Sept. 9, 2009
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The MizzouVolleyBlog
Michigan/Pepsi Challenge Tournament Central
This Week
After going 1-2 at the Utah Valley La Quinta Invitational last weekend, the Tigers will hit the road for their final pre-conference season tournament of the season. Mizzou will square off against VCU, Morehead State, Fairfield and No. 7 Michigan in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge in Ann Arbor, Mich. A complete schedule of Mizzou's matches is below. Each match will feature live stats and the matches against Michigan will be featured on internet radio at www.MgoBlue.com.
Friday, Sept. 11
• 9 a.m. - Mizzou vs. VCU
• 1:30 p.m. - Mizzou vs. Morehead State
Saturday, Sept. 12
• 1:30 p.m. - Mizzou vs. Fairfield
• 6:30 p.m. - Mizzou at Michigan
* All times are CT
Last Time Out
Mizzou went 1-2 against an extremely tough tournament field at the UVU La Quinta Invitational, moving its season record to 4-2 in 2009. Junior outside hitter Julianna Klein was named to the All-Tournament team after collecting 38 kills, averaging 3.45 per set. She posted a season-high 16 kills against Utah Valley while hitting .286, her best hitting percentage in a match since Nov. 1, 2008, when she hit .444 against Texas Tech at the Hearnes Center. Washington State won the tournament after topping each of the other three teams. Mizzou, No. 17 Utah and Utah Valley each went 1-2 at the tournament to round out the competition.
Meet Me in the Middle
The Tiger middle hitter position was by far the best spot on the floor for Tiger attackers at the La Quinta Invitational. Three players - Brittney Brimmage, Weien Wang and Catie Wilson - all saw time at the middle position and combined for 73 kills while hitting .392 as a unit. The trio committed only 13 attack errors and accounted for 15 total blocks (five solo, 10 assists) in the three matches. The three also accounted for nearly half of the total points for Mizzou on the weekend, posting 85.0 of the team's 199.0 total points.
What is even more impressive is that each of the three middle hitters ranks in the Big 12's top 10 most efficient hitters. Brimmage ranks fourth hitting at a clip of .392, a team-best, while Wang ranks just behind her in fifth with a .386 percentage. Wilson comes in ranked tied for ninth at .355. Mizzou is the only school have three individuals in the top 10. The trio is a big reason why Mizzou is ranked fourth in the league with a .246 hitting percentage and third in kills with 14.19 per set.
Milestone for Wang-Francisco
Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco passed out 118 assists this past weekend, moving her into sole possession of third-place on the all-time career assist list at Mizzou. She now has 3,897 helpers in her career, which passed former Tiger Cindy Atteberry. She now needs 1,057 assists to tie Michelle Gerber for second place. If she stays at her average of 36.6 assists per match, she would need 28 matches to do so. With only 26 matches left this season, it is a record to keep an eye on. Passing that mark would also rank her in the Big 12 all-time top five.
Returning to 2008 Form
Junior outside hitter Julianna Klein struggled to find her game during the Tiger Invitational, posting 21 kills while hitting .065 from the left side. But after the UVU La Quinta Invitational, Klein is looking like the player that tallied nearly 400 kills in 2008. After finishing the tournament with 38 kills (3.45 per set), Klein was added to the All-Tournament team. She also hit .229 on the weekend, added 18 digs and posted six total blocks (three solo, three assists). Her .286 hitting percentage against UVU was also her best in a single match since hitting .444 against Texas Tech on Nov. 1 last season.
Hey Ms. Wilson!
Junior middle hitter Catie Wilson has been arguably the Tigers' most consistent player all season. She currently ranks third on the team with 59 kills, a .355 hitting percentage and is first in both total blocks (18) and solo blocks (six). Her six solo blocks ties her with Nebraska's Brooke Delano for tops in the Big 12 this season. Her .355 attack efficiency also ranks 10th in the Big 12 this season. Wilson hit .338 with 31 kills at the UVU Invite and posted four solo blocks in the three matches, collecting a pair against both Washington State and Utah Valley. Her 12 kills against Washington State and 15.0 total points against Utah Valley are both career-bests.
