Oct. 31, 2006

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COLUMBIA, Mo.--The road hasn't been so kind to the No. 21 Mizzou volleyball team (14-8, 8-5) here lately, as the Tigers lost at Nebraska Wednesday before losing a heartbreaker at Baylor Saturday. The Tigers look to rebound with two-consecutive matches in the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center this week. Mizzou hosts Iowa State (15-7, 7-5) on Wednesday before hosting Colorado Saturday. Although Mizzou is happy to be home, they have the toughest schedule of any Big 12 squad over the next five contests.

 

 

Scouting Iowa State ...

Iowa State has won three straight matches to go over .500 in the conference season, giving them with an overall record of 15-7 and putting them at 7-5 in the Big 12. The Cyclones are 3-3 at home in the Big 12 and are 4-2 on the road. Three of ISU's Big 12 losses come from ranked teams as they lost to No. 1 Nebraska, then-No. 11 Texas, and then-No. 17 Missouri. Their other loss came from Oklahoma and at Texas Tech.

 

In 12 Big 12 matches, outside hitter Katie Jessen leads the Cyclones with 3.88 kills per game, which ranks ninth in the conference. Freshman setter Kaylee Manns leads the team with 13.62 assists per game, good for second place in the conference, and 3.79 digs per game. Manns is seventh in the Big 12 in digs per game. Senior Katie Churm is eight in the conference with 3.74 digs per game.  Outside hitter Erin Boeve is second on the team with 3.64 kills per game, good for tenth in the Big 12, and 1.67 blocks per game, which ranks first in the Big 12. Boeve's .319 hitting percentage also puts her at tenth in the Big 12. The junior is sixth in the Big 12 with 4.80 points per game.

 

Iowa State has held opponents to a .207 hitting percentage while hitting .234, both ranking fourth in the conference. The Cyclones are third in the Big 12 with 15.14 assists per game and 16.19 kills per game. Iowa State is also third with 3.12 blocks per game, and second with 17.21 digs per game. The Cyclones are last in service aces, with .67 per game.

 

Iowa State was swept by then-No. 17 Missouri in Ames. In the overall series against the No. 21 Missouri Tigers, the Cyclones trail 34-26, but have lost 19 in a row to the Tigers. Iowa State has not defeated Missouri since 1996 and has been swept in 15 of the 19.

 

Head Coach Christy Johnson who is in her second year with the Cyclones is trying to turn around a struggling program and has led Iowa State to a 31-22 record over the two years.

 

-- Mustafa Mohammad

 

Tigers With Toughest Road Ahead

At least in the next five matches ... the Tigers next face the all teams within the top six in the conference, with the exception of themselves and Nebraska. Here's the conference breakdown in the category ...

 

Next 5 Big 12 Opponents' Strength of Schedule

1	Missouri	.609
2	Texas Tech	.581
3	Kansas	.571
4	Colorado	.547
	Kansas State	.547
6	Texas A&M	.532
7	Nebraska	.516
	Oklahoma	.516
9	Iowa State	.469
10	Baylor	.323
11	Texas	.281

 

Seniors Wilson and Vander Kooi Surging Up Career Charts

Seniors MB Nicole Wilson and OH Jessica Vander Kooi have sure left their marks on Mizzou volleyball history. The duo both earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2005, and by the looks of their numbers for the 2006 season, the same type of honors are sure to follow.

 

Here's a look at how the two rank at Mizzou all-time: (through October 27, Baylor match)

 

Wilson's All-Time Rankings at Mizzou

ALL-TIME RANKINGS:	SINGLE-SEASON RANKINGS:
Attack pct.: 1st (.351)	Attack pct.: 1st (.415 in 2005)
Blocks per game: 1st (1.08)	Block assists: 1st (119 in 2005)
Block assists: 2nd (347)	Total blocks: 3rd (132 in 2005)
Total blocks: 2nd (402)	Blocks per game: 3rd (1.26 in 2005)
Points: 5th (1370.5)	Attack pct.: 4th (.375 in 2004)
Block solos: 6th (55)	Blocks per game: 7th (1.11 in 2006)
Points per game: 8th (3.67)
Kills: t-9th (1030)
Matches played: t-9th (111)
Service aces: 10th (112)

 

Vander Kooi's All-Time Rankings at Mizzou

ALL-TIME RANKINGS:	SINGLE-SEASON RANKINGS:
Attack attempts: 3rd (3491)	Kills per game: 3rd (4.28 in 2006)
Digs: 3rd (1192)	Points per game: 3rd (5.19 in 2006)
Block assists: 3rd (303)	Block assists: 5th (97 in 2005)
Kills: 4th (1382)	Blocks per game: 8th (1.04 in 2006)
Total blocks: 4th (355)	Digs per game: 9th (3.22 in 2006)
Blocks per game: 4th (0.88)	Total blocks: 9th (105 in 2005)
Points: 4th (1689.5)	Points per game: 10th (4.46 in 2004)
Points per game: 4th (4.19)
Digs per game: 5th (2.96)
Kills per game: 6th (3.43)
Block solos: t-8th (52)
Matches played: t-9th (111)
Block solos: t-9th (51)

