Oct. 19, 2006

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COLUMBIA, Mo.--The 12th-nationally ranked Missouri volleyball team (13-6, 7-3) will look to break its two-match losing streak when hosting Kansas State (9-11, 1-9) Saturday. The match is part of a Mizzou-K-State football-volleyball Homecoming Doubleheader. The football game will kickoff at 1 p.m., while volleyball's first serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. Those attending the football game can gain entry into the volleyball match for only $2 with a ticket stub.

 

 

Scouting Kansas State ...

The Kansas State Wildcats snapped a ten-match losing streak by beating Texas Tech 3-1 on Wednesday. Before the win over Texas Tech, the Wildcats hadn't won in over month, with their last win coming against then-No. 23 Notre Dame. Kansas State appeared briefly in the top-25 rankings and was tied for 24^th for one week before dropping out.

 

Kansas State is in last place in the Big 12 with a 1-9 record and an overall record of 9-11. The Wildcats have already faced the No. 12 Tigers once this season, losing 3-1 in Manhattan.

 

In ten Big 12 matches, outside hitter Sandy Werner leads the team with 3.33 kills per game. Sophomore middle blocker Megan Kroeker is second on the team with 2.86 kills per game and leads the team with 1.45 blocks per game. Kroeker's 1.45 blocks per game puts her at fourth in the Big 12. Setter Stacey Spiegelberg leads the team with 11.48 assists per game and is eighth in the Big 12 in the category. Libero Angie Lastra leads the Wildcats and is third in the Big 12 with 4.71 digs per game, and has started to play an outside hitter role, scoring 19 kills against Texas Tech.

 

Kansas State has struggled to keep opponents from hitting well, allowing Big 12 opponents to hit .245, which puts Kansas State at 11^th in the Big 12, while the Wildcats are only hitting .201.

 

With Missouri's win earlier this season, Kansas State's overall edge is now 35-29, and was only Head Coach Suzie Fritz's third loss to Missouri in her career. Fritz's career record is now 121-55.

 

-- Mustafa Mohammad

 

Not Noted From the Oklahoma Match

DIGGING AWAY: Junior Tatum Ailes reached second-place all-time in Mizzou history in digs with her 16 at Oklahoma ... Ailes, now with 1,192 digs trails all-time leader Shen Danru by 180 ... however, Ailes is the Tigers' all-time leader in digs per game (4.31), and will likely pass Danru's mark, by possibly, the end of the season.

 

UNLUCKY 13-5: The loss to Oklahoma marked the fourth time in Mizzou history that a 13-5 Tiger squad lost their next match and fell to 13-6. Every time Mizzou has been 13-5, they had lost their next match, having done so now in 2006, 2004, 1992, and 1978.

 

HIGHS AND LOWS: Mizzou recorded a season-low three blocks versus Oklahoma, the previous low was five in a five-game win over Texas A&M ... Oklahoma hit .352 as a team, the highest clip a Tiger opponent has carded this year.

 

Tigers Receive Nice Rankings Boost

Thanks to solid, consistent play the past four weeks, the latest CSTV/AVCA Coaches' Top 25 lists Mizzou volleyball as the 12th-ranked team in the country, the highest ranking the squad has achieved this season. Despite losing to No. 1 Nebraska Wednesday, the voters gave Missouri a stronger look, as the Tigers had won seven-straight before losing to the top-ranked Huskers.

 

The Tigers are tied at 12th in the rankings with LSU.

 

Mizzou was ranked 13th nationally in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Preseason Poll before falling to 15th in the first poll of the season. From there, Mizzou dropped to as low as No. 22 before sweeping No. 5 Texas on September 23.

 

The Tigers (7-2 Big 12) do have a tough road ahead as they will face No. 23 Oklahoma (8-1 Big 12) in Norman on Wednesday in a battle for second place in the conference. The same day, No. 1 Nebraska (9-0 Big 12) will travel to No. 9 Texas (7-2 Big 12).

 

After hosting Kansas State this upcoming Saturday, Mizzou will travel to Lincoln to face the Huskers for the second time in two weeks. The Mizzou-Nebraska match will be aired live on FSN Midwest.

