COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou volleyball was tabbed by USA Today as the nation's sixth-best school to play college volleyball as the national paper released its rankings last Friday (Dec. 12). The rankings were compiled to reflect programs with consistent excellence in the sport, academic performance, value and career potential.

Mizzou was the top-rated program from the SEC, edging out 10th-ranked Florida. Mizzou has seen a consistent level of success under the direction of Wayne and Susan Kreklow since they took over a previously downtrodden program and turned it into a national power. The Tigers have been to 10 NCAA Tournaments since the Kreklows took over the program and have won 313 matches since 2000, the 15th-most wins among teams from power conferences in that span. In the previous 26 seasons before the Kreklows took over, Mizzou had just 418 total wins (16 per season). The Tigers have averaged 21 wins per season under the Kreklows. A direct reflection of the Kreklow's coaching ability is evidenced by their 44 wins in their first two seasons at Mizzou. The program won just 45 games in the previous five seasons before the Kreklows took over, including an 0-28 season in 1996.

In addition, the Kreklows have produced nine players that have combined for 14 AVCA All-America honors and 20 AVCA All-Region honorees. The volleyball program also won Mizzou's first ever SEC Championship in 2013 and were the first team in SEC history to complete a regular season undefeated (34-0). The success that the program has seen under the Kreklows has been reflected in a growing fan base. Mizzou has ranked as high as third nationally in total attendance and is a staple among the nation's top-15 in average attendance rankings. In 2013, a program-record 62,717 fans filed into the Hearnes Center as the Tigers averaged 3,301 fans per match, the sixth-best national mark.

For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouVB.