Oct. 7, 2010

Match Info: Mizzou (11-6, 3-4 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma (12-5, 4-2 Big 12)
Date: Oct. 9
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Hearnes Center
Radio: Mizzou All-Access (P: Shawn Davis, C: Lindsey Hunter)
Live Stats:Gametracker
Internet Streaming: Mizzou All-Access
Game Notes: Complete Release in PDF Format

The Opening Serve - What You Need to Know
• The Mizzou-Oklahoma series is the Tigers' second-most closely contested series among Big 12 schools as the overall series sits at 36-32 in favor of Oklahoma. Only the Iowa State have played the Tigers closer among Big 12 schools as Mizzou leads that series 35-32. The Tigers and Sooners have split the last three meetings.

• Mizzou ranks second among Big 12 schools in aces per set at 1.28 in their seven matches this season. Both Julianna Klein and Caitlyn Vann are averaging 0.40 aces per set in league play this season, a mark that leads the Big 12. Vann has six aces in her last two matches, including three against Nebraska on Wednesday.

• Freshman setter Molly Kreklow ranks first in the Big 12 in assists per set this season at 11.74. She averaged 13.43 assists per set last week, her best since averaging 13.60 at the Pepperdine Asics Challenge. She was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for her efforts last week. The honor is the third of her career. She ranks fifth nationally and is the top freshman on the list.

• Paola Ampudia tallied 20 kills in a three-set win over Colorado last Saturday, a Big 12 three-set best this season and the most by any Tiger in 2010, and 14 against Nebraska on Wednesday. She now has 34 kills in her last two matches (six sets). This was about the time last year that Ampudia caught fire as she had 281 kills in her last 16 matches (17.56 per match) - more than any player in the Big 12. With 13 matches to go in 2010, this could be the start of another dominating run.

Off to Oklahoma
The Mizzou volleyball team will look to improve its 7-3 record away from Hearnes Center this Saturday as it travels to Norman, Okla., for a 7 p.m. match with the Sooners at McCasland Fieldhouse. The Tigers are in search of their eighth win away from the Hearnes Center this season which would give them one more than they had all of last season. Mizzou All-Access will stream the match live from Norman as Lindsey Hunter and Shawn Davis will have the call.

The Matchup
Mizzou and Oklahoma split the season series last year as both teams won on their home floor. In all, Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Mizzou, 36-32, making it one of the Tigers' best rivalries with Big 12 schools. In fact, only Mizzou and Iowa State have a closer all-time series than Mizzou and Oklahoma. The teams have went 3-3 in the last six meetings as the home team has won every match. The Tigers' last win at Oklahoma came in 2005 when they swept the Sooners. That win was part of a 12-match win streak for the Tigers in the overall series. Since then, OU has won five of the last eight meetings.

Last Time Out
Mizzou was swept for the first time this season as it fell to No. 3 Nebraska on Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center. Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia led Mizzou with 14 kills in the match while no other Tiger finished with more than six in the match. Mizzou did serve more aces than the Huskers in the match as it tallied four in the match, three off the arm of libero Caitlyn Vann. The Tigers also blocked above their season average, posting six in the match, led by four from Brittney Brimmage. The Tiger defense struggled in the match as it allowed Nebraska to hit .326, highlighted by a near flawless effort from Brooke Delano, who posted 14 kills on 16 attacks without an error.

An Ace in the Hole
In Big 12 play, the Tigers stand at second in aces per set with 1.28 per frame in the seven matches. Both Julianna Klein and Caitlyn Vann are tied atop the league standings during Big 12 play as they are both averaging 0.40 per set and have 10 in the Tigers' seven Big 12 matches. Vann has six aces in her last two matches as well. Klein also ranks fourth overall among Big 12 players with her 0.31 aces per set in all 17 of the Tigers' contests in 2010.

Tigers Getting Offensive
Mizzou's offense continues to rank among the Big 12's best as it ranks in the top four in each of the major three offensive categories (kills, assists, hitting). Mizzou ranks second among Big 12 teams with 13.36 assists per set, third with 14.07 kills per set and fourth in hitting at .254. Mizzou was third in hitting before facing Nebraska on Wednesday. After hitting .094 in the match against the Big 12's top defense, the Tigers dropped from a .263 clip to .254 on the season and Texas (.267) passed the them after hitting .435 against Colorado.