 

WHAT 2 WATCH 4: Pretty Soon: Vander Kooi needs 24 attacks to pass Yvette Buhlig for second all-time at Mizzou in attacks ... Around the Bend: Jessica Vander Kooi needs 94 kills to pass Christ Myers for third all-time at Mizzou in kills ... Nicole Wilson needs 111 kills to reach the top-five all-time at Mizzou in kills ... Wilson needs 16 aces to reach the top five at Mizzou all-time in the category ... Tatum Ailes needs 121 digs to become Mizzou's all-time leader in the category ... Wilson needs 15 block assists to become the Mizzou all-time leader in the category ... Wilson needs 53 total blocks to pass Christi Myers and become the Mizzou all-time leader in the category ... Vander Kooi needs 72 points to pass Buhlig for third on the all-time points chart at Mizzou ... Season Records: Tatum Ailes needs just 55 more digs to pass her own single-season record (437) in the category ...

 

Trendy ...

SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT: Mizzou has won eight-straight matches on Saturday, having gone 8-0 this season on the calendar date.

 

Hunter on USA's World Championship Team ...

USA Volleyball announced their final 12-person roster for the FIVB World Championships last Monday. Former two-time All-American Tiger Lindsey Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) was named to the squad as the United States' back-up setter. The tournament begins October 31st in Japan. Hunter is the first volleyball player from the University of Missouri to make a World Championship team.

 

Pool C Schedule (all times Central)

October 31, 3 a.m., USA def. Kazakhstan, 3-2

November 1, 3 a.m., USA vs. the Netherlands

November 3, 11 p.m., USA vs. Brazil

November 4, 1 a.m., USA vs. Puerto Rico

 

 

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 for her honorable mention All-America 2005 season.

 

So far Vander Kooi is averaging 4.28 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 1.04 from 0.99 bpg, digs up to 3.24 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 14. 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 Career Numbers (updated October 30)

	Career	2006	2005	2004
Kills/gm	3.43	4.28	3.42	3.84
Assists/gm	0.63	0.80	0.78	0.39
Aces/gm	0.26	0.33	0.29	0.17
Digs/gm	2.96	3.23	2.77	3.11
Blocks/gm	0.88	1.04	0.99	0.72
Points/gm	4.19	5.19	4.24	4.46

 

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 30

School	Avg.
1. Hawai'i	7,017
2. Wisconsin	4,407
3. Nebraska	4,133
4. Minnesota	3,954
5. Missouri	2,917
6. Florida	2,630
7. Penn State	2,615
8. Texas	2,184
9. Wichita State	2,146
10.Washington	2,194

 

Big 12 Report ... October 31

TIGERS ROAD-WEARY: Then-No.16 Missouri lost both of its matches last week.  The Tigers dropped a televised match versus # 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, 3-0.  Jessica Vander Kooi and Lincoln-native Nicole Wilson led the Tigers with 14 and 13 kills.  Missouri also lost a hard fought five game match to Baylor in which they gave up a 2-0 lead and lost 3-0.  After being up 9-6 in the fifth game, The Bears went on a 9-1 run to seal the victory.  Vander Kooi led four Tigers in double digit kills, with 25.  The loss dropped Missouri into a fourth-place tie with Colorado and continued their losing skid which has seen them drop four out of their last five.  The Tigers try to get back on the winning track as they host Iowa State and Colorado this week.

 

COLORADO: The Colorado Buffs went 1-1 last week, defeating Texas A&M in five games, while being swept by Texas.  Amber Sutherland led three Buffs in double digit kills against the Aggies, with 25.  Mallori Gibson had 16 kills, while Lauren Schaefer added 12 in the win against A&M.  In the three game loss against the Longhorns, Sutherland once again led Colorado with 16 kills, while Gibson added 10.  The Buffs host Kansas State before traveling to Missouri.

 

AGGIES: After losing to Colorado, Texas A&M traveled to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners and waked away with as three game loss.  Oklahoma thoroughly dominated the Aggies, as they held them to a season-low .075 hitting percentage, and didn't allow a single Aggie player to reach double digit kills.  A&M hosts Baylor, before going on the road to face the Kansas State Wildcats.

 

SICIN' BEARS: In its only game of the week, Baylor pulled the biggest upset of the week, when it came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Missouri Tigers in five games, 3-2.  Freshman setter Taylor Barnes recorded her second career triple-double when she dished out 61 assists, had 10 kills and 13 digs.  Kristen Schramek had a career-high 34 digs, as she recorded the third highest total in school history and was the first Bear to surpass the 30 dig mark since Dana Atkinson had 36 in 2000.  Nicole LeBlanc led the Bears with 18 kills and 21 digs, as she recorded her 14^th double-double of the year.  The Bears host Texas on Saturday in an instate rivalry match.

 

LONGHORNS: Texas breezed through its two games last week, defeating Texas Tech 3-1 and Colorado 3-0.  Freshmen Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker led the Longhorns yet once again in kills in both matches.  Against Colorado, Engle recorded 15 kills, while hooker had 14.  Engle had 16 kills and 12 digs, giving her eight consecutive double-double matches (streak was broken against Colorado) and Hooker added 15.  The Longhorns host Kansas before traveling to Baylor this week.

