Sept. 28, 2010

Match Info: Mizzou (10-4, 2-2 Big 12) at Kansas (10-5, 1-3 Big 12)
Date: Sept. 29
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location:Lawrence, Kan.
Arena: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Television: Metro Sports (Kansas City)
Radio: Mizzou All-Acces (Ross Taylor, Lindsey Hunter)
Live Stats(all matches):Gametracker
Game Notes: Complete Release in PDF Format
Series Information: Mizzou has won 12 of the last 16 meetings with Kansas and leads the overall series, 48-33. The Tigers topped the Jayhawks twice in 2009.

The Opening Serve - What You Need to Know
• Mizzou has won 12 of the last 16 meetings with Kansas including both contests last season. Paola Ampudia set the Mizzou school record with 35 kills in the Tigers' last match at KU. The 35 kills are a Big 12 four-set record as well.

• The Tigers are 7-2 in matches away from the Hearnes Center this season, a vast improvement from a team that won seven matches away from home all of last season. Mizzou is 2-0 in Big 12 road matches and will look for its third win Wednesday.

• The Tigers continue to rank in the Big 12's top three in each of the major offensive statistical categories (kills, hitting, assists). Mizzou joins top 10 teams Nebraska and Iowa State as the only teams in the league to do so.

• Freshman setter Molly Kreklow had back-to-back 40-assist matches last week as she ranks second in the Big 12 in assists per set this season at 11.69, trailing only ISU's Alison Landwehr (11.71).

• Julianna Klein has climbed from fourth on the team in kills to second over the last eight matches with 135 on the year. She has arguably been the Tigers' best player in four Big 12 matches with 50 kills (one shy of the team lead) on .272 hitting with 36 digs and nine service aces.

• Mizzou is averaging 1.27 aces per set in Big 12 play, good for the second-best clip in the league.

M&I Bank Border Showdown, Volleyball Style
After evening its Big 12 record at 2-2 last Saturday at Kansas State, the Mizzou volleyball team (10-4 overall) will return to the Sunflower State this Wednesday (Sept. 29) to take on Kansas at 6:30 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence. The match will air live on Metro Sports in Kansas City while Mizzou All Access with Ross Taylor and Lindsey Hunter will have the call on MUTigers.com. Live results can also be found at MUTigers.com.

The Matchup
Mizzou and Kansas met twice last season and both matches went four sets with the Tigers winning both. In the first meeting between the two schools last season, Julianna Klein led a well-balanced Tiger attack that hit .286 with four of its players tallying double-digit kill totals as the Tigers bested the Jayhawks in four despite losing the first set. The second match of the season in 2009 was quite memorable at current senior Paola Ampudia put together one of the finest performances in school history as she reset the school record with 35 kills in a four-set win in Lawrence. Her 35 kills are also a Big 12 four-set record as she finished the match with 37 total points. Fittingly, she aced the Jayhawks to cap a 4-0 run in the final set as Mizzou won the match in four. Ampudia earned Big 12 Player of the Week for her efforts in that match. Mizzou has won 12 of the last 16 meetings with Kansas and leads the overall series, 48-33.

The volleyball matchup is just one portion of the M&I Bank Border Showdown, which pits Mizzou against Kansas in a head-to-head battle which takes into account all sports at both schools. So far, the women's soccer teams are the only two to have played with Mizzou earning a 4-1 win.

Last Time Out
The Tigers topped Kansas State, 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-14, 25-16), last Saturday to earn its first win in Manhattan since 2006. Julianna Klein led Mizzou with 14 kills and five aces while corralling 10 digs to lead the Tigers. Mizzou struggled in the first two sets and hit just .105, but following the intermission, Mizzou found its stride and hit .409 in the final two sets while limiting KSU to just 30 points in those two frames. As a team, the Tigers hit .452 in the third set and posted 17 kills - freshman setter Molly Kreklow assisted on all 17 - and then closed the match by hitting .367 in the fourth with 15 kills. Mizzou pulled in a season-best 64 digs in the match.