Kreklow Climbs Back On Top
Molly Kreklow passed out 44 assists in the Tigers' sweep of Colorado on Saturday, just three off of her three-set best this season, and added 26 against Nebraska. Kreklow is now averaging 11.74 assists per set in 2010, a mark that leads the Big 12, just ahead of second-place Alison Landwehr of Iowa State, who is averaging 11.34. Landwehr passed Kreklow for the Big 12 lead last week, but after a 50-assist effort at Kansas and 44-assist outing against CU, Kreklow climbed back on top. Since the start of Big 12 play, Kreklow's numbers have actually increased as she is averaging a Big 12-best 11.84 per set. Kreklow earned her third Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor for her efforts last week. She ranks fifth nationally and is the top freshman.

Lookout Big 12!
Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia has posted 34 kills in her last two matches (17 per match and 5.67 per set) as she has paced the Tiger offense as of late. This was about the same time last year that Ampudia began her dominant run through the Big 12 when she had 281 kills in her final 16 matches (17.56 per match), the most by any Big 12 player in that span. Her 34-kill output in her last two matches could have her poised for another run like that as the Tigers have 13 matches remaining in 2010. She currently leads the team with 225 kills this season and ranks third in the Big 12 in kills per set (3.88) and points per set (4.41).

Where Have All the Five-Setters Gone?
In the Tigers' last 51 matches, they have played in just one five-set match and that was a comeback win over Texas A&M at the Hearnes Center last season. Mizzou rallied from being down two sets in that match to win in the fifth. But that is the only five-set match for the Tigers since Nov. 22, 2008, when the Tigers lost to Baylor in five. Mizzou had seven five-set matches alone that season. Mizzou is the only team in the Big 12 to play in that few five-set matches during that span and is also the only team to not play in a five-setter this season. Iowa State is the only team to have played in just one; every other team has at least two five-set matches just this season.

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 3-2 in true road matches this season already, giving the Tigers a 7-3 record away from Hearnes Center in 2010.

A Tough Road at Home
Despite the Tigers fast start away from Hearnes this season, Mizzou has struggled in its home arena in 2010, compiling just a 4-3 overall record. Mizzou won its first eight home matches last season, its best start at home since 2003, making the struggles at home uncharacteristic. In all fairness, the Tigers won their first three at home but have faced three AVCA Top-12 teams in their first four Big 12 home matches this season, explaining why the home record stands at 4-3.

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. 33 team 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' seven Big 12 matches, Klein ranks second on the team in kills (80) and is first in hitting (.284) with a team-best 10 service aces and 62 digs (third-best on the team). Her 93.5 total points in Big 12 matches are also second-best on the team. Klein posted a season-best 18 kills on a career-best .455 hitting at Kansas.

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 119 kills (10.81 per match) and pulled in 90 digs with 14 aces. 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 1,286 kills, 726 digs and 107 aces. She also ranks seventh all time with 1,492.5 career points.

Breakout Season for Brimmage
Junior middle hitter Brittney Brimmage continued her breakout season at Kansas last Wednesday as she posted 13 kills on .440 hitting in the Tigers' loss. She ranks third on the team with 153 total kills on a team-best .365 hitting, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big 12 this season. Brimmage also leads the team with 47 blocks.

Despite hitting just .158 in the season-opener against Maryland, Brimmage has hit at least .263 in 13 of the last 16 matches since that time and has eclipsed .400 in eight of those matches and has been better than .500 in three of those. Also, her 157 total kills through 17 matches are more than her kill total all of last season. With 11 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 nine matches and has reset her career highs in kills (14) and attacks (27) this season.