 

JAYHAWKS: Kansas dropped both of its matches last week, both at home, losing to Oklahoma in four games and having their hearts broken in a five game loss to Texas Tech.  The Jayhawks had four players in double digit kills, led by Savannah Noyes' 23 kills.  Kansas travels to Iowa State and Texas this week. 

 

HUSKERS: Nebraska continued its dominance when it defeated both Missouri and Kansas State 3-0.  Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson led the Huskers with 18 and 15 kills, respectively, against the Tigers.  Nebraska recorded its 16^th sweep, out of 20 victories of the season in its match against Kansas State.  Again Larson and Pavan led Nebraska in kills, this time Larson knocking down 16 kills and Pavan 12.  The Huskers face Texas Tech and then host Oklahoma in a showdown of the conference's top two teams. 

 

National Report ... October 31

LAND OF THE UPSETS: There were not that many upsets this past week, but the ones that occurred were quite crucial to the teams' conference races...Nebraska is the only undefeated team left in the country as then - # 2 Penn State was swept by the Wisconsin Badgers in three games...Despite leading the match two games to none, then - # 16 Missouri was defeated by the Baylor Bears in Waco, 3-2...Duke, which last week debuted at # 25 was upset by Georgia Tech in Atlanta

 

MOVE IT ALL AROUND:  Last week's upsets caused a major flip flop in the national poll.  After losing to Wisconsin, the Penn State Lions not only lost the first place votes they had had in previous weeks, but fell one spot, being replaced by Stanford, which went 2-0 last week...Washington, last year's National Champion, moved up to 4^th, after they defeated both then - 4 UCLA and then - 5 USC on consecutive nights...After its win against Penn State, Wisconsin made the biggest jump, moving up four spots, from 14^th to 10^th...After dropping its two matches, against Baylor and # 1 Nebraska, the Missouri Tigers dropped five spots, from 16^th to 21^st, making that the biggest drop of the week...After its losst to Georgia Tech, Duke dropped out of the polls, as Oregon made its first poll appearance since 1991.

 

THE OTHERS:  As has been the last couple weeks, four teams represent the Big 12 in the polls: # 1 Nebraska, #8 Texas, # 21 Missouri, and # 17 Oklahoma.  Penn State has recently fallen to # 3, while # 20 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.  Two other teams that have defeated Missouri, Baylor and Colorado, are also receiving votes in this week's poll.

 

OREGON RISING: Oregon and its volleyball team are an up and coming team behind second year coach Jim Moore.  At 16-4 overall, 6-4 in the Pac-10 conference, Oregon is enjoying its best season in more than a decade and a half. The last time the Ducks had a winning record and six or more conference victories was 1990, when Gerry Gregory's team went 15-14, 6-12 in the Pac-10.

 

The Ducks last cracked the Top 25 during the 1991 season, when they appeared in the poll three times and were ranked as high as No. 18. Oregon's highest ever ranking was No. 11 on Sept. 20, 1988.  Oregon is one of six Pac-10 teams in the poll with Stanford (19-2) holding the highest ranking at No. 2.

 

CONFERENCES:  The Pac 10 has six teams in the polls, while the Big 12 has four in the polls, with two others receiving votes...Five of the six ranked Pac 10 teams are ranked 13^th or higher...The Big 10 is also well represented with five teams in the Top 25...Neither the ACC nor the Big East have any teams in the Top 25 ... It is the third time this year that the Pac 10 has had six teams ranked in the Top 25.

 

BADGERING AWAY:  Jackie Simpson, a junior setter for then-ranked #14 Wisconsin, has been named Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. Simpson earned the honor after helping lead the Badgers this past weekend to an upset of then-ranked #2 Penn State and a win over then-ranked #24 Ohio State. In the upset of the Nittany Lions, Simpson had 48 assists in leading Wisconsin to a .330 hitting percentage. In addition, she added three kills, three digs and four total blocks in the three-game sweep of Penn State. Simpson followed that up by leading her team to another three-game sweep, this time over Ohio State. In that match, she had 43 assists in helping her team to a .312 hitting percentage. She also chipped in four kills, eight digs and six total blocks in the win. For the week, Simpson averaged 15.2 assists per game in leading her team to a .321 hitting percentage and a new national ranking of #10. Simpson is the third player from Wisconsin to receive the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honor and the first since 2001.

 

-- 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.	Nxt	FH
Nebraska	12	0	1.000	tt	10-0
Oklahoma	11	2	.846	nu	9-1
Texas	10	3	.769	ku	7-3
Missouri	8	5	.615	isu	7-3
Colorado	8	5	.615	ksu	6-4
Iowa State	7	5	.583	mu	5-5
Texas Tech	4	9	.308	nu	3-7
Baylor	3	9	.250	tam	2-8
Kansas	3	10	.231	ut	3-7
Texas A&M	3	10	.231	bu	2-8
Kansas State	1	12	.077	cu	1-9

 

 

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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