Aug. 15, 2011
Match Info: Mizzou Black & Gold Scrimmage
Date: Aug. 19
Time: 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Arena: Hearnes Center
Live Stats: MUTigers.com
Game Notes: Weekly Notes 
The Opening Serve - What You Need to Know
• Mizzou is coming off of its most successful decade in program history. Since 2000, Mizzou has qualified for nine NCAA Tournaments and averaged 22 wins per season. The Tigers are one of only 22 teams to qualify for the NCAA Tournament nine times since 2000.
• Mizzou will be the youngest team in the Big 12 in 2011 with 11 of its 14 players coming in as underclassmen. That is good for a 79-percent clip and the next-closest in the league is Texas Tech, which checks in at 69-percent.
• Former Tiger All-American and Mizzou Female Athlete of the Decade Lindsey Hunter returns to the Tigers this season in her first season as an assistant coach with the program. Hunter is Mizzou's all-time leader in career assists and anchored the most successful four-year run in program history. She will serve as the primary recruiting coordinator for the Tigers.
• 2011 will mark the first year of the new-look Big 12 Conference after the departures of both Nebraska and Colorado. That has changed the schedule for the Tigers as they will now play in four non-conference tournaments instead of three. Also, they will only play 16 Big 12 matches, instead of the 20 that they played last year.
What's Inside? - A Quick Look at the Notes
• Mizzou is coming off of its second-deepest NCAA Tournament run (Sweet 16) in program history last year.
• The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 22 in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.
• The Tigers' 22 wins in 2010 were their most since 2005. The Tigers finished fifth in the Big 12 in 2010.
• Mizzou has averaged 22 wins per season since 2000 when Wayne and Susan Kreklow took over the program.
• Mizzou is one of just one of 22 teams nationally to qualify for nine NCAA Tournaments in the last 11 years.
• The Tigers return four starters from last year's team, including two of their top four attackers.
• Seven newcomers will take to the court for the Tigers in 2011, including three Fab 50 Players.
• Mizzou's 2011 freshman class ranked 22nd nationally and 11 of the Tigers' 14 players are underclassmen.
• Mizzou has the largest percentage of underclassmen (79%) of any team in the Big 12.
• Setter Molly Kreklow headlines the returners. She was AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year in 2010.
• Kreklow finished the 2010 season as the No. 2 freshman nationally in assists per set (11.70).
• Senior Brittney Brimmage (291 k) and sophomore Lisa Henning (266 k) are MU's top returning attackers.
• Brimmage led all returning Tigers in kills (291), blocks (119), hitting (.331) and points (360.0) in 2010.
• Both Brimmage and Kreklow were named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team this year.
• Senior Priscilla Armendariz is the Tigers' top returning back row player. She had 281 digs in 2010.
• Look for freshmen Emily Wilson, Jade Hayes and Whitney Little to make an immediate impact in 2011.
Black & Gold Scrimmage
Mizzou will open its 2011 campaign with the annual Black & Gold Scrimmage on Aug. 19 at the Hearnes Center. The match will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a free youth clinic prior to the match inside the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse. The scrimmage will split the Tiger team into two teams that will scrimmage against one another. With seven freshmen on the team in 2011, it will be fans' first chance to check out the new look of the 2011 team.
Young, but Talented
Despite bringing back four players that started for Mizzou last season, the Tigers will be one of the youngest teams nationally. In fact, nearly 80-percent of the Tigers' roster in 2011 are underclassmen as 11 of the 14 players are freshmen or sophomores. That makes Mizzou the youngest team in the Big 12 and only Texas Tech (16 underclassmen) has more freshman or sophomores on their roster. However, Mizzou's last two recruiting classes have ranked in the top 25 nationally, including this year's freshman class, which checked in at No. 22 nationally. The 2010 class ranked 14th nationally.
Program Highlights
The Tigers just completed the most successful decade in program history last year. In fact, Mizzou has averaged 22 wins per season since 2000 and is one of just 22 teams nationally to qualify for nine NCAA Tournaments since 2000. The Tigers were right on that average last year with 22 wins and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.
