<i>Julianna Klein and the Tigers will play at Northern Iowa on Friday.</i><i>Julianna Klein and the Tigers will play at Northern Iowa on Friday.</i>
Volleyball

Tigers Headed Back to the Dance

Nov. 28, 2010

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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou volleyball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, marking the ninth tournament appearance in the last 11 seasons for the Tigers. Mizzou will play the fifth overall seed in the tournament, Northern Iowa (30-2), on Friday in Cedar Falls. The time for the match is yet to be determined. Should Mizzou advance, it will play the winner of Northwestern/Arizona, which will also be played in Cedar Falls.

"I told the kids after announcement that I am really happy for them," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I feel like after not getting in last year, our team - especially our group of seniors - committed themselves to do whatever it took to get back into the tournament. I am just really proud of the whole team and how we performed all season to get to this point."

The Tigers finished the season with a 20-10 overall record and a 12-8 mark in Big 12 play, earning them fifth place in the league. The 20 overall wins and the 12 conference wins mark the most by a Tiger team since 2005. Mizzou also won nine of its final 12 regular season matches and 11 matches away from home this season to solidify its spot in the tournament. Mizzou is one of five Big 12 teams selected as participants in the NCAA Tournament.

The trip to the tournament marks the ninth time in the last 11 years that the Tigers will play in the NCAA Tournament, all nine of which have come under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow. It also snaps a two-year absence for the Tigers, who have not been to the tournament since 2007.

MUTigers.com will have additional information on Mizzou's NCAA Tournament berth as it becomes available this week, so for all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.