Nov. 16, 2010

Match Info: Mizzou (19-8, 11-6 Big 12) at No. 8 Texas (19-5, 14-2 Big 12)
Date: Nov. 17
Time: 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Location: Austin, Texas
Arena: Gregory Gymnasium
Live Streaming: Mizzou All-Access
Live Stats: Gametracker
Game Notes: Complete Release in PDF Format

The Opening Serve - What You Need to Know
• Mizzou's current six-match win streak in Big 12 play matches its longest Big 12 winning streak in program history. The only other year that Mizzou won six straight Big 12 matches was 2005, the year that it advanced to the Elite Eight. A win Wednesday would be the Tigers' longest ever Big 12 win streak.

• Mizzou hit .304 in its win over Texas A&M while totaling 49 kills (16.33 per set) in one of its best offensive matches during Big 12 play. The .304 clip was the Tigers' second-best during Big 12 play and their best since Sept. 15, while the 49 kills are their second-best three set total in league play.

• Senior Julianna Klein became Mizzou's all-time most experienced player in terms of career sets played on Saturday. She played in all three sets against the Aggies, giving her 449 in her career. She could extend her lead with three regular season matches and possible NCAA Tournament action remaining.

• Freshman setter Molly Kreklow remains atop the Big 12 standings in assists per set this week as she is averaging 11.74 per frame in 2010. Kreklow was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for her efforts.

• Senior libero Caitlyn Vann now leads the Big 12 in digs per set during league play with 5.27 per frame. She posted 37 digs last week (5.28 per set) in the Tigers' pair of wins last week, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

What's Inside? - A Quick Look at the Notes
• Mizzou is in search of its seventh-straight win and ninth in its last 10 matches at No. 8 Texas.
• The match pits the Big 12's longest active win streaks against each other. UT has won 11 in a row.
• The six-straight Big 12 wins mark the Tigers' longest win streak in conference play since 2005.
• Mizzou has won 19 matches in 2010, surpassing its 2009 win total, as it is MU's best win total since 2005.
• Caitlyn Vann was named Big 12 Defensive Specialist of the Week on Nov. 15 for the fourth time in 2010.
• Vann leads the Big 12 in digs per set during league play with 5.27 per set.
• Molly Kreklow was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 15 for the fifth time in 2010.
• Kreklow remains atop the league standings in assists per set as she is now averaging 11.74 in 2010.
• Mizzou has now claimed a Big 12-best 12 weekly conference honors in 2010.
• Mizzou continues to lead the league in service aces during Big 12 play with 1.19 per set.
• Julianna Klein leads the Big 12 in service aces per set (0.37) during league play.
• On Saturday, Klein became the most experienced Tiger in program history with 449 career sets played.
• Priscilla Armendariz has not committed a reception error in 14 straight matches (146 chances).
• Paola Ampudia has posted four-straight double-doubles as she now leads the team with 10.
• Brittney Brimmage has moved up to fourth in the Big 12 in hitting at .337.

Tigers Look for Seventh Straight Win
After claiming its sixth straight win and eighth in the last nine, the Mizzou volleyball team will look to extend its winning streak to seven when it travels to No. 8 Texas on Wednesday (Nov. 17) for a 6:30 match at Gregory Gymnasium. Mizzou All-Access will be courtside with the call.

The Matchup
Wednesday's match will pit the hottest teams in the Big 12 against each other as the two programs boast the league's longest active win streaks; Texas has won 11 straight while Mizzou checks in as winners of six straight and eight of nine. UT leads the all-time series, 19-10, after winning, 3-1, in Columbia earlier this season. Both teams rank among the league's top offenses as well. Texas has been dominant offensively in Big 12 play, averaging 14.93 kills per set on .308 hitting, putting the pressure on Mizzou's defense to slow the Longhorn attack. Defensively, Mizzou is averaging 17.12 digs per set and 2.09 blocks per set during its last nine matches.

