COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Volleyball enjoyed a memorable 2015 campaign, racking up 27 victories and an NCAA Tournament bid. The Tigers' 27 wins were the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Additionally, the success on the court marked the program's 12th all-time NCAA Tournament nod and seventh time advancing to the second round of the tournament under coaches Wayne Kreklow and Susan Kreklow.
The Tigers will bring back 11 players from a season ago, headlined by two-time All-American Carly Kan and 2015 All-Americans Kira Larson and Alyssa Munlyn. Mizzou is primed for another successful campaign in 2016 and the team officially begins offseason preparation in June.
Throughout the summer months, MUTigers.com will highlight individuals from the upcoming 2016 Tiger roster. In the third summer preview, we sat down with junior Ali Kreklow.
Kreklow and fellow junior setter Courtney Eckenrode led the Tigers' 6-2 offense a season ago. The duo played a key role into Mizzou's breakout campaign and Kreklow produced a solid 655 assists (5.12 per set) with 26 service aces and 199 digs. She has been a consistent contributor in her first two years in black and gold, tallying 650-plus assists, 20-plus aces, 170-plus digs and 28.0-plus points each season.
One of Kreklow's 2015 season highlights occurred on Oct. 9 at Mississippi State, as she recorded her 1,000th career assist. Additionally, she was second on Mizzou with five double-doubles on the year.
Overall, Kreklow's individual and team success last season led to a fairly memorable sophomore campaign.
"My sophomore year was absolutely incredible," Kreklow said. "I really grew as a person but our team also grew together. We were predicted to finish towards the bottom of the SEC and we ended up in second place. That result took a lot of perseverance and grit. There were multiple games that I can specifically remember, including beating No. 9 Florida at home and beating No. 18 Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. I'll remember those games for the rest of my life."
In her freshman season in Mid-Missouri (2014), Kreklow and the Tigers faced adversity and had a rare .500 season on the court. It marked only the fourth time since 2000 that Mizzou didn't reach NCAA Postseason play. While the team had its ups-and-downs, she knew she could use those experiences to improve individually.
"After my freshman year, I learned so many valuable life lessons," Kreklow said. "I learned how to manage time, work harder than I ever have before and how important sleep is. I also learned that being a part of a team is something I wouldn't trade for the world. Every day is an opportunity to get better individually and as a team. Every day is a gift and you must cherish every moment."
Kreklow enters the upcoming 2016 campaign as one of eight upperclassmen (four seniors and four juniors). Suddenly, the team roles she played in her first two seasons at Mizzou will change as she transitions to one of the team's more experienced student-athletes.
With two freshmen, one transfer and two returning sophomores on this year's roster, Kreklow knows that showing leadership skills on-and-off the court will play a key role into the team's success.
"As a junior now, I've stepped into a little bit more of a leadership role," Kreklow exclaimed. "I now have more of a responsibility to the team to lead by example and step into more of a verbal leadership role. Working hard as a team is an expectation for all of us. Personally leading by example is one of the best ways to show that. During summer workouts, I've been helping the underclassmen, especially the freshmen, with figuring things out. I want to make their transition to college a comfortable one. I encourage them to work hard and that not every day is going to be your best but never stop working."
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