is undefeated on the road and has beaten three of four nationally-ranked teams (Washington, Pepperdine, Santa Clara).
In 10 games this season, 2005 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and 2006 Preseason All-Big 12 outside hitter Dariam Acevedo leads the Longhorns with 4.35 kills per game. Libero Alyson Jennings leads the team with 3.65 digs per game and setter Michelle Moriarty leads the team with 13.81 assists per game. As a team, the Longhorn defense has held its opponents to a .196 attacking percentage.
The Longhorns are missing one key aspect to their team. 2005 AVCA Third Team All-American and 2005 First Team All-Big 12 middle blocker Brandy Magee was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the first game of the season against Wisconsin.
So far this season, Texas has had three common opponents with Missouri. Both teams have faced No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Santa Clara, and Colorado. Missouri lost to all three and Texas defeated No. 4 Santa Clara and Colorado and lost to No. 2 Penn State in five games.
While Texas leads the overall series over Missouri 11-9, Missouri won their last meeting last year at home and have won six straight matches at home. Texas has not beaten Missouri in Columbia since 1999.
Head Coach Jerritt Elliot enters his sixth year at Texas and holds a 113-50 record. The Longhorns have all six of their starters from last year's 24-5 season returning. Texas finished 17-3 in the Big 12, good for second, and finished the season ranked No. 16 after falling in the second round to Hawaii (whom Missouri later defeated in the regional semifinal) of the NCAA Tournament.
-- Mustafa Mohammad
Wayne Kreklow Wins No. 300 ... Wednesday at Kansas State
Head Coach Wayne Kreklow's won his 300th match as a collegiate women's volleyball head coach on Wednesday as the Tigers took down Kansas State in Manhattan 3-1. Kreklow goes to 300-38 overall as a official head coach. The total includes 267 wins carried over from his co-head coaching days with his wife, Susan, at Columbia College.
Fountain of Youth ...
At any one time Missouri could have three freshmen on the floor and many times will have two froshs in the front row. Progressively, the freshmen are growing more-and-more comfortable in the their roles and are each adding their own niche.
Setter Lei Wang, as the team's quarterback, has had to mature more quickly and has. In the match at Kansas State, Wang produced 60 assists in the four-game match and was running a familiarly fluid Tiger offense. In addition, Wang has known when to use the "second touch" as a attacking device. Against the Wildcats, Wang scored four kills on setter-dumps. In addition, Wang has done well defensively, scooping 20 digs at KSU and producing four double-doubles so far this year.
OH Julianna Klein has had some big-hitting games early in the season. At No. 21 Notre Dame, Klein scored 19 kills on a .280 hitting percentage. Later versus No. 2 Penn State, Klein scored 10 kills on .304 hitting.
In the MB position, Amanda Hantouli and Brittney Herzog split time and continually improve their contribution to the system. Megan Wilson has been entered into the lineup on several occasions as well, playing a broad role that helps the Kreklows determine the right combinations to use on the floor on any given time.
Vander Kooi Taking A Bigger Role ...
Senior OH Jessica Vander Kooi was in the top-10 of the Big 12 in points per game in 2005. This season, the Hinton, Iowa, native has taken an even bigger role. So far Vander Kooi is averaging 4.40 kills per game, up from 3.42 kills per game a year ago. In addition, her blocks and digs numbers are up, (blocks up to 1.13 to 0.99 bpg, digs up to 3.27 from 2.77 dpg), as Vander Kooi solidifies her status as one of the better all-around players in the country. In 2005, Vander Kooi had 10 double-doubles. Already in 2006, Vander Kooi has eight.
Na Playing Double Role ...
Junior OH Na Yang has returned to play all-around, a role that she also fulfilled in 2004. The real evidence of the fact is Yang's five double-doubles on the season. In 2005, Yang zero double-doubles as she was replaced when in the back row. Yang now has three-consecutive double-doubles, scoring 12, 17, and 16 kills in the last three matches at Colorado, versus Texas A&M, and at Kansas State, respectively, adding 16, 11, and 11 digs.
Last Meeting with Texas ...
November 20, 2005, Columbia, Mo.
