Dec. 1, 2010

Match Info: Mizzou (20-10, 12-8 Big 12) at No. 5 UNI (30-2, 18-0 MVC)
Date: Dec. 3
Time: 8 p.m. (CT)
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Arena: McLeod Center
Live Streaming: Mizzou All-Access (Free)
Live Stats:
Game Notes: Complete Release in PDF Format

The Opening Serve - What You Need to Know
• The Tigers are making their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, all nine of which have come in the last 11 seasons under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow. The NCAA Tournament berth is the Tigers' first since 2007.

• Overall, Mizzou is 6-8 in NCAA Tournament action and 4-4 in opening round action. The Tigers' best run in the NCAA Tournament came back in 2005 when they advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals before falling in four sets to Tennessee.

• Mizzou and Northern Iowa have met once in the NCAA Tournament and that meeting came back in 2002 when, just like in 2010, UNI was hosting the first and second rounds of the tournament. UNI topped the Tigers in a thrilling five-set match that year. In fact, Mizzou won the first two sets of that match, but UNI claimed the last three.

•Three Tigers - Paola Ampudia, Molly Kreklow and Lisa Henning - landed on several All-Big 12 teams in 2010. For the second straight season, Ampudia landed on the All-Big 12 first team and was one of six unanimous selections. Kreklow and Henning each landed on the All-Big 12 Freshman team while Kreklow was also an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection.

What's Inside? - A Quick Look at the Notes
• Mizzou is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, marking the ninth trip in school history.
• All nine trips in the program's history have come during the 11-year direction Wayne and Susan Kreklow.
• Mizzou is 6-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches, including a 4-4 mark in opening round matches.
• Mizzou and UNI have four common foes in 2010. UNI went 3-1 in those matches while Mizzou was 4-3.
• Mizzou and UNI have met once in the Tournament with the Panthers claiming a 3-2 win at UNI (2002).
• Three current Tigers - Caitlyn Vann, Catie Wilson and Weiwen Wang - boast Tournament experience.
• Six Mizzou opponents this season have qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
• Mizzou won nine of its last 12 matches to make its case as an at-large bid.
• The Tigers finished fifth in Big 12 while its 20 overall wins and 12 conference wins are their most since 2005.
• Paola Ampudia was a unanimous first team All-Big 12 honoree for the second-straight season.
• Molly Kreklow was a member of the All-Big 12 honorable mention team as well.
• Kreklow and classmate Lisa Henning were named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
• Caitlyn Vann finished the season ranked first in the Big 12 in dps (5.30). She averaged 5.51 dps in Big 12 play.
• Vann's 5.30 digs per set this season is the best single-season average in program history.
• Mizzou won 11 matches away from home in 2010, including seven wins in true road matches.

Back in the Dance!
The Mizzou volleyball team earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons after receiving an at-large bid to the field of 64 on Sunday. The NCAA Tournament berth is the Tigers' ninth in the last 11 seasons, all nine of which have come under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow. Mizzou was one of five Big 12 teams selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament.

Tigers' History in the Dance
In Mizzou's previous eight NCAA Tournaments, the Tigers have put together a 6-8 overall mark, including a 4-4 mark in opening round contests. Mizzou's best NCAA Tournament run came in 2005 when it advanced to the Regional Finals before falling to Tennessee. The Tigers' last NCAA Tournament match was a five-set heartbreaker at Washington, who was the sixth national seed in 2007. The Tigers' match with UNI on Friday marks the third time that Mizzou will play a host school in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tigers with NCAA Tournament Experience
Three current Tigers boast NCAA Tournament experience, all three of which played on the Tigers' last NCAA Tournament team in 2007. That year, Mizzou was edged by Washington on its home floor in five sets. Current senior libero Caitlyn Vann, then playing as a defensive specialist, pulled in 17 digs in the match. Current Tiger middles Catie Wilson and Weiwen Wang also played in the match. Wilson, who was playing right side at the time, posted nine kills and five blocks while Wang finished with 14 kills and five blocks.

Common Opponents
Mizzou and UNI share four common opponents this season - Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Western Kentucky. UNI compiled a 3-1 record against those four opponents with its only loss being a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Iowa State. Against those same four opponents, Mizzou compiled a 4-3 mark with its losses coming to Western Kentucky, Kansas (one of two matches) and Iowa State (one of two matches). Overall, six Mizzou opponents from 2010 qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Big 12 Awards
One day removed from earning its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007, the Mizzou volleyball program saw three of its student-athletes earn spots on various All-Big 12 teams Monday (Nov. 29), as announced by the league office. Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia highlighted the selections as she was a unanimous pick to the All-Big 12 First Team. Freshman Molly Kreklow was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick while she and classmate Lisa Henning each landed on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.