Killin' `Em Softly
Entering this weekend, Mizzou currently ranks this in the Big 12 in kills per set with 14.19. Combine that with the Tigers' .246 hitting percentage, the Tigers boast one of the top attacks in the league. Mizzou has also assisted on 13.62 of its 14.19 assists per set. What is even more impressive about this stat is that Mizzou does not have a single player in the Big 12's top 10 in kills per set. Instead, the Tigers have five student-athletes that average better than 2.00 kills per set. Mizzou joins Nebraska, Oklahoma and Baylor as the only schools in the Big 12 to have five individuals average at least 2.00 kills per set.
Brittney Being Brittney
Sophomore middle hitter Brittney Brimmage is starting to show the potentail that the Tiger coaching staff knew she had when they recruited her. After battling nagging injuries last season, Brimmage has been one of the Tigers' best and most efficient attackers this season. She is hitting a team-best .392 after the first six matches and has posted 38 total kills, 26 of which came at the UVU Invitational last weekend. She is also second on the team with 16 total blocks (all assists) while her 28.5 total points ranks third on the team. Brimmage hit a team-best .458 last weekend.
It's Not Brittney or Catie...It's Wendy!
When it has not been Brittney Brimmage or Catie Wilson playing in the middle hitter position, it has been junior Weiwen Wang, and the production has seen little to no drop-off. Wang has posted 25 kills while hitting .386 with only two attack errors this season, good enough for the fifth-best attack percentage in the Big 12 this season. She also ranks second on the team in that category as well. Wang is averaging 2.27 kills per set this season and posted 16 last weekend. She has totaled her season-best six kills on three separate occasions, with the most recent coming against No. 17 Utah.
Scouting VCU
VCU enters the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge with the most wins out of any of the five opponents that will be on hand as they boast a 6-1 record on the season. VCU has held its opponents to a .156 hitting percentage in its seven matches this season as the only loss for VCU came against Virginia. The Rams are led by junior outside hitter Mariel Frey, who has collected a team-high 99 kills, averaging 3.54 per set this season, and a team-high 77 digs, averaging 2.75 per set, making her one of the best two-way players at the tournament this weekend. Frey has played in every match during her three seasons at VCU.
The Tigers won the only other meeting between the two programs back on Sept. 9, 1994, a five-set thriller in Reno, Nev.
Scouting Morehead State
Morehead State also comes into the weekend with a nearly unblemished record, boasting a 5-1 overall record. Its only loss is a four-set match against George Mason to close out the Patriot Invitational last weekend. Junior outside hitter Kaitlin Craven leads the team with 66 kills while libero Kristina Schoo leads the team with 83 digs. The Eagles come into the tournament as the best blocking team- statistically - of the five teams, averaging 2.43 per set.
Mizzou and Morehead State have never met. However, there is a connection between MSU and UM as three player on the Eagle roster played at the same high schools as Michigan's Sloan Donhoff.
Scouting Fairfield
The Stags enter the tournament with the worst record of the five teams as they stand at 2-4 overall. They have relied heavily on the arm of outside hitter Brianna Dixon, who has 88 kills on the season, averaging 4.40 per set. Middle hitter Katie Mann has also accumulated plenty of kills, averaging 3.20 per set with 64 total. The Stags have the worst hitting percentage - .184 - out of all of each of the five teams in the tournament this weekend. They have lost to Army, Yale, Colorado and Georgetown this season while their only wins have come against Eastern Michigan and Sacred Heart.
This is the first meeting between Mizzou and Fairfield.
Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines shocked the volleyball world in the opening weekend of play by defeating then third-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln, doing so in only three sets. That win propelled Michigan to the No. 7 spot in the AVCA national top-25 as well. U-M is led by All-American setter Lexi Zimmerman, who is coming off of a Big Ten Player of the Week honor after her performance last weekend when she averaged 12.00 assists per set and earned her first career triple-double against Tennessee.
Outside hitter Julianna Paz has been the Wolverines' top option on the outside, averaging 4.67 kills per set as few teams have been able to slow her attack. The Michigan back row has been strong this season as well, averaging 17.44 digs per set as five players have posted more than 40 on the season, including three that have eclipsed the 50-dig mark. Libero Sloane Donhoff leads UM with 86.
Mizzou and Michigan have never met.