Last Time Out
Mizzou continued its winning ways by sweeping Texas A&M at the Hearnes Center on Saturday. As a team, Mizzou hit .304 with 49 kills (16.33 per set) as it extended its win streak to six straight and eight of its last nine contests. Julianna Klein paced Mizzou with 13 kills on .379 hitting while pulling in 11 digs. Paola Ampudia also tallied a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs as she now leads Mizzou with 11 double-doubles this season. Caitlyn Vann led Mizzou with 17 digs while Priscilla Armendariz pitched in 12.

Padding the NCAA Tournament Résumé
The Tigers enter Saturday's match at No. 42 in the RPI, 19-8 overall and 11-6 in Big 12 play, which is just a half match back of third place in the league (Oklahoma, 11-5). In fact, Mizzou has made a charge in the last five weeks by winning eight of its last nine matches and five straight. Mizzou has also gone 10-5 away from home this season, including 6-4 in true road matches. Two of those road wins have come against RPI top 60 teams, highlighted by a win over No. 12 Iowa State, which stands at 18th in this week's RPI rankings. Mizzou also went 8-2 in non-conference matches this season and Mizzou received 17 votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, ranking 33rd nationally.

More on the Win Streak
Mizzou's six match win streak matches its longest conference win streak since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. The only other year in which the Tigers won six straight Big 12 matches was in 2005, the same season that they hosted the NCAA Tournament first round and advanced to the Elite Eight. A win Wednesday would give the Tigers their longest Big 12 winning streak ever at seven.

The Crown Jules
Senior outside hitter Julianna Klein played in her 449th career set in the Tigers' sweep of Texas A&M on Saturday, making her the most experienced Tiger in program history in terms of career sets played. Not only that, but she capped off an impressive week with 13 kills on .379 hitting with 11 digs in the match. In fact, Klein led Mizzou in kills in each match last week as she posted 30 kills (4.29 per set) on .286 hitting while pulling in 23 digs (3.29 per set).

Paola Among League Leaders
Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia continues to rank among the Big 12 elite in kills per set and points per set. In fact, Ampudia ranks third in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.11) and points per set (4.59) overall this season. During Big 12 play, Ampudia ranks third in kills per set at 4.24 in league play and is fourth in points per set at 4.65. She is 24th nationally in kills per set as well.

Double-Double Trouble for Ampudia
Already leading the team with 390 kills this season, Ampudia has begun to show off her complete game over the past two weeks. In fact, Ampudia has posted double-doubles in four straight matches, giving her a team-high 10 this season. She has also been nearly perfect on serve receive in that span, committing just one error on 43 chances. She is averaging 4.77 kills per set and 3.07 digs per set in that span.

More Big 12 Weekly Honors
Both Molly Kreklow and Caitlyn Vann earned Big 12 weekly honors on Monday (Nov. 15), giving Mizzou 12 weekly conference awards this season, a league best. Kreklow has been honored as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week five times while Vann has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week four times. Also, Paola Ampudia has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice and junior middle hitter Brittney Brimmage also earned her first career Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season as well. Mizzou has been recognized in the weekly honors in three straight weeks, claiming six awards in that span.

Vann Moves Into First Place
Senior libero Caitlyn Vann has moved into first place in the Big 12 while averaging 5.27 digs per set during Big 12 play. She pulled in 37 digs (5.29 per set) and was perfect on 41 service receptions last week. Her 5.29 digs per set last week gave her a narrow lead over ISU's Ashely Mass (5.24 per frame). Vann also ranks second among Big 12 liberos in digs per set in all matches this season at 5.13. She is also ranked fourth in Big 12 history with 1,847 career digs. Over her last nine 10, Vann is averaging 5.92 digs per set and 21.90 digs per match. Vann was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

Kreklow Remains on Top
Freshman setter Molly Kreklow remains atop the Big 12 assists per set list after her performance Wednesday. In fact, she is averaging 11.74 per set this season, just ahead of ISU's Alison Landwehr (11.71). She also sits as the nation's No. 11 ranked setter and is the No. 2 freshman on the list. Kreklow has spread at least 40 assists in 11 of her last 15 matches. Kreklow was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this week.

Kreklow on the Attack
After totaling seven kills on .384 hitting in her first two matches this season, Kreklow struggled on the attack with just 25 kills on .024 hitting as she had 23 errors on 84 attacks in her next 15 matches. But the Tiger setter has seemed to find her groove as of late with 29 kills on .390 hitting with just six errors in her last eight matches. She matched her career-best with six against Texas Tech last Wednesday, doing so on .500 hitting.