Tigers Getting Offensive
Mizzou's offense has been one of the best in the Big 12 all season long and the numbers prove it. In fact, Mizzou joins Nebraska and Iowa State - both top-10 teams nationally - as the only three teams to rank in the top three in each of the league's three major offensive categories (kills, assists, hitting). Mizzou's .260 hitting percentage ranks third in the league as does its 14.12 kills per set and 13.35 assists per set. The Tigers have a very comfortable lead over the fourth-place teams in both assists per set (Baylor, 12.72) and kills per set (Baylor, 13.50) as well.

Kreklow Slips to Second in Big 12
Despite averaging 11.88 assists per set last weekend and improving her season average from 11.66 to 11.69 per frame, freshman setter Molly Kreklow slipped to second in the Big 12 in assists per set this week, trailing only ISU's Alison Landwher. Kreklow continues to quarterback one of the league's top offenses. In fact, she ranks ninth nationally and is the No. 2 freshman nationally.

Consistent Klein
During Big 12 play, it is hard to argue against the fact that senior outside hitter Julianna Klein has been the Tigers' best player. In the Tigers' four Big 12 matches, Klein ranks second on the team in kills (50), one behind Paola Ampudia, and second in hitting (.272) with a team-best nine service aces and 36 digs (third-best on the team). Her 61.5 total points in Big 12 matches are also a team-best. She has also been an outstanding six-rotation player as her passing has been brilliant. In fact, she has had 85 service reception chances in Big 12 play and has committed just five errors. Her 85 reception chances are second on the team behind only libero Caitlyn Vann.

More on Klein
Through the first six matches this season Klein posted 46 kills (7.67 per match), which ranked fourth on the team. Since that time, Klein has posted 89 kills (11.13 per match) and pulled in 67 digs. During that span, she has moved from fourth on the team in kills to second. Klein also eclipsed the 100-ace plateau in her career this season, making her only the third player under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow to have more than 1,200 kills, 700 digs and 100 service aces in her career. The other two were Jessica Vander Kooi and Shen Danru. Klein now has 1,256 kills, 702 digs and 106 aces. She also ranks seventh all time with 1,460.5 career points.

Breakout Season for Brimmage
Junior middle hitter Brittney Brimmage continued her breakout season at Kansas State on Saturday as she posted 12 kills on .346 hitting in the Tigers' win. She ranks third on the team with 134 total kills - one behind Klein - on a team-best .362 hitting, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big 12 this season. Brimmage also leads the team with 42 blocks.

Despite hitting just .158 in the season-opener against Maryland, Brimmage has hit at least .263 in 12 of the last 13 matches since that time and has eclipsed .400 in seven of those matches and has been better than .500 in three of those. Also, her 134 total kills through 14 matches are more than her kill total all of last season. With 34 more kills this season, she will surpass her kill total from her first two seasons as a Tiger combined. She has posted double-digit kill totals in eight matches and has reset her career highs in kills (14) and attacks (27) this season.

Tigers Serve Tough
Mizzou has improved its serving as of late as it is now averaging 1.20 aces per set. In the past three weeks, Mizzou has moved from ninth in the Big 12 to sixth while its 1.27 aces per set in league play is second among Big 12 teams in 2010. Julianna Klein leads Mizzou with 17 aces this season and her 0.35 per set rank her third in the Big 12 this season. In Big 12 play, she has seen her numbers improve as she is averaging 0.60 per frame, a mark that leads all Big 12 servers during league play. Her nine total aces are also two more than the next-best server in the Big 12 this season.

Knock on Wood! The Tigers Have Yet to be Swept
Despite losing four matches this year, Mizzou has not been swept in a single match during the 2010 season. Mizzou, Nebraska and Iowa State are the only teams in the Big 12 to have not been swept this season. In fact, Mizzou has dropped just 14 sets this season, which is third-best in the Big 12 behind only Nebraska (nine) and Iowa State (10). On the flip side, eight of the Tigers' 10 wins have come via the sweep in 2010.

Success on the Road
After going just 4-7 on the road and 3-3 at neutral sites last year, Mizzou has already seen a drastic improvement in its play away from Hearnes Center this season. Mizzou went 4-1 in neutral site non-conference matches in 2010 and is 3-1 in true road matches this season already, giving the Tigers a 7-2 record away from Hearnes Center in 2010.

