Nov. 17, 2006

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COLUMBIA, Mo.--The Missouri volleyball team (15-11, 9-8) will travel to Kansas (10-16, 3-14) for the second installment of the Border Showdown, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers. A Tiger win or a Baylor loss will solidify Mizzou's spot in the top half of the Big 12 and will draw them closer to a seventh-consecutive NCAA-tournament bid. While Mizzou has dropped two straight, both to top-15 teams, Kansas has lost seven straight, having been swept in each of their last four matches.

 

 

Scouting Kansas ...

The Kansas Jayhawks are on a seven-match losing streak and have been swept in the four, falling to 3-14 in the conference and 10-16 overall. KU takes on the Missouri Tigers in Lawrence, Kan. in front of large crowd in hopes of making up for their 3-0 loss earlier in the season in Columbia, Mo. The Jayhawks have won all three of their conference games on their home floor.

 

In 17 conference games, outside hitter Jana Correa leads Kansas with 3.90 kills per game which ranks ninth in the conference and is second on the team with 3.25 digs per game. Junior setter Emily Brown has 3.18 kills per game and 2.98 digs per game during conference play. Middle blocker Savannah Noyes is third on the team with 3.13 kills per game and leads the Jayhawks with .78 blocks per game. Setter Katie Martincich leads the team with 11.70 assists per game, which is eighth in the Big 12.

 

As a team, the KU defense has struggled both offensively and defensively, hitting only .180 while allowing opponents to hit .262. They rank tenth and 11^th in the Big 12 in those categories, respectively. Kansas is eighth in assists, ninth in kills, and last place in blocks. They are sixth in the conference in digs.

 

Brown, Correa, Noyes and libero Jamie Mathewson were selected to the 2006 Academic All-Big 12 Volleyball Team. Outside hitter Megan Hill was named to the second team.

 

In the overall series with Missouri, Kansas trails 43-31 and has lost five straight to the Tigers. The Jayhawks have not beaten Missouri since 2003, and are 2-11 against the Missouri coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow.

 

Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard's coaching record over nine years is 148-124.

 

-- Mustafa Mohammad

 

The Border Showdown, Presented by Midwest Ford Dealers

With the rematch the two teams are going after 1.5 points in the Missouri-Kansas Border Showdown, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers.

 

Currently, the all-sport series is tied at 4 points apiece. So far this season, Mizzou won points in the first volleyball meeting (1.5), a women's swimming dual (1.5), and finishing higher than Kansas in the women's race at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships (1). Kansas won three points for winning the soccer meeting 4-0 and one point for finishing above Mizzou at the men's Big 12 Cross Country Championships.

 

The football meeting between the two school take place November 25 in Columbia and is worth three points.

 

Kansas Calling A Sell Out

Announced by Kansas, tickets are SOLD OUT of reserved tickets for the Tiger-Jayhawk match. Based on availability, a very limited number of general admission tickets may be available for purchase beginning at 6:30 p.m. on game day at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center ticket office for $10 each.

 

Last Time We Met ...

COLUMBIA, Mo., OCT. 4 - The No. 17 nationally-ranked Missouri Tigers were never threatened by the Kansas Jayhawks Wednesday night, sweeping KU to earn their sixth straight Big 12 victory in the first installment of the Mizzou-Kansas Border Showdown, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers. Missouri (12-4, 6-1) defeated KU (8-8, 1-6) 30-19, 30-26, 30-18. The win also added to Mizzou's home win streak, taking their 11^th straight match in front of their fifth-largest crowd ever of 3,031.

 

Senior Jessica Vander Kooi (Hinton, Iowa) led the Tigers with her 59^th career double-double and 11^th of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs. She also added three blocks. Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) had 13 kills to go along with three digs and blocks, and Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) had 11 kills on the night. Lei Wang (Shanghai, China) added 39 assists, four kills, seven digs and two blocks, and Na Yang (Shan Dong, China) had 10 kills and three blocks.

 

With her 12 kills, Vander Kooi recorded her 100^th match with 10 or more kills in 105 career matches played. Tatum Ailes (Bellevue, Neb.) had 11 digs on the night and only needs three more to move into third place in total career digs.

 

Jana Correa led the Jayhawks with 16 kills and Emily Brown recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs.

 

Ailes, A Record Breaker

Junior libero Tatum Ailes has now smashed her own single-season digs record, now standing at 465 for the season. Ailes needed only two against Oklahoma to eclipse her old school record of 437 that she reset a year ago. Ailes arguably had the match of her career against the Sooners Wednesday, recording 29 digs, adding 30 serve receptions without an error. In a hard-hitting match, Ailes was relentless, making several diving plays that would have normally ended rallies.

 

Ailes (1,334) now needs only 38 digs to tie Shen Danru (1,372) for the all-time lead in digs.

 

Wilson Also Eye-ing the Record Books

Senior MB Nicole Wilson is also looking at the records closely. With only 3 block assists, Wilson (359) will tie Christi Myers (362) for the all-time lead in the category. Wilson (418) still needs 36 total blocks to tie Myers (454) in the overall blocks category.

 

Wilson holds a slight advantage over Myers in the career blocks per game category. Wilson holds at 1.072 blocks per game while Myers ended her career with a 1.063 blocks average.

 

If There Where Only 26 Ranked Teams ...

Missouri would be ranked in the latest CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll. But, with only 65 votes, Mizzou fell out of the poll, and are not ranked for the first time since November 15, 2004, coming just two days short of holding a national ranking for two-consecutive years.