What Returns for Mizzou?
The bulk of Mizzou's production from a season ago has graduated from the program, leaving some big holes to fill, but four returning starters should give Mizzou a leg up on the competition in 2011. Highlighting the returners is 2010 AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year Molly Kreklow. An honorable mention All-Big 12 pick last year, Kreklow finished the season ranked second in the Big 12 in assists per set and was the No. 2 freshman nationally with 11.70 helpers per frame. She will be called upon to anchor a young but talented Mizzou offense in 2011.
Offensively, Mizzou does return two of its top four attackers from a season ago, highlighted by Brittney Brimmage. Brimmage leads all returners in kills (291), points (360.0), blocks (119) and hitting (.331). She also landed on COBRA Magazine's All-National Preseason Third Team for the second consecutive season. Sophomore Lisa Henning also returns in 2011. She had 266 kills on .227 hitting and had a great run in the NCAA Tournament.
Defensively, the Tigers will have to replace four-year starter and three-year libero Caitlyn Vann, but Priscilla Armendariz appears to be up to the task. She pulled in 281 digs last year, the most of any Tiger returner in 2011.
What Mizzou Will Need to Replace?
Heading into 2011, there are plenty of questions on a team that graduated five seniors last season, including three starters and its starting libero last year. The big question will be how the Tigers replace All-American outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who was just seven kills shy of 500 last season. She also set the single season record for attacks last year and was a double-double machine with 13 on the year. Lisa Henning, who had a great freshman year in 2010, will likely be asked to fill some of the role, but replacing Ampudia will be a team task. Look for Emily Wilson and Jade Hayes to get plenty of swings and look for Brittney Brimmage to be set much more frequently in 2011. The graduation of Julianna Klein has also left a six-rotation spot open for the Tigers and look for a player like Wilson to step into that role as well. Also, Mizzou loses Catie Wilson and Weiwen Wang at middle blocker, but freshman Whitney Little should figure into the mix at that position as an alternative to Brimmage.
Two Earn All-Big 12 Honors
When the Big 12 Conference announced its annual All-Big 12 Preseason team, a pair of Tigers found themselves on the list as both Molly Kreklow and Brittney Brimmage earned a spot on the team. For the Tigers, it marked the first time since 2007 that a pair of players landed on the All-Big 12 Preseason team. The last pair of Tigers to do so were Na Yang and Tatum Ailes in 2007.
Tigers Picked Fifth in Big 12
Despite the youth on the Tiger roster, the league's coaches seem to recognize the level of talent on this year's Mizzou roster as the Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 in the annual preseason poll. In all, Mizzou finished the polling with 32 points, just behind fourth-place Texas A&M and just ahead of sixth-place Baylor. The Tigers were picked fifth in last year's preseason poll and ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Hunter Joins Coaching Staff
There are few Mizzou athletes that are accomplished as Lindsey Hunter and she will look to parlay her success as a player into success as a coach as she joins the Mizzou coaching staff in 2011. Hunter takes the place of former assistant Chris Muscat, who took the head coaching job at Loyola (Chicago) last year. Hunter is Mizzou's all-time leader in assists, assists per set, single season assists and set for the Tigers in the most successful four-year period in program history. She will serve as the primary recruiting coordinator for the Tigers. She spent last season as the color analyst for the Tiger volleyball matches while working towards her master's degree as a graduate assistant with Mizzou's Total Person Program.
Kreklow Sets With USA Junior National Team
For the second consecutive summer, sophomore setter Molly Kreklow set with the USA Volleyball Junior National Team. She has spent plenty of time with USA Volleyball in her career as she was also with the Youth National Team for two seasons. She has now spent four years with USA Volleyball, gaining plenty of high-level experience along the way.
Brimmage Plays With USA Volleyball As Well
Kreklow wasn't the only Tiger to play with USA Volleyball over the summer as Brittney Brimmage led the USA Volleyball A2 Blue Team to a USA Volleyball Women's Open Division Championship. She helped her team go 4-0 (winning 12 of 15 sets) during pool play. The team was then bumped to the loser's bracket and came all the way back to win the tournament. She was one of the team's top middle hitters throughout the tournament.