Pip's Been Consistent
After possibly her worst match of the season against Virginia Tech when she pulled in just two digs, junior defensive specialist Priscilla Armendariz has been a very steady option for the Tigers in the last seven matches. She has pulled in at least seven digs in each of those seven contests and has hit double-digits in three of those, highlighted by a season-best 11 on two separate occasions - at Texas Tech and at Kansas. She has 64 digs in her last seven matches and is averaging 2.56 per set, the second-best mark on the team in that span.

She has also boasted a .956 serve receive percentage with just two errors on 46 chances. She has also tallied seven of her 10 service aces on the season in that span.

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 5-6 when opponents hit better than .200. The Tigers are 1-5 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 17 matches of the season, it appears that back row defense may be the key to the Tigers' success. Mizzou is 7-3 when it tallies at least 50 digs (only No. 11 ISU, No. 12 Texas and Kansas have defeated the Tigers when they pull in more than 50 digs) and they are 11-4 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 Telling Stat?
Another key to the Tigers' success in 2010 has been its opponents' hitting percentage. When Mizzou wins, it is holding its opponents to .197 hitting. Conversely, when the Tigers lose, they are allowing their opponents to hit .321. The Tigers' blocking numbers have been better in losing efforts this year but the digs per set drop from 16.57 in wins to 12.17 in losses, reaffirming how important the Tigers' back row defense is.

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 84 kills as Paola Ampudia leads the team with 225. Four of the Tigers' top five attackers are hitting .249 or better while two - Catie Wilson and Brittney Brimmage - rank among the Big 12's eight-most efficient hitters. Julianna Klein and Lisa Henning have posted 165 and 141 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 eight in hitting at fifth (.346) and eighth (.307), respectively this season. Brimmage ranks third on the team in kills with 157 and leads the team with 51 blocks. Wilson has 82 kills and 32 total blocks on the season and she has a team-low 23 attack errors. Brimmage and Wilson's combined stat line is 239 kills on .331 hitting with 83 total blocks. They have combined to score 294.5 total points for Mizzou this season.

Continuing to Set the Table
A three-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 first in the Big 12 in assists per set this season at 11.74. She has anchored an offense that features four hitters with at least 100 kills on the year. She has assisted on 681 of the Tigers' 816 kills (83.5-percent) and has the Tigers hitting .254 on the season. She also ranks third on the team in digs with 129 total and leads the team with four 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. She has taken home Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, more than any other player in the Big 12.

Scouting Oklahoma
The Sooners were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 by the league coaches in the preseason and have lived up to that billing so far as they are 4-2 in league play and 12-5 overall. Oklahoma is also 6-1 in true matches this season, a big reason for its fast start.

Outside hitter Suzy Boulavsky leads the team with 220 kills on .263 hitting, making her a favorite to land on the All-Big 12 team. Middle hitter Sarah Freudenrich is also a key reason for the team's success as she is hitting .374 with 123 kills. Caitlin Higgins and Sallie McLaurin have also been reliable offensive weapons for the Sooners. The top three hitters for OU are all hitting .263 or better.

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 at Texas Tech. He is now 102-68 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 211-114 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 268 digs this season, she has moved her career total to 1,1628, 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 141 kills on the season - fourth-best on the team - on .249 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.

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 .283. 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 17 matches of the season, Mizzou currently ranks 17th nationally in average attendance after averaging 1,989 fans per match. A season-high 2,558 fans watched the Tigers face No. 3 Nebraska on Wednesday. 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. Those numbers should see an increase on Wednesday as fans always pack the house when Nebraska comes to town. In fact, Mizzou set its program attendance record against Nebraska back in 2005 when 7,298 fans packed into the Hearnes Center.

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.

"I thought it would be a good opportunity and I wanted to see where I stood nationally for my position. And it's good for networking I'm looking to go pro after college and it's already really difficult for my position, so knowing the national team coach and talking to all the different coaches is good networking."

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. Also, be sure to follow Mizzou Athletics' official twitter account at http://twitter.com/mutigersdotcom as it will also be updated with volleyball related content.

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
The Tigers will return to the road on Oct. 13 as they travel to College Station for a crucial Big 12 showdown with Texas A&M. The match will have huge NCAA Tournament implications as both teams will be jostling for their spot in the conference's top five or six teams.