 

Vs. Ranked Teams On the Road ...

Let's not forget how tough it can be on the road. Consider, Mizzou has won only seven matches on the road versus a ranked opponent, furthermore, only five of those have been against Big 12 competition. But, Mizzou is 4-6 in their last 10 meetings against ranked teams on the road, a good standing for sure.

 

All-time wins on the road versus ranked teams

Sept. 2, 2006, (13) at #21 Notre Dame, W 3-2

Oct. 26, 2005, (8) at #24 Kansas State, W 3-2

Sep. 16, 2005, (10) at #15 Texas A&M, W 3-1

Oct. 2, 2004, at #25 Colorado, W 3-0

Sep. 3, 2004, at #23 Wisconsin, W 3-1

Oct. 15, 2003, at #8 Nebraska, W 3-2

Sep. 18, 2002, at #24 Texas, W 3-1

 

Nicole Wilson, Blocking to the Top ...

Senior MB Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) needs only one more block to eclipse the 400-mark in her career here at Mizzou. Currently, her 399 ranks her second all-time in Mizzou history, behind Christi Myers (1998-01) who has 454. Wilson is ahead of Myers for the all-time lead in the blocks per game category, 1.11 to 1.06.

 

In addition, Wilson is on pace to TIE Myers' single-season block record. Currently, Wilson has 85 blocks through 18 matches. If the Tigers play 30 matches this season, and Wilson stays on the current pace, she will have 138, tying Myers' mark set in 2000. Wilson grabbed 132 blocks in 2005, which ranks third.

 

Vander Kooi Becomes Bigger All-Around Threat ...

Arguably, senior OH Jessica Vander Kooi is one of the top-three candidates for the Big 12's Player of the Year honor, as her all-around play has went to excellent to exceptional. Her numbers so far in 2006 are up in every category fro her honorable mention All-America 2005 season.

 

So far Vander Kooi is averaging 4.27 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 1.16 from 0.99 bpg, digs up to 3.36 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 11. And, she was named AVCA National Player of the Week on September 25 and Big 12 Player of the Week twice in September.

 

Vander Kooi's first tabbing as Big 12 Player of the Week came after leading Mizzou to a five-game win at then-No. 23 Notre Dame. Vander Kooi scored a career-high 30 kills on that night, adding 25 digs. Against then-No. 5 Texas, Vander Kooi scored 13 kills on 32 attempts, committing only one error for a .372 average, adding five blocks, 17 serve receptions without an error, and three service aces. She has shown an ability to get the job done.

 

Vander Kooi's All-time Rankings at Mizzou

Attack attempts: 3rd (3325)

Block assists: 3rd (297)

Kills: 4th (1324)

Digs: 4th (1155)

Total blocks: 4th (346)

Blocks per game: 4th (0.89)

Points: 4th (1621.5)

Digs per game: 5th (2.96)

Points per game: 5th (4.16)

Kills per game: 6th (3.39)

 

Lindsey Hunter on USA Volleyball's Preliminary Roster for World Championship Team

Just a year out of being in a Missouri uniform, Lindsey Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) was named earlier this week to the preliminary roster of USA Volleyball's FIVB World Championship team. We will find out Monday, the 22nd, if Hunter will continue with the 12-person squad to Japan for the World Championships.

 

While at Mizzou, Hunter was a two-time All-American, and led the Big 12 in each of her four years of eligibility in assists and assists per game.

 

 

Fan-Tastic! ...

Mizzou now ranks fifth in the nation in average attendance in the latest report put together by Wisconsin SID Diane Nordstrom. The Tigers' 6,105 crowd that came to watch the Nebraska match took Mizzou to a over 2,800-fan average.

 

Here's the top 10, as of October 16

	School	Avg.
1	Hawai'i	7,151
2	Wisconsin	4,341
3	Nebraska	4,133
4	Minnesota	4,088
5	Missouri	2,866
6	Florida	2,769
7	Penn State	2,431
8	BYU	2,279
9	Texas A&M	2,185
10	Wichita State	2,146

 

Big 12 Report ...

The Big 12's top four teams face each other this week in what should be an exciting week of Big 12 volleyball. 

 

SHUCKS: 12 Missouri was swept by 1 Nebraska in their only action last week, as they dropped a 3-0 match at home against the Cornhuskers.  The loss stopped the Tigers' seven game winning streak and dropped them into a tie for third place in the conference, as the loss put their record at 13-5 overall and 7-2 in conference play.  This week, Missouri plays at # 23 Oklahoma and hosts Kansas State.

 

NU STILL UN-TOUCHED: After its win over Missouri, # 1 Nebraska returned to Lincoln and easily swept the Colorado Buffaloes 30-27, 30-18, and 30-21.  For the fifth time this season, Jordan Larson led the Cornhuskers in kills, with 17, while Saran Pavan and Tracy Stalls added 12 kills apiece.  Stalls' performance was quite impressive, as she hit .571, scoring her 12 kills on 21 attempts, while committing no errors.  Nebraska goes into it's matchup with Texas, as the # 1 team in the nation and one of only two teams, the other being Penn State, which are still undefeated.

 

SOONER SCARES: # 23 Oklahoma prepared for its most challenging week by squeaking out two five game wins over Texas Tech and Kansas State.  The win extended Oklahoma's winning streak to seven games, while also snapping a 14 match losing streak to the Wildcats.  Freshman Bridget Laplante's career high 23 kills led the Sooners with 23 kills, while Joanna Schmitt and Sarah Weiland tallied 19 and 13 kills, respectively.  Oklahoma hosts # 12 Missouri and travels to # 9 Texas this week.

 

SUNFLOWERS: After defeating Kansas State 3-1 in the first showdown of the Sunflower Showdown, Kansas swept Baylor in three games to improve to 10-9 overall and 3-7 in conference.  Jana Correa led three Jayhawks in double digit kills, with 16, while also adding 11 digs, for her tenth double - double of the year.  Emily Brown also scored a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs, while Savannah Noyes scored 10 kills.  The Jayhawks are off Wednesday before facing Texas A&M this weekend.  Baylor hosts Colorado and Iowa State this week.

 

TEXAS TIME: In preparation for its week against the Big 12's top two teams, Texas went into College Station and defeated Texas A&M in four games.  Freshman Destinee Hooker led the Longhorns with 18 kills.  Four other Longhorns tallied double digit kills led by Ashley Engle's 14 kills.  Texas welcomes Nebraska for a nationally televised showdown broadcast on ESPNU.  Texas A&M travels to Iowa State to face the Cyclones this week. 

 

RED RAIDER REVOLATION: Texas Tech came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Iowa State Cyclones in a thrilling five game match.  Philister Sang led the Red Raiders with a double - double of 24 kills and 12 digs.  Amy Charlebois added 19 kills for Texas Tech.  The Red Raiders next travel to Kansas State to face the struggling Wildcats. 

 

BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Rachel Holloway (Nebraska) was named Big 12 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the matches of Oct. 9-15, the league office announced.  It is Holloway's first weekly conference honor.

Holloway averaged 16.00 assists, 2.00 digs and points, and 1.17 kills to lead No. 1 nationally ranked Nebraska to a 2-0 record. The Huskers swept No. 15 Missouri and Colorado to extend their unbeaten streak to 17 matches overall and nine in Big 12 play. At Missouri, Holloway tallied 49 assists while directing the Huskers to a .339 hitting percentage. Four hitters had at least nine kills en route to handing the Tigers their first home loss of the season. Holloway also added eight digs and three blocks in the victory. Holloway then posted 47 assists, four digs, two service aces and two blocks against Colorado. Overall, Holloway has guided the NU offense to a No. 1 ranking in both kills and assists per game in addition to the Big 12's best hitting percentage.

IN THE STATS: Oklahoma as a team leads the conference in blocks, averaging 3.29 per game.  Missouri leads the conference in service aces, with 1.73 per game.  The two teams are very close in other stats, as the Tigers are one spot ahead of the Sooners in kills per game, with the Tigers averaging 16.79 kills and the Sooners 15.66. 

 

-- Michael Wojtychiw

 

National Report ...

