Aug. 21, 2009
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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- With a crowd of nearly 1,200 on hand, the Mizzou Volleyball program opened its 2009 campaign with the annual Black and Gold scrimmage at the Hearnes Center on Friday night (Aug. 21). The Black squad topped the Gold team 3-1 (15-8, 15-6, 7-15, 15-13) in what was a back-and-forth match all night. Newcomer Rosa Medrano (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and freshman Lindsey Petrick (Overland Park, Kan.) paced the Tigers, combining for 15 kills and 20.5 total points in the four-set match. Both Annie Lopez (St. Louis, Mo.) and libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) led the team with 13 digs apiece. Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa), the Tigers' top attacker from a season ago, finished with six total kills.
"I thought tonight was a real positive for our team," head coach Wayne Kreklow said after the match. "Our primary goal at the beginning of every season is to win the Big 12 Championships, and we hope by doing that, all of our secondary goals will be achieved. And this year, one of our top priorities is to get back to the NCAA Tournament and tonight was the first step in that direction."
The first set favored the Black squad from the onset as the team jumped out to a quick lead over its counterpart. Fueled by Medrano and Petrick, the Black squad took the opening set 15-8. Medrano and Petrick combined to score seven of the team's 15 points as they each finished with two kills and combined for six total blocks. Petrick was dominant at the net early, registering four block assists in the first set alone. The pair also committed only one error on nine attacks, combining for a .350 hitting percentage. Lopez added seven digs for the Black squad in the opening frame as well.
The second set went to the Black team in dominating fashion as it jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead and never relinquished the advantage. Once again, Medrano and Petrick led the way, combining for seven kills and nine-and-a-half points. Medrano totaled four kills and a block assist while Petrick added three kills, a solo block and a pair of block assists.
The Gold team rallied out of intermission, helped in large part by Medrano, who switched sides out of intermission. She added two more kills to her ledger, moving her match total to eight. Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco (Shanghai, China) was another bright spot for the Gold team, handing out five assists while posting three digs and a solo block to help keep the Gold team in the match. Senior Amanda Hantouli (Omaha, Neb.) had a perfect set, totaling a pair of kills on just two attacks while pitching in a block assist. In all, the Gold topped the Black 15-7 in the third set, forcing a fourth.
The fourth was the most highly-contested set of the night as the teams went back and forth until the Black team pulled away with a 15-13 set win, clinching the match. Wang-Francisco shined again in the final set, passing out six more assists, this time to lead the black squad as she switched teams between sets. Freshman Marissa Ferri (Naperville, Ill.) was all over the back row for the black squad in the decisive set, totaling six digs in the set. Although a point from the Gold team made it 14-13 late in the set, they were unable to rally as a kill from Weiwen Wang (Nanjing, China) put the match out of reach for the Black team.
The volleyball program also held a youth clinic prior to the match that saw more than 300 children attend the event. The clinic taught youngsters from kindergarten through eighth grade the basic fundamentals of volleyball. The 1,190 fans at the event marks one of the top-attended Black and Gold matches in Tiger volleyball history; the record was set last season when 1,475 fans packed the Hearnes Center. Mizzou will open the regular season next Friday as they play host to BYU, Texas State and Ole Miss as part of the Tiger Invitational. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to www.mutigers.com.