University of Missouri
Nebraska
Ampudia Shines as Tigers Fall to No. 7 Nebraska
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2009
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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mizzou volleyball suffered its first home loss of the 2009 season Saturday night (Oct. 17), as the Tigers fell, 3-1 (17-25, 15-25, 25-21, 13-25), to No. 7 Nebraska before a season-high 2,646 fans at the Hearnes Center. With the loss, Mizzou drops to 12-8 overall and 4-5 in Big 12 play. Junior Paola Ampudia (Cali, Colombia) led the Tigers with 23 kills and 13 digs - both career-bests - for her second double-double of the season. She also added a career-high six blocks in the match while hitting .295 on a career-high 61 attacks.
"What more can you say about Paola tonight, she really played well for us throughout the whole match," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "She is the type of player that gets better with each swing and it is really starting to show. I thought she played her best match tonight."
Junior Weiwen Wang (Nanjing, China) also had a solid match for the Tigers after earning her first start of the 2009 season. Wang finished with a season-best eight kills and pitched in a pair of service aces. Also, four Tigers finished the match with double-digit dig totals, highlighted by 14 from libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.). Lei Wang-Francsico (Shanghai, China) collected 11 digs while defensive specialist Annie Lopez (St. Louis, Mo.) pulled in 12, a season-best.
The teams split the first 16 points to open the first set, as neither side was able to sustain momentum until Nebraska won three straight to take an 11-8 lead. After a timeout, the Huskers used a 5-1 run to increase their advantage to seven. Mizzou won two consecutive points to cut the deficit to five at 16-11, but the Huskers won nine of 15 to close out the frame. Ampudia led the Tigers with six kills in the set, while Catie Wilson (Omaha, Neb.) had two on .400 hitting.
Nebraska opened the second frame on a 9-5 run and extended its lead to five before Kreklow called a timeout at 7-12. The Tigers were not able to adjust to the Huskers' attack as Nebraska used a 13-8 run to take a two-set lead into intermission. Ampudia had four kills in the frame to lead Mizzou, while junior Rosa Medrano (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) had three.
The Tigers won four straight points to begin the third set, prompting Husker coach John Cook to call a timeout. Nebraska responded by winning nine of 12 to take a two-point lead at 9-7. A Husker error broke the run and Ampudia posted three kills in the next five points to tie the set at 11. Ampudia added another kill and Wang posted a service ace to give the Tigers a two-point lead at 14-12. Mizzou extended its advantage to four before the Huskers called a timeout at 20-16. The Tigers won five of the next 10 points to close the set. Ampudia posted nine kills in the frame, while Wang added four.
The Huskers started the fourth set on a 10-6 run. Following a Mizzou timeout, Nebraska won six of seven points and the Tigers called for another stoppage at 16-7. The Tigers mounted a late charge, winning six of nine points before the Huskers converted their fourth match point. Ampudia had four kills in the frame while Medrano added two.
Mizzou will hit the road this week, with matches Wednesday at Big 12 leader Texas and Saturday at archrival Kansas. The Tigers' next home match is Wednesday, Oct. 28, when they host Kansas State at 6:30 p.m. in the Hearnes Center. For all the latest information on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