Lisa Lights `Em Up
Freshman Lisa Henning posted 15 kills on .257 hitting in the Tigers' win over Texas Tech last Wednesday. The 15 kills are a new career-best and match her kill production from her previous three matches combined. She also reset career highs in points with 16 and total attacks with 35. She closed her week by posting seven kills on . 462 hitting in the Tigers' sweep of Texas A&M.

Black Out
Mizzou's defensive play is a key reason for the six-match win streak and its eight wins in the last nine matches, and that was evident in its sweep of Texas A&M last Saturday. In fact, Mizzou stifled Texas A&M's Kelsey Black, who came into the match leading the league in points per set while ranking second in kills per set. The Tiger defense held her to nine kills on .030 hitting in the match. Mizzou will hope for a similar effort on Wednesday as they will look to slow Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Juliann Faucette.

Send `Em Back, Brit!
The Tiger block has seen a huge turnaround in its last 10 matches and junior middle blocker Brittney Brimmage is a key reason for that. In her last 10 matches, she is averaging 1.22 blocks per set and has 45 total (seven solos, 38 assists) in that span. She has reset her career-high in that span with eight at Oklahoma and posted seven in three contests during that span. In fact, Brimmage now ranks 10th in the Big 12 with her 1.05 blocks per set during league play.

She's Also a Pretty Good Hitter
Aside from her blocking numbers as of late, Brimmage has also hit pretty well. In fact, she ranks fourth in the Big 12 in hitting at .337 and is seventh during league play with a .305 clip. Brimmage, following her performance against both Kansas and K-State two weeks ago, earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.

Rewriting the Record Books
Aside from her aforementioned first-place ranking in career sets played, Julianna Klein also ranks second in career attacks (4,171), third in matches played (124), sixth in career kills (1,398), sixth in points (1,629), ninth in solo blocks (54), 10th in kills per set (3.11) and is eighth in career service aces (120) as well. She is also only the third player in program history to have at least 1,300 kills, 800 digs and 100 service aces in her career (rally scoring era).

Klein Also Leads the League in Serving
Aside from climbing the record books in nearly every category at Mizzou, Klein is also putting together an impressive season serving the ball in 2010. In fact, she leads the league in service aces (0.37 per set) during conference play. She has 31 aces this season and ranks second overall with 0.33 per set. Mizzou as a team leads the Big 12 in aces per set during league play (1.19) and is third overall (1.19). Tiger libero Caitlyn Vann also ranks third in the Big 12 with 0.26 aces per set in conference play.

Pip's Been Consistent
Junior Priscilla Armendariz has been steady in the back row during Big 12 play. In fact, she has not committed a reception error in 14 straight matches (146 chances) and has just two during Big 12 play. She leads the team with a .978 serve reception percentage this season and has seen that mark improve to .988 in league play. After committing four reception errors on 94 chances in non-conference play (.957), she has committed just two on 173 chances in Big 12 play.

Armendariz has also been a steady option defensively as she has posted double-digit digs in nine of the Tigers' Big 12 matches and is averaging 2.53 digs per set during Big 12 play. She tallied a season-best 14 digs while converting all 19 serve receptions at Colorado and pulled in 13 at No. 12 Iowa State while converting 18 serve receptions.

Where Have All the Five-Setters Gone?
In the Tigers' last 61 matches, they have played in just two five-set matches, both of which came against Texas A&M. But those are the only two for the Tigers in nearly two full seasons. Mizzou is the only team in the Big 12 to play in that few five-set matches during that span and joins Iowa State as the only teams to have played in just one in 2010; every other team has at least two five-set matches just this season.

Winning, it's as simple as...
...Holding your opponents to under .200 hitting. Mizzou is 11-1 when limiting its opponents to below .200 hitting, but Mizzou is just 8-7 when opponents hit better than .200. The Tigers are 1-6 this season when allowing teams to hit above .300 as well. The Tigers suffered their only loss of the season when limiting a team to under .200 hitting at Oklahoma earlier this season.