UPSET CITY:  The Big 10 and SEC were full of upsets this past weekend...then -  # 9 Purdue and then -  # 16 Ohio State each suffered two losses, while then -  18 Tennessee also added two L's to their loss total...All losses were suffered on the road...Purdue was swept by then - 14 Wisconsin and beaten 3-1 by then - #23 Minnesota...Ohio State, unlike Purdue lost both of their matches to unranked teams, as they were swept by Illinois, 3-0 and lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern, 3-2, after being up 2-1...Tennessee, like Ohio State, also lost a pair of matches to unranked opponents, losing a hard fought match to Kentucky, 3-2 and dropped a tight match to Alabama, 3-1.

 

MOVERS & SHAKERS: For the first time all season, no teams dropped out of or entered the Top 25...As expected, Ohio State and Tennessee dropped the most after losing two matches to unranked opponents, dropping from 16^th to 24^th and 18^th to 25^th, respectively...Minnesota moved up six spots from 23^rd to 17^th...Interestingly, LSU, Missouri, both of who lost last week, moved up in the polls to tie each other at the # 12 ranking...

 

THE OTHERS:  As has been the last couple weeks, four teams represent the Big 12 in the polls: # 1 Nebraska, #10 Texas, # 15 Missouri, and # 24 Oklahoma.  Penn State has retained its ranking of # 2, while # 15 Santa Clara rose in the polls this week.  Both teams defeated the Tigers, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, at the Texas Invitational.  Long Beach State, a Missouri opponent in the season's opening tournament is still receiving votes as well.

 

ALABAMA POWER: Crystal Hudson, a junior middle blocker from Alabama, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week.  Hudson led her team to home wins this past week over Kentucky and then-eighteenth-ranked Tennessee.  Hudson, in a sweep of the Wildcats, tallied 14 kills, hitting an outstanding .824 with no errors in 17 attempts; she also added three blocks. The Crimson Tide junior also came through in the upset over Tennessee, where she put away 22 kills with a hitting percentage of .444 and two blocks. Hudson averaged 5.14 kills per game for the week, hitting a very impressive .566. Crystal Hudson is the third Alabama player to receive the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week award, and the first since 1998. 

 

-- Michael Wojtychiw

 

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, now averaging 13.05 assists per game in the last five matches. 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 as evidenced by her four setter "dumps" against Kansas and Kansas State. 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. On September 23 versus then-No. 5 Texas, the Keota, Iowa, native scored seven kills on .312 hitting, adding five blocks. When Baylor came to Mizzou, Klein scored a career-high 21 kills on .268 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. Herzog scored four kills and four blocks when Texas visited town. At Texas Tech, Hantouli scored seven kills on an errorless 14 attempts.

 

Tables, Tables, and More Tables ...

Inside the Big 12 Conference

 

Current Standings

School	W	L	Pct.
Nebraska	10	0	1.000
Oklahoma	9	1	.900
Texas	7	3	.700
Missouri	7	3	.700
Colorado	6	4	.600
Iowa State	5	5	.500
Texas Tech	3	7	.300
Kansas	3	7	.300
Baylor	2	8	.200
Texas A&M	2	8	.200
Kansas State	1	9	.100

 

 

Next Five Conference Matches Strength of Schedule

1	Texas Tech	.700
2	Kansas State	.600
3	Kansas	.520
4	Nebraska	.500
	Oklahoma	.500
6	Missouri	.480
	Baylor	.480
8	Texas	.460
	Iowa State	.460
10	Texas A&M	.420
11	Colorado	.360

 (based on conference records only)

 

Da' Breakdown

Home Matches (read across)