A Quick Look at Mizzou
Make it Nine of the last 11 - Mizzou's at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament is its ninth overall, all nine of which have come under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow, now in their 11th year at the helm of the program. Overall Mizzou is 6-8 in NCAA Tournament action and 4-4 in first round match ups.

Streaking - The Tigers have won nine of their last 12 matches heading into the NCAA Tournament and two of their three losses in that span came in road matches against top 10 teams in Texas and Nebraska. Mizzou went just 3-5 in its first eight Big 12 matches but ran off six straight and eight of nine at one point.

Best Since 2005 - Mizzou finished fifth in the Big 12 conference this season while its 12 wins in Big 12 play are its most since 2005. The Tigers also finished 20-10 overall, marking their best record since 2005. Mizzou's fifth-place finish in the Big 12 is also its best finish in the league since 2005.

Ace in the Hole - The Tigers finished the season ranked first in the Big 12 in service aces per set during Big 12 play, averaging 1.16 aces per set in league matches. Julianna Klein and Caitlyn Vann finished ranked 1-2 individually in aces per set. Mizzou is 11-1 when serving more than five aces this season.

Road Warriors - Mizzou won 11 matches away from home this season with seven wins in true road matches this season, including its first road win against a top-25 opponents since 2006. Mizzou had just seven wins away from home in 2009 and only six in 2008.

Best of the Big 12 - The Tigers claimed 14 Big 12 Weekly awards in 2010, a league best. Mizzou also saw Paola Ampudia earn AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week on Nov. 9 as well. Mizzou libero Caitlyn Vann earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors six times this season, a Big 12 best, while Molly Kreklow earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week five times.

Getting it Done, Quickly - Mizzou has played in just three five-set matches in the last 64 matches. No Big 12 team has played in that few five-set matches in that span. Mizzou compiled a 13-3 overall mark in three-set matches this season as well with its only three sweeps coming at the hands of AVCA Top 10 teams. Mizzou was just 10-9 in three-set matches in 2009.

A Well-Spread Attack - Four Tigers finished the regular season with at least 230 kills while another finished with 160 on the season, giving Mizzou a variety of weapons at the net. In fact, Mizzou has 1,498 kills through 30 matches this season, which is 12 more than Mizzou had in 32 regular season matches in 2010.

Hitting Above .200 - The key to the Tigers success this season has been hitting over .200. In fact, Mizzou is 18-3 when hitting better than .200, but it is just 2-7 when hitting below .200. Conversely, Mizzou is 11-1 when limiting its opponents to below .200 hitting.

Quick Sets - Talking Points on the Impact Tigers
Paola Ampudia - One of six unanimous selections to the 14-player All-Big 12 first team ... Leads the team with 433 kills (4.08 per set) and needs just one kill to crack the single season top 10 list at Mizzou ... Named Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and was honored as the AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week on Nov. 9 for her efforts in a pair of road wins at Colorado and Iowa State ... Has 11 double-doubles this season and has five double-doubles over her last seven matches ... Has accounted for nearly 30-percent of the Tigers' kills in 2010 ... Ranks third in the Big 12 in kills per set and points per set.

Caitlyn Vann - Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week six times in 2010, including in each of the final three weeks of the season ... Leads the Big 12 in digs per set in all matches (5.30) and in Big 12 matches (5.51) ... Her 5.30 digs per set average is the best single season mark in program history ... Her 1,922 career digs are the fourth-best career total in Big 12 history and rank her second in the Mizzou annals ... Averaged 6.12 digs per set over her final 13 matches ... Has started at libero in 92 straight matches ... Has led Mizzou in digs in all 30 contests this season ... Ranks second in the Big 12 service aces per set (0.29) during league play ... Is one of three Tigers with NCAA Tournament experience as she pulled in 17 digs in a five-set loss to Washington in 2007.

Molly Kreklow - Named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team and was selected to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team as well ... Finished the season ranked second in the Big 12 in assists per set (11.70) and was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week five times, more than any other Big 12 athlete ... Led the team with 11 double-doubles in 2010 as she pulled in 240 digs ... Posted a career-best 62 assists in the Tigers' last match against Oklahoma ... Dubbed the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and was rated as the nation's No. 20 overall prospect by PrepVolleyball.com ... She is the No. 2 ranked freshman on the national assists per set list and is No. 13 overall.