Breakout Weekend Poala
Junior Paola Ampudia - the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year - had a breakout weekend at the La Quinta Utah Valley Invitational, totalling 23 kills while hitting .274. Those numbers were a vast improvement from her first weekend of play when she totaled seven kills with six attack errors while hitting .038. Ampudia collected a career-best eight kills against both Washington State and Utah and hit a career-best .400 in the Tigers' win over Utah Valley. She has also posted five blocks (two solo, three assists) this season.
500 and Counting
The Tigers' final match of the Utah Valley La Quinta Invitational was a milestone for head coach Wayne Kreklow as it was his 500th career collegiate volleyball match coached. After coaching both the men and women at Columbia College and the Tigers, Kreklow has won 397 of those 500 matches, good enough for a .794 winning percentage in his 15 seasons as a head coach. With three more wins, Kreklow will earn his 400th career victory as a head coach.
An Efficient Attack
Mizzou hit .354 in its four-set won over Utah Valley last weekend, its best hitting efficiency of the season in a single match. Six Tigers hit better than .300 in the match while two - Paola Ampudia and Weiwen Wang - hit better than .400. Additionally, in the Tigers' three-set sweep of Ole Miss at the Tiger Invitational, the team hit .333. Five of the Tigers' top six attackers in the match hit better than .286 while Catie Wilson had six kills on seven attacks, hitting at a career-best clip of .857. Mizzou hit better than .333 just twice last season - .337 at Texas Tech (10/4) and .427 against Texas Tech at home (11/1). The Tigers efficient hitting is one of the reasons that Mizzou ranks fourth in the Big 12 in digs allowed per set in 2009 at 12.90 and hitting efficiency at .246.
Shutting `Em Down
Mizzou held its opponents to a .135 hitting percentage during the Tiger Invitational, including holding Texas State to a clip of .061, the Tigers' best opponent attack percentage since Sept. 5, 2008 when they held Maryland to a .019 hitting percentage. The Tigers also held BYU to a .130 hitting percentage, due in large part to a season-high 63 digs and 11.0 blocks. Libero Caitlyn Vann collected 18 digs in the match to lead the team.
Increased Playing Time
Freshman setter Kate Harris has seen her time on the court expand as of late. In fact, Harris played the entire final set of the Tigers' match against No. 17 Utah and and the second half of the third set in that match. Harris came in and handed out a career-best 15 assists in the match (five in the third set, 10 in the fourth). Harris excelled at setting the quick attack in the middle during that match as nine of her 10 assists in the fourth set came on quick sets to either Brittney Brimmage or Weiwen Wang. Harris ranked in the top 25 on PrepVolleyball.com's `Senior Aces' list before arriving at Mizzou.
Tour of Utah
The Tigers have become very familiar with opponents from Utah this season. All three of the Tigers' opponents from the state of Utah lie within a 48-mile stretch of each other. The Tigers topped BYU at the Hearnes Center during the Tiger Invitational and defeated Utah Valley, whose campus is less than five-and-a-half miles from BYU's, during the Utah Valley Invitational. Mizzou also squared off against No. 17 Utah at the UVU Invite, which lies just 41 miles north of UVU in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ninth Time in Ten Seasons?
Since the Kreklows took over the Mizzou program in 2000, the Tigers have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments and have ranked amongst the Big 12 and national elite. This season will mark Wayne and Susan Kreklow's 10th year at the helm as they will look to make it nine out of 10 in 2009. The Tigers' best NCAA Tournament run came back in 2005 when they advanced to the NCAA Regional Final after topping Hawaii in the round of 16.
Are You Experienced?
The Tigers may have been young during the 2008 season, but that youth label will be shredded heading into the 2009 season. Mizzou returns five starters and its libero from last season as nearly 70-percent of the team's point production returns to the floor, highlighted by Julianna Klein, who finihed 2008 with a team-best 446.0 points. The Tigers also return 91-percent of their season dig total as all three back-row regulars - libero Caitlyn Vann, Annie Lopez and Priscilla Armendariz - each return for another season. The trio accounted for 1,052 digs in 2009, accounting for 62-percent of the returning defense. Each of the nine players returning in 2009 saw action in at least 22 of Mizzou's 30 matches in 2008.