Tigers Getting Votes
Since sweeping through the season-opening Tiger Invitational, the Mizzou volleyball team has been getting votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Tigers' peak position was at No. 27 after winning the Pepperdine Asics Challenge in Malibu, Claif. Mizzou received votes in this week's poll and is currently the No. 32 team nationally.

Winning, it's as simple as...
...Holding your opponents to under .200 hitting. Mizzou is 6-0 when limiting its opponents to below .200 hitting, but Mizzou is just 4-4 when opponents hit better than .200. The Tigers are 1-3 this season when allowing teams to hit above .300 as well, making it clear that if the Tigers' defense plays well, they usually win.

Back-Row Defense is Key for Tigers
Through the first 14 matches of the season, it appears that back row defense may be the key to the Tigers' success. Mizzou is 6-2 when it tallies at least 50 digs (only No. 11 ISU and No. 12 Texas have defeated the Tigers when they pull in more than 50 digs) and they are 10-3 with 40 or more digs. Also, Mizzou is 10-1 when out-digging its opponents with its only loss coming against No. 11 Iowa State.

A Balanced Attack
Mizzou's offense continues to rank among the Big 12 and national elite due to its incredible balance. Four attackers have at least 100 kills on the season and those four are separated by just 61 kills as Paola Ampudia leads the team with 178. Five of the Tigers' top six attackers are hitting .255 or better while two - Catie Wilson and Brittney Brimmage - rank among the Big 12's six-most efficient hitters. Julianna Klein and Lisa Henning have posted 135 and 117 kills, respectively, this season on a combined .261 hitting, giving the Tigers five solid weapons at the net this season.

Tiger Middle Hitters - Best 1-2 Punch in the Big 12?
The Tiger middle hitting duo of Brittney Brimmage (East St. Louis, Ill.) and Catie Wilson (Omaha, Neb.) is arguably the best 1-2 punch in the Big 12 this season at the position. Both players rank in the league's top six in hitting at fourth (.362) and sixth (.325), respectively this season. Brimmage ranks third on the team in kills with 134 and leads the team with 42 blocks. Wilson has 71 kills and 30 total blocks on the season and she has a team-low 19 attack errors. Brimmage and Wilson's combined stat line is 206 kills on .350 hitting with 72 total blocks. They have combined to score 252.5 total points for Mizzou this season.

Continuing to Set the Table
Already a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, freshman Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minn.) has been a big reason for the Tigers' fast start in 2010. In fact, she ranks second in the Big 12 in assists per set this season at 11.69. She has anchored an offense that features four hitters with at least 100 kills on the year. She has assisted on 561 of the Tigers' 678 kills (82.7-percent) and has the Tigers hitting .260 on the season. She also ranks third on the team in digs with 107 total and leads the team with three double-doubles in 2010 as well. Kreklow has done this with one hand in a splint after dislocating her pinkie in preseason camp. She served overhand for the first time at Western Kentucky and tallied six aces. She blocked with two hands for the first time at Texas Tech as well.

Kreklow Cracks Century Mark
Mizzou head coach Wayne Kreklow, currently in his sixth season at the helm of the program, tallied his 100th win as the Tiger head coach last Wednesday at Texas Tech. He is now 101-66 in his time as the head coach of the program while Wayne and Susan Kreklow - now in their 11th season at Mizzou - are a combined 210-112 at Mizzou. Coincidentally, their 200th career win at Mizzou came in Lubbock last season.

Another Milestone
Senior libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) also set a milestone of her own. Her start at libero against Texas Tech was her 100th consecutive start, dating back to the 2008 season. She has started every match since 2008 and also started 27 of 30 matches in her freshman season, playing behind former Big 12 Libero of the Year Tatum Ailes that season.

Vann Takes Her Spot in Record Book
Senior libero Caitlyn Vann has already earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors and been named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team, but it is her total number of digs that this season that has her climbing the record books. With 227 digs this season, she has moved her career total to 1,569, trailing only former Tiger Tatum Ailes for first all-time. Ailes played all four of her years in the 30-point scoring era while Vann has played in 25-point sets since 2008. Had she played in 30-point sets, we could be looking at Mizzou's all-time career digs leader.