Scouting Texas
The Longhorns enter Wednesday's match as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12 and the nation as they boast a 11-match win streak. Texas is also just one match shy of matching Nebraska for the top spot in the Big 12 this season.

The Longhorns' top attacker is senior Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Juliann Faucette, who has 310 kills on the season and is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week. Middle hitter Rachael Adams joins Faucette on the Longhorn front row, giving Texas arguably the best 1-2 punch in the league. Adams ranks second on the team with 232 kills, but she is doing so on .414 hitting while averaging 1.25 blocks per set in 2010.

Texas is also 12-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to then ranked No. 5 Illinois, which presents another challenge to the Tigers, who have not won in Austin since 2002.

Single Season Record Watch
Caitlyn Vann, Molly Kreklow and Paola Ampudia are all on pace to finish the season with top-10 single season marks in Mizzou history in certain statistical categories. With 487 digs this season, Vann is on pace to pull in 541 this season, which would be the fourth-best mark in Mizzou history. Kreklow has 1,115 assists on the season and is on pace to spread 1,239 assists, which would rank ninth all-time and the best mark during the 25-point set era. Lastly, with 390 kills this season, Ampudia is on pace to finish with 434, which would rank 10th all-time. Also, her 4.11 kills per set would rank fourth all-time at Mizzou should she finish the season with that average.

National Recognition for Ampudia
Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia took home Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Nov. 9 for her efforts in a pair of wins at Colorado and at No. 12 Iowa State. She became only the fourth Tiger to take home the award in program history and the first to do so since 2006. Ampudia totaled 43 kills (5.36 per set) on .265 hitting that week while helping Mizzou claim back-to-back road wins and its first win over a top-15 team since 2006.

Tigers Ink Seven to National Letters of Intent
The Mizzou volleyball program inked seven players to National Letters of Intent last Wednesday (Nov. 10), marking the largest recruiting class for Wayne and Susan Kreklow while at Mizzou. Among the seven players, four rank on the PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces list, which ranks the nation's top seniors.

Mizzou signed Jade Hayes (6-0, L/OH, Ozark, Mo.), Whittney Little (6-3, MB, Keller, Texas), Katie O'Brien (6-0, OH, Dallas, Texas), Emily Wilson (6-2, MB/OH, Omaha, Neb.), Melissa Hartsel (6-2, MB, Concordia, Kan.), Sarah Meister (5-7, DS, San Diego, Calif.) and Niki Collier (6-0, OH/DS, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Columbia, Mo.).

Wilson, Hayes, Little and O'Brien all appeared on the Senior Aces list. Wilson leads the way, ranking No. 69 while Hayes checks in just behind her at No. 78. Little is ranked No. 82 on the list while O'Brien ranks as one of the top 15 players not ranked in the top 100. Collier and Hartsel each landed on the Under Armour/AVCA High School All-American Watch List as well. Meister was a member of the USA Volleyball High Performance Select Team.

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 110-70 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 219-116 at Mizzou. Coincidentally, their 200th career win at Mizzou came in Lubbock last season.

Vann Takes Her Spot in Record Book
Senior libero Caitlyn Vann has already earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors four times this season but it is her total number of digs that this season that has her climbing the record books. With 487 digs this season, she has moved her career total to 1,847, trailing only former Tiger Tatum Ailes for first all-time. Vann also ranks fourth among Big 12 players all-time with her 1,847 career digs. Vann is one of four active players on the list, but she holds a comfortable lead over fifth-place Lauren Matthewson of K-State.

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.

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 197 kills on the season - fourth-best on the team. 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 with her 12 against Maryland and 13 on .444 hitting against Nevada. She is also the only athlete to do so under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow at Mizzou.

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
Through 27 matches of the season, Mizzou currently ranks 17th nationally in average attendance after averaging 2,000 fans per match. A season-high 2,651 fans watched the Tigers face KU last 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.

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 recently tried out for the USA Volleyball National Team in Colorado Springs, Colo., and participated with some of the nation's elite talent.

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
Mizzou will head back to the Lonestar State to face Baylor on Nov. 20 in Waco, Texas. Mizzou All-Access will have the call from the Ferrell Center. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.