Texas 28 22 28
Missouri 30 30 30
In front of the third-largest crowd in Mizzou history of 4,012, then-No. 11 Missouri swept their third match of the season against a top 10 team, when they swept the then-No. 10 Texas Longhorns, 30-28, 30-22, 30-28. The Tigers recorded their sixth-straight home victory over the Longhorns and tied what would be at the time, a school record 14 conference wins. Na Yang led the Tigers with 21 kills, seven in each frame, while Lindsey Hunter handed out 53 assists.
The Tigers' exceptional serving, witnessed by seven service aces, and the fact they never hit lower than a .300 clip propelled the team to victory. Senior Shen Danru added 14 kills and a service add in the win.
Darian Acevedo led the Longhorns with 16 kills, while Brandy Magee added 12.
-- Michael Wojtychiw
Big 12 Report ...
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: The road did not seem to be very friendly to the away teams to start the second week of the Big 12 season. Of the five matches played on Wednesday the 20th, only one road team, No. 22 Missouri was able to pull out a victory.
The No. 22 Tigers went to Manhattan, Kan., and did something they haven't done since the 1986-1987 season: defeat the Kansas State Wildcats on the road twice in-a-row. Missouri withstood numerous Wildcat rallies and actually rallied themselves to help them win in 4 games. The Tigers next host Texas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Kansas State plays at Texas A&M on Friday night.
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns hosted the Colorado Buffaloes and came away with an easy 3-0 victory. Freshman sensation Ashley Engle led the Longhorns with 17 kills. Texas travels to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Tigers on Saturday. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
Top-ranked Nebraska swept Iowa State at home. Nebraska, who is 69-0 all time against Iowa State and has recorded sweeps against the Cyclones in every match played since 1994, trailed 19-13 in the first game, before having to come back and rally to win the first game 31-29. The Cornhuskers next host the Red Raiders of Texas Tech on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The University of Kansas won their first Big 12 game, defeating the Aggies of Texas A&M in a five game thriller. The Jayhawks, who have defeated the Aggies in Lawrence in each of the last four years, didn't let two match points in game five faze them as they came back to win the final stanza 17-15. Kansas plays Colorado on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Boulder.
Texas Tech lost a heartbreaker to Baylor in five games in Waco, Texas. Philster Sang and Kiley Lyons led the Red Raiders with 28 and 21 kills, respectively, in the loss.
STAT UPDATE: Through three conference matches, Missouri is in fourth place in hitting percentage in Big 12 matches, hitting at a .216 clip per game, while accumulating 206 kills. The Tigers are fourth as well in service aces, with 19, for an average of 1.36 per game. Senior Jessica Vander Kooi is second in points, averaging 5.61 a game and fourth in kills per game, averaging 4.71.
-- Michael Wojtychiw
National Report ...
UPSETS: 6 Florida lost to South Carolina 3-1... 11 Wisconsin lost to UC-Santa Barbra 3-2 in the San Diego Invitational... 16 Ohio lost to San Diego in the San Diego Invitational as well... 24 Arizona lost to Northwestern 3-2 in the Wildcat Invitational...# 24 Kansas State lost to Baylor 3-1 in Big 12 play.
BIG POLL MOVERS: 24 Kansas State and 24 Arizona both dropped out of this week's polls, while New Mexico State and Long Beach State, a Missouri opponent earlier in the year, have come into the polls at the # 24 and 25 spots...LSU made the biggest jump this week, jumping five spots from #18 to #13, while Missouri fell the most spots this week, five, from 17 to 22.
BIG 12 WITH THE MOST: The Big 12 has the honorable distinction of having the most teams either in the polls or currently receiving votes, with seven. # 1 Nebraska, # 5 Texas, and # 22 Missouri are in the Top 25, while Colorado, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State are all receiving votes. Texas A&M has also received votes this year, making it a total of eight of the twelve conference teams that have either been ranked or received votes in the Top 25 poll.
AWARDS: South Carolina outside hitter Shonda Cole was named AVCA Player of the Week after leading the Gamecocks to a 2-0 record last week, including an upset of then-No. 6 Florida. Cole averaged an impressive 7.89 kills per game over the two-match span, and hit for a .382 percentage. She also showed off her defensive skills as she averaged 3.89 digs per game. In the upset of Florida, Cole set a school-record for a four-game match with 35 kills, hitting at a lofty .462 clip. She also added 17 digs against the Gators. Against Auburn two days earlier, she pounded out 36 kills, and added a career-high 18 digs. Cole raised her season average to 6.2 kills per game and she's now hitting .365. Cole is the first Gamecock to receive the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week.