BU

CU

ISU

KU

KSU

MU

NU

OU

UT

TAM

TT

W

L

BU

L

Oct 21

Nov 15

W

Oct 28

L

Nov 25

Nov 4

L

W

2

3

CU

Nov 22

L

W

Nov 1

W

Nov 11

L

Oct 28

W

Oct 21

3

2

ISU

W

Nov 25

Nov 4

Oct 25

L

Nov 8

L

L

W

Nov 15

2

3

KU

W

Nov 8

L

W

Nov 18

Nov 22

Oct 25

L

W

Oct 25

3

2

KSU

Nov 8

L

L

Nov 25

L

Oct 28

L

Nov 15

Nov 4

W

1

4

MU

W

Nov 4

Nov 1

W

Oct 21

L

Nov 15

W

W

Nov 24

4

1

NU

Nov 18

W

W

W

W

Oct 25

Nov 4

Nov 25

Nov 15

W

5

0

OU

W

Nov 18

Nov 21

W

Nov 11

W

L

W

Oct 28

Nov 8

4

1

UT

W

W

Nov 18

Nov 1

W

Nov 11

L

Oct 21

Nov 8

W

4

1

TAM

Nov 1

Oct 25

Nov 12

Oct 21

W

Nov 22

L

L

L

L

1

4

TT

Nov 11

L

W

W

Nov 22

L

Nov 1

L

Oct 25

Nov 18

2

3

31

24

Road Matches

BU

CU

ISU

KU

KSU

MU

NU

OU

UT

TAM

TT

W

L

BU

Jan 0

Nov 22

L

L

Nov 8

L

Nov 18

L

L

Nov 1

Nov 11

0

5

CU

W

Jan 0

Nov 25

Nov 8

W

Nov 4

L

Nov 18

L

Oct 25

W

3

2

ISU

Oct 21

W

Jan 0

W

W

Nov 1

L

Nov 21

Nov 18

Nov 12

L

3

2

KU

Nov 15

L

Nov 4

Jan 0

Nov 25

L

L

L

Nov 1

Oct 21

L

0

5

KSU

L

Nov 1

Oct 25

L

Jan 0

Oct 21

L

Nov 11

L

L

Nov 22

0

5

MU

Oct 28

L

W

Nov 18

W

Jan 0

Oct 25

L

Nov 11

Nov 22

W

3

2

NU

W

Nov 11

Nov 8

Nov 22

Oct 28

W

Jan 0

W

W

W

Nov 1

5

0

OU

Nov 25

W

W

Oct 25

W

Nov 15

Nov 4

Jan 0

Oct 21

W

W

5

0

UT

Nov 4

Oct 28

W

W

Nov 15

L

Nov 25

L

Jan 0

W

Oct 25

3

2

TAM

W

L

L

L

Nov 4

L

Nov 15

Oct 28

Nov 8

Jan 0

Nov 18

1

4

TT

L

Oct 21

Nov 15

Oct 25

L

Nov 24

L

Nov 8

L

W

Jan 0

1

4

 

The 2006 Journal ...

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.

 

September 17

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.

 

September 25

Vander Kooi Named National and Big 12 Player of the Week ...

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named Missouri senior OH Jessica Vander Kooi as its SportsImports/AVCA National Player of the Week it announced Monday evening. After winning the Big 12 Player of the Week honor earlier in the day for the second time this month, Vander Kooi, a native of Hinton, Iowa, becomes just the third Tiger to win the national weekly award.

 

Vander Kooi led then-No. 22 Missouri to a 2-0 record last week, including the sweep of then-No. 5 Texas -- the Tigers' first victory over a top-five ranked opponent.

At Kansas State on Wednesday, Vander Kooi scored 27 kills on 55 attempts (.327) and added 19 digs to the MU effort.  The Hinton, Iowa native tallied the most kills for a Tiger in a four-game match since 2002, and the fifth 20-kill match this season. 

Vander Kooi scored 19 points; recording 13 kills, five blocks and three service aces against Texas on Saturday.  After rolling her ankle in game one, Vander Kooi committed only one hitting error in 32 attacks to record a .375 hitting percentage. In addition, Vander Kooi fielded 17 serve receptions without an error.

On the week, Vander Kooi averaged 6.86 points, 5.71 kills while compiling a .345 hitting percentage.  She also posted 3.86 digs and 1.00 blocks in seven games.

 

In Big 12 matches, Vander Kooi currently ranks second in the conference in points per game (5.74), third in kills per game (4.65), and fifth in aces per game (0.47).

 

The last Tiger to earn the AVCA National Player of the Week award was Nicole Wilson last year. Ironically, Vander Kooi's honor came on the same week in the year as Wilson's occurred last season.

 

 

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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