 

Vander Kooi Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

University of Missouri senior volleyballer Jessica Vander Kooi was named to the College Sports Information Director of America's (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team as announced by the organization on Wednesday. Vander Kooi, a native of Hinton, Iowa, is named to the group of only six individuals representing CoSIDA's District VII for the second-consecutive year. Vander Kooi is now in the running to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.

 

Vander Kooi excels in the classroom as well, carding a 3.84 cumulative GPA in the international business field. In addition, Vander Kooi was recently named to the Big 12's 2006 Fall "Good Works Team" for her work on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.

 

Four Named to Academic All-Big 12 Team

Abbie Booth, Jessica Vander Kooi, Lei Wang, and Na Yang were named to the Academic All-Big 12 first-team for the 2006 season. Booth and Vander Kooi make their third appearance on the list while Yang and Wang make the list for the first time.

 

Big 12 Report: November 16

A THRILLA' IN COLUMBIA: Missouri and # 14 Oklahoma played one of the exciting matches of the year, as their match went five games, with the Sooners pulling out a close five game, 19-17.  To show how close the match was, one interesting thing was that there were 41 ties, including 13 in game five alone.  Both teams had five individuals with double digit kills, with both teams also having 2 players with 20 or more kills each.  Joanna Schmitt led Oklahoma with 26 kills, while Na Yang led Missouri with 22.  The Tigers next travel to Kansas to play the rival Jayhawks in the second leg of the Border Showdown, while Oklahoma goes back home to host the Colorado Buffaloes.

 

HUSKERS-AGGIES: # 1 Nebraska rebounded from its first loss nicely, as they defeated the Aggies of Texas A&M in three games.  While Texas A&M hit at an impressive .307 clip, the Cornhuskers hit at an ungodly .435 clip.  Ironically, both teams had 14 hitting errors each.  Nebraska was once again led by All-American Sarah Pavan, one of three Nebraska players to hit in double-digit kills, who recorded her sixth 20 kill match of the season.  Jordan Larson added 13 kills, while Dani Mancuso added 10.  Sarah Ammerman led the Aggies with 13 kills, while Mary Batis added 14.  Nebraska next hosts Baylor, while A&M travels to in-state rival Texas Tech. 

 

TEXAS' NORTH TREK: # 8 Texas traveled to Manhattan, to face the struggling Wildcats and came away with a 3-1 victory.  Ashley Engle continued her impressive freshman campaign as she led everyone in kills with 20.  Kansas State had four players in double digit kills, led by Megan Farr's 18.  Texas next hosts Iowa State while Kansas State gets the weekend off.

 

BEARS: Baylor swept Kansas in convincing fashion.  It was Baylor's first sweep in conference play in four years.  The Bears held the Jayhawks to a .010 hitting clip as they recorded 27 kills, with 26 errors.  Baylor was led by Katie Sanders with 13 kills and Des-Guilliard Young with 11. Baylor still has a chance to make a huge impact on the Big 12, facing Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma in their final three matches.

 

CYCLONES: Iowa State came back to beat Texas Tech in four games, after dropping Game 1.  Cyclone star Erin Boeve was held to a season low five kills, but luckily for the Cyclones, they had four players record double digit kills, led by Lauren Cummings' 17.  Philister Sang and Amy Charlebois led the Red Raiders with 13 kills each.

 

-- Michael Wojtychiw

 

National Report: November 13

THAT TIME OF YEAR: Last week featured some of the biggest upsets in this year's volleyball season.  The biggest upset of the year was when Colorado defeated # 1 Nebraska 3-2 in Boulder...The loss dropped the Cornhuskers from the ranks of the unbeaten, making there no undefeated teams in the nation...then - 2 Stanford lost a rare match at home when they were swept 3-0 by Southern California...then - 23 Ohio State handed Penn State their second loss when they defeated the Nittany Lions 3-0 in Columbus...then - # 16 Purdue continued its struggles in Big 10 play, as they uncharacteristically dropped two home matches to Michigan State (3-1) and Michigan (3-0)...then - # 24 Oregon did not find the desert to be very warm as they lost both their matches to Arizona (3-2) and Arizona State (3-1).

 

MOVING AND SHAKING: With all of the upsets, there was some major movement in the polls this week...Despite losing its first match of the year, Nebraska stayed in the poll's top position...Washington moved up two spots to # 2 replacing conference rival Stanford...Purdue, after it's two losses dropped the most, from 16 to 23...Ohio State, with it's win over Penn State made the biggest jump, from 23^rd to 19^th...Missouri and Oregon dropped out of the polls, while St. John's and Pepperdine jumped into this week poll...After knocking on the door for most of the season, St. John's finally entered the poll, after posting a perfect 14-0 record in the Big East and going 29-1 in the regular season...It is the first time Missouri has not been in the polls all season

 

THE OTHERS: Three teams represent the Big 12 in the polls: # 1 Nebraska, #8 Texas, and # 14 Oklahoma.  Despite falling out of the Top 25, Missouri is the top team receiving votes.  Penn State has recently fallen to # 5, while # 22 Santa Clara stayed in the same position 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, Iowa State and Colorado, are also receiving votes in this week's poll.

 

RED STORM A' BREWIN':  St. John's finished Big East play 14-0 and won their first ever Big East championship with their 3-2 victory over Villanova this past weekend.  The Red Storm, 29-1, have lost to only Southern California this year, and until this week, had been unranked.  With their undefeated conference season, St. John's earned the top seed in the Big East tournament.  The Red Storm now face a tough test as they travel to LSU over Thanksgiving Break to face 7 Florida and host 11 LSU at the Conference Challenge in Orlando, Florida. 

 

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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