Senior Circuit
The Tigers' pair of seniors - Amanda Hantouli and Lei Wang-Francisco - will be the cornerstone of the Tiger team in 2009. Both players have been with the program for five seasons and have been on three NCAA Tournament teams. The two also earned starts in all 30 matches for the Tigers in 2008 and played in all 115 sets. Hantouli was the team's leader in blocks (106) and hitting efficiency (.253) in 2008 while Wang-Francisco led the team in assists (1,109), was second in digs (267) and third in blocks (89).
From Colombia to Columbia
Junior transfer Paola Ampudia joins the 2009 Tiger roster after spending two years at Miami Dade Community College. Ampudia, a Cali, Colombia, native, was dubbed Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by the Big 12's coaches earlier this month. In 2007, Ampudia led Miami Dade to the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) national title game and helped the Sharks to a 30-0 regular season record that season. For her efforts, Ampudia was named NJCAA National Player of the Year as she ranked in the nation's top 10 in both hitting efficiency (.578) and kills per set (3.85). Ampudia finished the Black and Gold scrimmage with seven digs, one kill and a block assist.
Dazzling Debuts
Both Lindsey Petrick and Rosa Medrano made their Tiger debuts on Aug. 21 at the annual Black and Gold scrimmage, and both performed exceptionally well. The pair combined for 15 kills and 20.5 total points in the four-set match. Petrcik finished with seven kills along with seven blocks (one solo, six assists), leading the Tigers in total points with 11.0. Medrano finished the contest with a team-high eight kills without committing an attack error, hitting at a clip of .500 to pace the team. The pair was one of the main reasons for the Black squad's four-set victory. Freshman Marissa Ferri also had a fine debut, tallying nine digs in the four-set match.
A Vann-tastic Season in 2008
During her sophomore season in 2008, libero Caitlyn Vann anchored the Tigers in the back row after putting together one of the finest statistical defensive seasons in Tiger history. After totaling 560 digs, Vann moved into third-place on the single-season dig list at Mizzou, trailing only former Tiger Tatum Ailes. Had the scoring system been to 30 points in 2008, like it was when Ailes played, according the percentages, Vann would have smashed Ailes' record by more than 90 digs, earning her a spot amongst the Big 12's elite liberos. For her career, Vann is now averaging 3.79 digs per set, which is the second-best career total as well, trailing only Ailes.
A New Addition
There is a fresh new face on the Tiger bench this season and that face is assistant coach Chirs Muscat. Muscat joins the Tiger staff after spending two years as an assistant under coach John Dunning with the Stanford Cardinal women's volleyball team. At Stanford, Muscat was a part of two Pac-10 championship teams and two national runner-up squads. Muscat's many duties while at Stanford included player development, video analysis and opponent scouting. Stanford posted a 63-7 record during Muscat's tenure with the Cardinal and produced seven All-Americans.
As a player, Muscat was a member of two national championship teams at UCLA in 1998 and 2000 as a middle and outside hitter. Due to injury, he sat out during his last season and graduated with a degree in Biology. Muscat's primary responsibilities will be working with the Tigers at the net, working with outside hitters and middle blockers on their attacking and blocking technique, as well as playing a large role in the recruitment of future players to the Missouri program.
One of Mizzou's Finest
Freshman Annie Lopez was recently named to the Omicron Delta Kappa list of top freshmen at the University of Missouri. Only the best 14 students in their first year of college are selected to the group and Lopez had no idea at the time that one of her fellow teammates believed she had the credentials to make the group.
"I received an e-mail one day and found out I had been selected a finalist for the award, and that Lei (Wang) had nominated me," Lopez said. "I was honored that one of my teammates would think so highly of me."
Getting nominated was the first step, but it was far from the last, as Lopez would need to write an essay and submit a resume to make it to round two. She made it to round two, which consisted of an hour-long interview where she, and 20 other people, would be asked questions about themselves and any obstacles they've overcome in their lifetime. Soon after she completed the entire application process, Lopez received word that she had been selected as one of the 14 Omicron Delta Kappa honorees for the 2009 class. Lopez' current major is Textile Apparel Management with minors in Spanish and possibly Business.
Big 12 Preseason Prospectus
After going 13-17 last in 2008, the Tigers were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 this season according to the preseason poll, picked by the Big 12's 11 head coaches. The pick is the Tigers' lowest since prior to the 2000 season when the team was picked ninth. That year, all the Tigers did, under then head coach Susan Kreklow, was compile a 24-7 record while finishing second in the Big 12 with a 14-6 record. Mizzou is hoping for similar results this season as they search for another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Defending Big 12 Champ Texas was picked to win the league this season, just edging out perennial powerhouse Nebraska by five points in the poll. Iowa State, who advanced to the Elite Eight last season, was picked third while Texas A&M, Baylor and Kansas State round out the top six in the league. Four Big 12 teams rank in the ACVA Top 25 poll.
Joining Ampudia on the list of major award winners are two standouts from the Longhorn roster. Destinee Hooker was dubbed Big 12 Player of the Year while her teammate, Bailey Webster, earned Freshman of the Year.
All-Access Video and Radio
Be sure to follow the Tiger volleyball program all season long on www.mutigers.com. The matches will be streamed live on Mizzou All-Access and KCOU, Mizzou's student radio station, will provide play-by-play of each home match over the video. Also, select road matches will be available for radio streaming on www.mutigers.com. Those matches will be announced at a later date.
Tigers on Television
Mizzou will play in three matches that will be televised this season - at home against Colorado on Oct. 7, at Kansas State on Oct. 14 and at Nebraska on Nov. 4. Mizzou's match with Colorado will air on the Mizzou Sports Network while the match against Kansas State will air on FSN-Kansas City. The Tigers' match with Nebraska will air in Lincoln, Neb., on Nebraska Education Television.
Updated Player Capsules
Lei Wang-Francisco
Passed out a season-high 51 assists against Utah Valley, helping the Tigers to a four-set win ... Totaled 118 assists at the Utah Valley La Quinta Invitational which improved her career total to 3,897, passing Cindy Atteberry and moving into third-place all-time on the Mizzou career assist list ... Her 11.00 assists per set this season rank her third amongst setters in the Big 12 this season ... Named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team after passing out 102 assists during the three matches, good enough for 10.20 per set ... Handed out a then season-best 41 assists in the Tigers' sweep of Ole Miss ... Currently ranks third-best on the team with 44 digs, including a season-best 12 in the Tigers' season-opening match against Texas State ... Pitched in eight kills while hitting .350 at the Tiger Invitational and posted four service aces and five block assists, accounting for 14.5 total points ... Her 10.64 career assists per set also ranks third on the all-time Mizzou assist list ... Needs to play in 22 matches and 56 more sets to move into 10th place in both matches played and sets played all-time at Mizzou ... Entering her fourth season as the Tigers' setter and has posted two triple-doubles in her career and boasts nine matches with at least 60 assists during her career.
Brittney Brimmage
Currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 in hitting efficiency with a .392 attack percentage after totalling 38 kills on 74 attacks while committing only nine errors ... Had one of her finest weekends in a Tiger uniform at the UVU La Quinta Invite, finishing with 26 kills while hitting .458 ... Tallied a season- and career-best 13 kills while hitting a season-high .600 in the Tigers' match against Utah ... Her .600 attack percentage in that match is tied for the third-best mark in the Big 12 this season and is the second-best four-set mark ... Totaled 14.0 total points in that match as well, also a career-best ... Pitched in five total blocks on the weekend as well and totaled a season-best two digs against Utah ... Posted 12 kills at a clip of .269 during the opening weekend of play at the Tiger Invitational ... Played in nine sets during the weekend and earned starts in the each of the three matches ... Has accounted for 46.5 total points this season, which ranks fourth on the team ... Has posted 16 blocks this season, which ranks second on the team while her 38 kills ranks her fourth ... Averaging 0.84 blocks per set and has yet to commit a blocking error this season ... Has also committed only nine attack errors on 74 attempts this season.