Julianna Klein - Is only the third Tiger in program history to have at least 1,400 career kills, 800 digs and 100 service aces during the rally scoring era ... She has played in more career matches (127) and more sets (460) than any Tiger before her ... Led the Big 12 in service aces per set (0.32) during league play and is eighth all-time at Mizzou with 120 ... She ranks in the all-time career top 10 in eight different statistical categories, including kills (1,427) and attacks (4,303) ... Has eight double-doubles this season as she ranks second on the team in both kills (306) and digs (268) ... Senior captain as well.

Brittney Brimmage - Currently leading the team in hitting .324 and blocks (105 total and 0.99 per set) ... Named to the Cobra Magazine All-Preseason third team and was the Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Nov. 1 ... Ranks sixth in the Big 12 in hitting (.324) and is third on the team with 265 kills, 97 more than her first two seasons as a Tiger combined ... Ranks 10th among all Big 12 players in blocks per set (1.01) during league play ... Can touch over 11 feet with her vertical leap, a Mizzou program-best ... Is currently the program's fifth-most efficient hitter with a .290 career clip.

Lisa Henning - Named to the All-Big Freshman team after finishing her first season at Mizzou with 230 kills on .221 hitting ... Became the first true freshman under Wayne and Susan Kreklow to lead Mizzou in kills in each of her first two matches as a Tiger ... Will play in only front-row rotations, alternating with defensive specialist Priscilla Armendariz ... Was the nation's No. 50 overall recruit according to PrepVolleyball.com and was a key reason why the Tigers' freshman class was rated No. 14 by PrepVolleyball.com ... Posted 48 kills on .262 hitting over her last five matches.

Priscilla Armendariz - Defensive specialist that will play only in back-row rotations ... Posted a .990 service reception percentage during Big 12 play, a team-best, and has not committed a reception error in 17 straight matches (182 chances) ... Ranks third on the team in digs with 252 this season as well ... Has 12 matches in which she posted double-digit dig totals ... Is fifth on the team with 15 service aces as well ... Three-year starter.

Catie Wilson - Two-year starter that is a .279 career hitter with 160 kills this season ... Is hitting .279 in 2010 but has 43 kills on .295 hitting over her last six contests ... Is tied for seventh in career hitting at Mizzou with her .279 career clip ... Led the Tigers in blocks last season and is currently third on the team in total blocks this season ... Ranks ninth all-time at Mizzou with 218 career block assists ... Has 20 service aces as well and 62 digs this season ... Has four double-digit kill efforts in 2010 ... Is one of three Tigers with NCAA Tournament experience as she posted nine kills and five blocks against Washington back in 2007.

The Matchup with UNI
Mizzou will play at Northern Iowa, who is the fifth national seed in the tournament, marking the second straight NCAA Tournament in which Mizzou opens against a national seed. The last time Mizzou made the tournament was 2007 and it played sixth-seeded Washington that year. UNI leads the overall series with the Tigers, 9-2-2, and have won the last five meetings, including an NCAA Tournament match up in Cedar Falls back in 2002. UNI rallied from down 2-0 to win the match in five. UNI's back row is as good as any in the country, averaging 18.60 digs per set. But Mizzou's offense, which ranks in the Big 12's top four in each of the major three statistical categories, sets up an exciting matchup in the first round.

In for a Barn-Burner?
Mizzou has played in 14 NCAA Tournament matches in its eight appearances and of those 14, 12 have lasted at least four sets while five matches have gone the distance. Although Mizzou has only played in three five-set matches over the past two seasons, it does seem that it has a flare for the dramatic come NCAA Tournament time. One of those five-set matches was against UNI back in 2002 as well.

Last Time Out
Mizzou dropped a five-set match at home to NCAA Tournament qualifier Oklahoma despite 26 kills from Paola Ampudia and a career-best 38 digs from Caitlyn Vann. The loss dropped the Tigers to 9-4 at home this season.

Scouting UNI
The Panthers come into the NCAA Tournament with a 30-2 overall record and have won 25 straight matches as they earned the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament. UNI won the Missouri Valley Conference title as well in 2010, earning an automatic berth to the tournament, good for its fifth-straight trip to the dance.

Despite playing in the Missouri Valley, UNI played plenty of teams from power conferences in 2010, including Purdue, Minnesota, Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State and Notre Dame. They also played perennial power Dayton.

