As Mizzou takes its national-best record to the Rice Invitational this weekend, it is off to its best start since 2005. In 2005, that team wound up advancing the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Clearly, there is still a lot of work to be done for this year's group, but there are a lot of similarities between this year's group and the 2005 team. We will break them down on the VolleyBlog today.
Experienced Senior Leader
In 2005, Mizzou had Lindsey Hunter as their setter. In 2013, the Tigers have Molly Kreklow. In 2005, Hunter was widely considered the best setter in the college game with a pair of All-America honors to back it up. She led the Tigers to an all-time best .299 attack percentage in 2005 and anchored a Mizzou offense that featured plenty of great swings. In 2013, Kreklow (who coincidentally is mentored by Hunter who is now an assistant coach) is also considered as one of the elite setters in the game. She has plenty of awards and accolades and, like Hunter, she runs a high-tempo offense with plenty of big swings. Kreklow has the team out to a national-best .378 attack percentage and 15.31 kills per set, third in the nation. Kreklow leads the nation in assists with 12.85 per set. Kreklow clearly offers the type of leadership that Hunter did in 2005 and in 2005, the team ran through Hunter. This year, things clearly are running through Kreklow, a good sign for the Tigers.
A Big Swing That is More Than Just a Power Arm
It's no secret that Mizzou has relied on the arm of two-time All-American Lisa Henning over the past two seasons and at the beginning of the 2013 campaign. But this season, Henning has made vast improvements in her all-around game. She is a better passer, a better defensive player in the back row and her blocking has improved. Those improvements have led to comparisons to former Tiger All-American Jessica Vander Kooi, who like Henning, was the top attacker on the 2005 team. Vander Kooi, Like Henning, was a great all-around player that was a stabilizing force and very reliable swing that was able to play all six rotations. Vander Kooi averaged 3.42 kills per set and 2.77 digs per set. This year Henning, is averaging 4.42 and 2.58 digs per set.
Incredible Balance
A lot of the balance on the 2005 team can be attributed to Hunter's setting, just like a lot of the balance so far this season can be attributed to Kreklow's setting. Although Henning has led Mizzou in kills in seven of the eight matches this season, she has not been as heavily relied on as she has been in the last two seasons. As of right now, four Tigers are averaging at least 2.46 kills per set while a fifth, freshman Emily Thater, is averaging 1.75, giving Mizzou five strong options at the net. In 2005 (keep in mind sets went to 30 back then which is why the averages are higher), Mizzou had five players averaging 2.83 kills per set. Also worth noting is the efficiency of those attackers for each team. This year, Mizzou's top five attackers (based on kills per set) have combined for an incredible .393 attack percentage. In 2005, the top five attackers hit a combined .363, so once again, the similarities are staggering.
An Undersized Outside Hitter That Passes Bullets
Shen Danru, one of the cornerstones of the 2005 team, was an undersized outside hitter that was a great all-around player that was hard to keep off the floor. If the 2013 team has a version of Danru, it would come in the 5-9 package of Carly Kan. Kan has impressed with her ability to finish at the net so far in 2013 as the 5-9 outside is averaging 3.00 kills per set on .377 hitting. But the main similarity between Kan and Danru is the overall court savvy that both possess. Danru passed .969 from the outside hitter spot in 2005 while Kan is close to .960 as a freshman this season. They are also both incredible servers - Danru finished the season with 31 aces (0.29 per set) while Kan is averaging 0.46 per set so far this season.
Two Dominating Middles
In 2012, Mizzou struggled to identify its second middle to play behind All-SEC blocker Whitney Little, but this season they have found that second option in freshman Emily Thater (and another in classmate Julia Towler). Little is putting up ridiculous numbers so far with 2.46 kills per set on a national-best .606 hitting, drawing comparisons to former Tiger All-American middle Nicole Wilson who hit a team-best .415 for the 2005 squad. Thater gives Mizzou a great option when Little rotates off the floor as well, just as Lisa Boyd did for Mizzou back in 2005. To compare, Boyd tallied 2.83 kills per set on .359 hitting while Thater checks in at 1.75 kills per set on .449 hitting with 1.17 blocks per set.