IMPRESSIVE STATS: Last week, setter Emily Nedderman of Texas-Arlington, recorded her third triple double of the year, recording 11 kills, 40 assists, and 10 digs in a three game sweep of Arkansas Little Rock...Maria Taylor of Georgia recorded 30 kills in a five game loss to Auburn on September 17th.
-- Michael Wojtychiw
Tigers Hold On to National Ranking ...
Even with the loss at unranked Colorado last Wednesday, the coaches of the AVCA still think Missouri is a pretty good team. Mizzou held on to a national ranking for the 25th-consecutive poll, ranked as the 22nd team in the country according to the September 18 poll.
The strength of the Big 12 has really started to show as three teams are ranked in the top 25 with four, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor and Colorado, receiving votes in the poll, effectively claiming a spot in the nation's top 40.
Kreklows to be inducted in Columbia College Athletic Hall of Fame ...
Columbia College announced that Tiger coaches Susan and Wayne Kreklow will be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame on October 6.
Susan and Wayne Kreklow began their coaching careers at Columbia College at different times, but they shared the enjoyment of leading the college's Cougar Volleyball team to its first national championship in 1998, with a repeat performance in 1999. Susan Kreklow joined Columbia College in 1990 as volleyball coach. During the next four seasons, she led the Cougars to four straight conference championships and an overall record of 189-57 (.768). Wayne Kreklow joined her in 1994 as co-head coach of the women's volleyball team and head coach of the newly created men's volleyball team. The following six seasons "Team Kreklow" saw unmatched success at Columbia College with six more conference championships, back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1998 and 1999, two NAIA National Championships and an overall record of 267-29 (.902). They were six-time Conference Coaches of the Year, five-time Region Coaches of the Year and two-time NAIA Coaches of the Year. The Kreklows coached nine NAIA All-Americans, two NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes, five NAIA Players of the Week and one NAIA Player of the Year.
The 2006 Journal ...
Here are some of the headlines that will stay with us for the rest of the season ...
September 1
Jules' Jumpin' Jives ...
True freshman Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) made quite an impression with her killer jump serves at the Long Beach State Invitational. In the final match of the weekend, against Villanova, Klein got her first start of her career, and, boy, was it a good one. Against the Wildcats, Klein scored on seven service aces, the most a Tiger has accumulated in a match since 2003. In addition, Klein added six kills and two blocks to score 15 total points in Mizzou's three-game match. Only six other times in school history has a person scored seven or more aces in a match, and only twice in three-game matches.
September 5
A Week in the Life of Jessica Vander Kooi ... Big 12 Player of the Week ...
Senior Jessica Vander Kooi performed phenomenally in the Tigers' four-match week and as a result was named the Big 12 Player of the Week, earning the honor for the first time in her career.
In defeating UALR, Idaho, Valparaiso, and No. 21 Notre Dame, Vander Kooi scored an average of 6.00 points per game (90 total) on 5.00 kills per game (75 total), 0.87 aces per game (13 total), and 1.33 blocks per game (20 total), adding 4.40 digs per game (66 total) in what was one of the best all-around individual week-long performances in Mizzou history.
Vander Kooi, a 2005 AVCA honorable mention All-American, was named MVP of the Shamrock Invitational, held in South Bend, Ind., with her outstanding play in helping the Tigers to a tournament championship.
In what was the eventual championship match with the No. 21 Irish, Vander Kooi captured the third 20-20 of her career with 30 kills and 25 digs, both career bests in their respective categories. Her 30 kills, the third-highest single-match kill total for a Tiger all-time and the most by a Tiger since 1996, came on a career-high 71 attempts and equaled a .254 hitting percentage. In addition, Vander Kooi scored on eight blocks against the Irish and added a service ace to produce 34.5 points in the match, the second-highest scoring total for a Tiger in school history (35, Yvette Buhlig, October 1, 1992). Statistically, there has been only one other performance in Mizzou history, Yvette Buhlig's 34 kill, 30 dig match against Washington in 1989, that produced more kills and digs than what Vander Kooi posted against the Irish.
Earlier in the week, Vander Kooi nearly became the first Tiger to earn a 20-20 in only three games, scoring 20 kills and adding 19 digs to an awe-inspiring performance against UALR.
