Nov. 8, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After extending its winning streak to four matches, and six of the last seven, with a pair of four-set wins last week, the Mizzou volleyball team saw two of its members earn Big 12 weekly awards as Paola Ampudia (Cali, Colombia) and Molly Kreklow (Delano, Minn.) took home Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, respectively. Mizzou has now claimed 10 Big 12 weekly awards this season, more than any team in the conference. On a side note, Mizzou earned 12 votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, ranking it as the nation's No. 33 team.

Ampudia earns Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career after guiding Mizzou to a pair or road wins last week. She averaged 5.38 kills per set on .265 hitting while pulling in 25 digs and scoring 45.5 total points. The Tiger senior began her week by posting 21 kills on .278 hitting with 14 digs at Colorado, good for her seventh double-double of the season. The 21 kills in the match also equaled her total from her previous two matches combined.

After a great performance at Colorado, Ampudia upped the ante at No. 12 Iowa State as she posted 22 kills in the match on .254 hitting to go along with 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Her 22 kills were a key reason why the Tigers were able upset No. 12 Iowa State. In fact, the upset was the Tigers' first win over a top 15 team since 2006 and was also their first road win over a top 25 team since 2006.

The back-to-back 20-kill efforts mark the first time this season that Ampudia has done so, despite leading the team with 367 kills and five 20-kill performances this season. Her defense was also a key reason for the Player of the Week honor as she pulled in 3.12 digs per set while committing just one error on 32 service receptions.

The Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor for Kreklow is her fourth such honor this season, the most by any player in the Big 12, and her first since Oct. 4. Kreklow guided Mizzou to a pair of road wins while averaging 11.88 assists per set, keeping her atop the Big 12 standings in assists per set at 11.66 this season. Kreklow also pitched in seven kills on .294 hitting, five of which came in the upset of No. 12 Iowa State, while adding nine digs, five blocks and a pair of service aces.

Kreklow began her week by spreading 48 assists at Colorado and came back to dish 47 helpers at 12th-ranked Iowa State, which helped Mizzou hit .291 in the final three sets of its upset win, claiming all three sets over the Cyclones. She added five kills in the match, just one shy of a career-best, and pulled in seven digs. She helped Mizzou averaged 15.00 kills per set on .229 hitting on the week. The back-to-back 40-assist efforts mark the first time she has done so since Oct. 16 as well. She has now dished at least 40 assists in 10 of her last 13 matches.

Ampudia, Kreklow and the Tigers will look to extend their winning streak to five straight and seven of their last eight when they welcome Texas Tech (3-12, 1-14 Big 12) to the Hearnes Center on Wednesday. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.