The Panthers feature maybe one of the most well-balanced offensive attacks in the nation as six players have at least 220 kills. The workhorse is Michelle Burrow who has 360 kills on .353 hitting. In fact, the Panthers' top three hitters have a combined 949 kills on a combined .310 hitting. UNI also boasts a strong back row that averages 18.90 digs per set. Libero Ellie Blankenship leads the Panthers with 5.47 digs per set in 2010.

Iowa is Familiar to Mizzou
Mizzou's opening round match at UNI is a big deal for Iowa native Julianna Klein, a senior outside hitter for the Tigers. The Keota, Iowa, native grew up just 124 miles from Cedar Falls. Also, head coach Wayne Kreklow has an Iowa connection as he played basketball for Drake, where he is a member of the Drake Athletics Hall of Fame. He is still fifth all-time in career scoring at Drake and was a member of the Drake All-Century Basketball team.

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.

Huge Second Half for Vann
Following the Tigers' loss to No. 3 Nebraska on Oct. 6, Tiger libero Caitlyn Vann ranked seventh among Big 12 liberos in digs per set during league play (4.32). But over her final 13 matches, no Big 12 libero was better than Vann. In fact, over those 13 matches, she averaged 6.12 digs per set and 22.6 digs per match as she finished the year ranked first in digs per set in all matches (5.30) and in Big 12 matches (5.51).

During that stretch, Vann moved from seventh in the league in digs per set to first and claimed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week five times, including in each of the final three weeks of the season. She also reached the 30-dig plateau twice and came within three of the school record with her career-best 38 in the Tigers' loss to Oklahoma last Wednesday. Vann was a big reason why the Tigers were able to win nine of their final 12 matches, averaging 6.20 digs per set in that span.

Brimmage Shines During Win Streak
Through the Tigers' final 12 matches - which they won nine of - it is hard to argue against the fact junior middle hitter Brittney Brimmage was the Tigers' most consistent weapon. Although she was third on the team in kills in that span, she led Mizzou with a .314 attack percentage and converted 46-percent of her sets into kills. She also posted 46 total blocks in that span (10 solo, 36 assists) as she averaged 1.05 per set. She had 130.0 total points in that span.

Klein Does All the Little Things
On the surface, Julianna Klein doesn't jump out at you in the way that other player's on Mizzou's team do, but she has been one of the best players on the floor all season long. A six rotation player, Klein ranks second on the team in both kills (306) and digs (268), making her one of the best two-way players in the Big 12. In fact, at times this season, she has been used to dig more, specifically through the first six matches when she averaged nearly three digs per set. She ranked fourth on the team in kills at that time but has moved to second since that time, proving she can do it all.

Serving is Key for the Tigers
When Mizzou is playing at its best, it is because it is serving the ball tough. Mizzou led the Big 12 in aces per set during league play (1.16) this season and both Julianna Klein (0.32) and Caitlyn Vann (0.29) finished the season ranked 1-2 in individual aces per set during league play. During the Tigers' win streak - in which they won nine of 12 - they served 50 aces to only 32 for their opponents. Also, Mizzou limited its service errors in that span, committing just 56 to its opponents' 65.

A Kansas City Connection
With the NCAA Volleyball Final Four being played in Kansas City this year, there are several players on the Tiger roster who would be playing in front of a hometown crowd should Mizzou advance that far. Lisa Henning, Priscilla Armendariz and Ashton Bodenstab are all from Blue Springs, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City while Lindsey Petrick calls Overland Park, Kan., a west side suburb, home.

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 111-72 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 220-118 at Mizzou. Coincidentally, their 200th career win at Mizzou came in Lubbock last season.

Vann Takes Her Spot in Record Book
With 562 digs this season, Caitlyn Vann has moved her career total to 1,992, trailing only former Tiger Tatum Ailes for first all-time. Vann also ranks fourth among Big 12 players all-time with her 1,992 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 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 30 matches of the season, Mizzou currently ranks 16th nationally in average attendance after averaging 2,049 fans per match. A season-high 2,651 fans watched the Tigers face KU 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.

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 to earn the tournament title.

Up Next
Should Mizzou win against Northern Iowa on Friday, it would play the winner of Northwestern-Arizona, which is slated for a 6 p.m. start on Friday. It would also mark the fifth time in nine NCAA Tournament appearances that Mizzou would advance out of the first round. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and be sure to follow the team on twitter (@MU_Volleyball).