Reruns ...
Like Nick-at-Nite we give you the stuff you may have already seen, five, six, seven times, again and again ... ah, remember these good notes? ...
Tigers Picked Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll ...
The coaches of the Big 12 picked Mizzou third in the preseason poll behind Nebraska and Texas. The Tigers finished the 2005 season third, behind Nebraska (19-1) and Texas (17-3) in the Big 12 with a 16-4 record (a new school record in conference wins). Nebraska was dealt with bad news to start the '06 campaign when their 2005 AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in the off season. Texas, ranked No. 8 in the national-preseason poll, return everyone from their '05 squad, adding Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year Ashley Engle and NCAA high-jump Champion Destinee Hooker.
Mizzou was picked 13th in the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Top 25, earning the program's highest preseason ranking all-time. Last season, the Tigers were picked 21st and finished eighth in the final poll.
Suddenly Seniors ...
All of the sudden, Tigers Jessica Vander Kooi, Nicole Wilson, and Abbie Booth are seniors. The trio has already accumulated quite a resume together and would like to add a successful 2006 run to it. Wilson earned AVCA honorable mention All-America honors a year ago for her amazing play at MB. In 2005, Wilson averaged 3.16 kpg on a .415 hitting percentage, setting a new Big 12 record in the category, adding 1.26 bpg. Wilson was named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team and was named AVCA National Player of the Week during the 2005 season.
Vander Kooi has been an amazing all-around player for the Tigers, as she earned honorable mention All-America honors as well a year ago. Statistically, Vander Kooi was in the Big 12's top 15 in four categories including kills per game (3.36, 13th), aces per game (0.31, t8th), digs per game (2.62, 14th), and points per game (4.16, 10th). Vander Kooi has now started in each of the Tigers' 96 matches in her four years on campus. Vander Kooi's real strong suit comes from her game-changing play based on the situation. Against Kansas State a year ago on the road, she helped the Tigers comeback from two games down, capping the fifth game with three-consecutive blocks. At Nebraska, she scored 23 kills adding 22 digs for the squad's only 20-20 of the season. Against Hawaii in the NCAA Tournament semifinal, she was more of a defensive threat, grabbing 20 digs adding six blocks.
The New Crop ...
To replace three Tigers that had a large impact on the team, Mizzou will have five freshman in 2006 season, three of which redshirted in 2005. Lei Wang (Shanghai, China) has positioned herself to take over as Missouri's new setter, replacing first-team All-American Lindsey Hunter (who now is on the USA National Team). Amanda Hantouli (Omaha, Neb.) has been impressive in spring and early fall workouts and will likely see some playing time in the replacement of Lisa Boyd. Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) has been equally impressive and will likely take on an all-around role on the Tiger side. True freshman Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) has shown her strength this fall, having delivered some shattering cross-court shots from the left side and raising some eyebrows with her jump serves. Brittney Herzog (Boonville, Mo.) has also shown a lot to the Tiger coaching staff at the MB position.
Tatum Libre-o ...
As a sophomore she won Big 12 Libero of the Year honors. This year, junior Tatum Ailes will be looking for more as an encore. Leading the conference a year ago with 4.12 digs per game, Ailes has found a knack to be at the right place at the right time. With amazing dives and accurate passes Ailes is not only a physical force for the Tigers, but also an emotional and vocal leader on the floor. In addition, her play in last year's NCAA Tournament played a vital role in the Tigers' run to the Elite Eight as she wiped the floor averaging 5.00 dpg in the four matches. In the regional rounds alone, she scooped 26 against Hawaii and 22 against Tennessee.
Remarking on 2005 ...
We can't go without mentioning the greatest season in Tiger volleyball history (so far). In 2005, Mizzou reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history, then beating Hawaii to reach its first-ever NCAA Regional Final. Making their sixth-consecutive NCAA Tournament, the Tigers went 7-4 against teams in the top 25, and took down four top-10 teams adding sweeps against then-No. 9 Tennessee and then-No. 9 Wisconsin. The Tigers had the winningest record in school history with a 25-5 mark. Mizzou hosted first-and-second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year, having the largest attended early rounds of the 16 sites. In addition, Mizzou ranked sixth in national attendance, attracting an average of over 2,600 fans a match.
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