Another Fab Frosh
Molly Kreklow isn't the only Tiger freshman who is putting together a fine first season in Black and Gold. Classmate Lisa Henning is turning heads with her powerful arm as she has 117 kills on the season - fourth-best on the team - on .255 hitting. After the first weekend of play, she became the first true freshman to lead the Tigers in kills during each of her first two matches during the rally scoring era. She is also the only athlete to do so under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow at Mizzou.

Scouting Kansas
Kansas got off to a fast start in 2010, winning nine of its first 11, but has struggled in its four Big 12 matches so far. In fact, Kansas has gone just 1-3 with losses to Kansas State, Colorado and Nebraska. Its lone win in Big 12 play came against Texas A&M in a five-set thriller at home. As a team, KU is hitting just .198 as none of its top four hitters check in at better than .275 in 2010.

Karina Garlington leads KU with 187 kills this season on .218 hitting, but she has struggled in Big 12 play as she has just 51 kills on .179 hitting. Allison Mayfield has led Kansas in kills during league play with 59. Kansas has struggled to serve well during Big 12 play with just 13 aces while committing 27 service errors.

Wilson Hits Her Way Into Record Books
Heading into the season, senior Catie Wilson (Omaha, Neb.) ranked sixth on the all-time hitting percentage list at Mizzou. But after the first four weekends, Wilson has climbed to fifth after hitting .325 thus far, moving her career clip from .279 to .285. She has a ways to go to crack the top four (Diane Berg, .308), but it is certainly not out of reach.

A Clean Sweep
After its fine performance in Malibu at the Pepperdine Asics Challenge, the Mizzou volleyball team swept the Big 12 Weekly awards last week, marking only the second time in league history that one school has swept all three awards in the same week. Paola Ampudia was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time in her career after leading the team with 50 kills on .261 hitting. She paced Mizzou in kills in all three matches and posted a season-best 19 in the Tigers' four-set win over Pepperdine. Molly Kreklow was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week after anchoring the league's top offense. She averaged 13.60 assists per set and notched a new career-best with her 52 against Pepperdine. She also passed out 47 against Rice, a Mizzou record for assists in a three-set match during the 25-point era. Caitlyn Vann claimed her fourth Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor after pacing the league in digs at 6.20 per set. She had 18 or more digs in each of the three matches, including a season-best 25 against Pepperdine.

Support From Tiger Nation
After the first 14 matches of the season, Mizzou currently ranks 16th nationally in average attendance after averaging 1,854 fans per match. A season-high 2,409 fans watched the Tigers face No. 11 Iowa State earlier this season. In fact, few schools have ranked as highly as Mizzou in average attendance since 2000. In each season since the Kreklows took over, Mizzou has ranked in at least the top 20 in average attendance.

Kreklow Earns Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Freshman setter Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minn.) brought with her plenty of accolades when she arrived on campus in January, but she added another in the preseason as the Big 12 coaches named Kreklow the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year. Expected to take over the starting setting role this season, Kreklow is a two-time AAU All-American, an AVCA/Under Armour All-American and a three-time AAU National Champion with Mizuno Northern Lights. What is impressive about her nod is that a pair of Texas signees - Ashley Bannister (No. 12) and Hannah Allison (No. 9) - ranked ahead of Kreklow (No. 20) on the PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces list.

2010 Freshman Class Earns Praise
Despite having five seniors and two juniors on the 2010 roster, the Mizzou volleyball program will have plenty of fresh faces on the floor in 2010. Aside from Kreklow, who comes to Mizzou as the No. 20 overall prospect in the nation, the Tigers add Lisa Henning (Blue Springs, Mo.), Paige Buchanan (Manchester, Mo.) and Ashton Bodenstab (Blue Springs, Mo.). Henning is the No. 50 overall national recruit and will likely make an immediate impact at the outside hitter position. Buchanan and Bodenstab will also bolster the back row as both are defensive specialists. The four freshmen comprised the No. 14 overall recruiting class according the PrepVolleyball.com. The only Big 12 team to rank ahead of Mizzou in the PrepVolleyball.com rankings was Texas.