Henning Tours China
Sophomore Lisa Henning had an experience of a lifetime over the summer as she played volleyball in China, touring and playing some of the nation's top professional teams. Henning and her team compiled a 2-4 record in six matches in China, playing against very disciplined, professional competition. She also visited places like the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.
Hayes Brings Plenty of Accolades
Freshman utility player Jade Hayes is one of the headliners of Mizzou's 2011 freshman class and she brings with her the accolades to back it up. She is a two-time Gatorade Missouri State Player of the Year and was the AVCA National Player of the Year as a junior in 2009. She led Ozark High School to a state title in 2009 and a third-place finish in 2010. She was also named MVP of the AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America match last year as well and was named to the Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 and PrepVolleyball.com's Defensive Dandy list.
Hayes projects as a libero long term at the collegiate level, but this season she will likely have a utility role due to her versatility, although she will likely battle for the libero job with Priscilla Armendariz. Listed a 6-0, she can hit, serve and defend and will also likely serve as the team's backup setter.
Recruiting Class Earns National Honors
For the second straight season, the Mizzou volleyball program has brought in a nationally-ranked recruiting class as this year's checks in at No. 22 nationally. The 2011 class comes on the heels of the Tigers' No. 14-ranked class in 2010. Three of the signees - Jade Hayes, Whitney Little and Emily Wilson - were named to the Volleyball Magazine NFINITY Fab 50. With a pair of top 25 classes in consecutive seasons, look for those nine players to be the nucleus of the Mizzou volleyball program in the years to come.
Little Named Forth Worth Player of the Year
Incoming freshman Whittney Little has also gained her fair share of accolades as she comes into Mizzou this season. The 6-3 middle blocker was a PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace, a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection and a member of the AVCA High School All-America Watch List, but her greatest honor came from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which named her as the Super Team Player of the Year.
Wilson Continues Nebraska Pipeline
It has been no secret that Mizzou, under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow, has been able to recruit the state of Nebraska with a lot of success. Names like All-Americans Lindsey Hunter, Nicole Wilson and former Big 12 Libero of the Year Tatum Ailes are just a few of the successful Nebraska natives to come through Mizzou in the last 11 seasons. And the tradition with continue this season as Emily Wilson will make her debut with Mizzou. She is the sister of former Tiger middle hitter Catie Wilson and was voted MVP of the All-Nebraska State Team twice in her high school career. The 6-2 outside hitter should figure into the mix right away for the Tigers.
A Competitive Schedule
With the departure of Colorado and Nebraska from the Big 12 Conference, a new-look schedule will take hold in the Big 12 this season. Instead of playing 20 league matches, each team will now play 16, playing each team twice. The loss of four matches has led to an additional non-conference tournament for the Tigers this season, giving the Tigers a chance to test themselves against some of the top non-conference competition in the nation. In fact, Mizzou will play 11 of its 32 matches against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season. Mizzou will also have trips to Washington D.C. and Denver this season.
Tigers to Appear on ESPNU
For the first time since 2005, the Mizzou volleyball team will appear on ESPNU when it travels to Iowa State on Sept. 21. The match marks the first Big 12 match of the season for the Tigers and Cyclones in what should be a pivotal match against two of the league's favorites early in the season. The match at Hilton Coliseum is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. Remember, it was a four-set upset over No. 12 Iowa State in Ames that sparked the Tigers' second-half surge towards the NCAA Tournament last season.
Volleyball on the Air
If you can't be at the Tigers' matches this season, you can still catch all of the action at MUTigers.com as all of the matches will be streamed with audio and home matches will have video and audio. James Grundy will be in his first year as the team's play-by-play announcer. All broadcasts can be accessed at MUTigers.tv.
Up Next
The Tigers will open the regular season with the Tiger Invitational on Aug. 28 as they will welcome Binghamton, Idaho State, Tulane and North Dakota State to the Hearnes Center. The two-day tournament will conclude on Aug. 27. The Tigers have won the Tiger Invitational in each of the last two seasons.