Klein Plays in Brazil
Senior outside hitter Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) spent 10 days of her summer playing with the Bring-It Promotions/USA Developmental Volleyball tour in Brazil. She, along with 11 of the top collegiate players in the nation, played against some of Brazil's top national teams while taking in the sights that the country has to offer. The program helps line up professional careers for volleyball players after college by providing international experience. It also serves as a pipeline for USA Volleyball and all of those who may be interested in playing for Team USA after college.

Kreklow Sets for Junior National Team
Klein wasn't the only Tiger to spend a portion of her summer south of the American border. Kreklow spent a week in Tijuana, Mexico, as a member of the USA Volleyball Junior National Team at the NORCECA Continental Championships. Kreklow was the team's starting setter and helped Team USA to a perfect 5-0 record while starting four of the five matches. She also dished out a team-high 61 assists in the tournament. The spot on the Junior National Team was her second stint with USA Volleyball as she also set for the Youth National Team last summer.

Henning Guides Club to Junior Nationals
Freshman Lisa Henning led her KC Extreme Club Team to a Junior Olympic Northeast Qualifier title after winning 10 matches in Baltimore, Md. The title secured her club a spot in the Junior National Championships. Henning was KC Extreme's go-to player throughout the tournament as her play was paramount in guiding the team to a National Championship berth. What was even more impressive is that the team had already secured a bid to the tournament, but battled back to beat a very talented Encinitas Wave - a club team based out of San Diego, Calif. - to earn the tournament title. The Wave, led by UCLA signee Kelly Reeves, claimed the first set in the match, but Henning and KC Extreme won each of the final two sets to win top honors at the tournament.

Vann Tries Out for US National Team
Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) recently tried out for the USA Volleyball National Team in Colorado Springs, Colo., and participated with some of the nation's elite talent. On hand were national team coaches Hugh McCutcheon and Karch Kiraly along with the entire USA Volleyball staff, making it a great experience for the tiger libero.

Bodenstab Makes the Transition
Last season, freshman Ashton Bodenstab (Blue Springs, Mo.) competed with the Mizzou track and field program before making the transition to volleyball this season. Bodenstab was training in the combined events under Mizzou assistant coach Dan Lefever. But she specialized in volleyball during high school and when the opportunity presented itself to walk onto Mizzou's team, she did just that. She was an All-State, All-District and All-Area selection in 2008 before coming to Mizzou in 2009.

Volleyball - Tiger Cup Winners
After spending countless hours in the community last season, the Mizzou volleyball team was awarded the Tiger Cup Trophy. The Tiger Cup recognizes the Mizzou team that earned the most overall points in the team competition. Points were awarded for achievement in academics, athletics and for community involvement. Awarded a prize of $3,000, the volleyball players stayed true to their commitment to the community and immediately donated their entire prize to the Mid-Missouri Susan G. Komen Foundation, which raises funds for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Undisputed Success
In the 10 seasons that Wayne and Susan Kreklow have been at the helm of the Mizzou program, the Tigers have seen an unprecedented level of success. In fact, Mizzou has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in eight of the past 10 seasons, making them one of only 16 teams nationally to accomplish that feat. The Kreklows won their 200th game at Mizzou last season after defeating Texas Tech, 3-0, in Lubbock. That is good for an average of 20 wins per season, a bench mark that usually results in a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Follow Mizzou on Twitter
Mizzou volleyball has started its own Twitter page. Be sure to follow the Tigers all season long at http://twitter.com/MU_Volleyball. Check back all season for updates, video and pictures.

Tiger Volleyball on the Radio
The Mizzou volleyball team will have each of its home and its Big 12 road matches live on the radio at MUTigers.com all season long. At home, the live broadcasts will be streamed with live video on Mizzou All-Access. Ross Taylor of Mizzou All-Access will serve as the voice of the Tigers while former Tiger All-American setter Lindsey Hunter will provide play-by-play.

Up Next
Mizzou will return to the Hearnes Center to face Colorado at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Colorado is coming off of back-to-back wins in Big 12 play for the first time since 2008, making for an intriguing match up on Saturday. Ross Taylor and Lindsey Hunter will have the call for Mizzou All-Access on MUTigers.com.