Caitlyn Vann
Ranks fifth in the Big 12 this season, averaging 0.38 service aces per set and her 3.81 digs per set ranks seventh in the league ... Collected 41 digs - including 17 against Utah Valley - at the UVU La Quinta Invitational last weekend ... The 41 total digs are her best over a three-match span this season ... Led the Tigers with 39 digs during the three-match Tiger Invitational, averaging 3.90 per set ... Posted a season-high 18 digs in the Tigers' win over BYU, the fifth-best four-set total in the Big 12 this season ... Added 11 digs in the Tigers' sweep of Texas State and posted 10 in the three-set win over Ole Miss ... Helped limit Texas State to a .061 hitting percentage in the first match of the Tiger Invitational ... The .061 hitting percentage was the Tigers' best hitting percentage allowed since holding Maryland to .019 on Sept. 5, 2008 ... Led the team with five service aces during the opening weekend of play, posting a pair of aces against both Ole Miss and BYU and adding another against Texas State ... Added six assists to her ledger, highlighted by three against Texas State ... Has 956 career digs and needs 41 more to move into 10th place all-time at Mizzou ... Her 3.79 career digs per set currently is the second-best career total for any Tiger, trailing only former Big 12 Libero of the Year Tatum Ailes ... Posted 560 digs in 2008, the third-most in a single season in Mizzou history, trailing only Ailes ... Had the point structure still been to 30, she would have passed Ailes' single season record by more than 90 digs - according to her percentage of digs per points played.
Amanda Hantouli
Posted nine kills during the Tiger Invitational and led the team with 13 total blocks (one solo, 12 assists) ... Her eight total blocks (one solo, seven assists) is the fourth-best total in a single match in the Big 12 this season and is the second-best total in the a three-set match in 2009 ... Moved her career average blocks per set to 0.92 over the weekend, which now ranks third all-time at Mizzou behind only All-Americans Christy Myers and Nicole Wilson ... Has 315 total blocks in her career and needs just seven this weekend to move into sole possession of fifth place all-time at Mizzou ... Needs 17 solo blocks this season to gain sole possession of 10th place on the career solo block list ... Is 22 matches shy of moving into 10th place all-time on the matches played list as well ... Boasts a .252 hitting percentage and 611 career kills ... Is one of only two seniors on this season's squad and led the Tigers with a .253 hitting percentage last season and has led the Tigers in attack efficiency in each of the last two seasons.
Julianna Klein
Named to the UVU La Quinta All-Tournament team after finishing with 38 kills, 18 digs and six blocks while hitting .229 ... Hit .286 with a season-best 16 kills in the Tigers' win over Utah Valley, her best hitting percentage since Nov. 1, 2008 when she hit .444 against Texas Tech at the Hearnes Center ... Posted 15 kills against No. 17 Utah, her second-best total of the season ... Pitched in three solo blocks and three block assists during the UVU Invite as well ... Had a season-high nine digs against Utah, just missing a kill-dig double-double ... Finished in a tie for second on the team after posting 21 total kills in the Tigers' three matches during the Tiger Invitational, posting 2.10 per set ... Added 15 digs in the opening weekend of play as well ... Added a then season-best two total blocks (two assists) in that match, accounting for a season-high 9.0 total points ... Has 765 career kills - the most among active Mizzou players - and ranks 10th with 3.52 points per set and 3.06 kills per set in her career ... Had six kill-dig double-doubles in 2008 and led the team with 3.46 kills per set ... Finished the season with 393 kills, including four matches with more than 20 kills ... Also finished the season with a total of 1,257 attacks, the third-most in a single season ever by a Tiger ... Had a career-high 66 attacks at Texas A&M last season and she finished the five-set match with 20 kills ... Finished 2008 with 258 total digs as well, which ranked third on the team behind Lei Wang-Francisco and Caitlyn Vann.
Julianna Klein
Tallied 23 kills, six digs and two blocks at the UVU La Quinta Invitational over the weekend ... Named Tiger Invitational Tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 43 kills (4.30 per set) and 28 digs (2.80 per set) and accounting for 47.5 total points ... Posted 19 kills, 14 digs and a .424 hitting percentage in the Tigers' sweep of Ole Miss, all career-best numbers ... Had a career-best and team season-high 43 attacks in the Tigers' four-set win over BYU ... Added a season- and career-best three aces in that match as well ... Hit a respectable .221 from the left side during the weekend and led Mizzou with 104 total attacks, 27 more than the next-closest attacker ... Her 19 kills against Ole Miss are the third-best three-set mark in the Big 12 this season ... Her three total aces in the BYU match is the third-best single-match mark in the league this season and tops in the a four-set match in the Big 12 ... Posted a team-best eight kills while hitting .500 at the annual Black and Gold scrimmage ... Teammate of current Tiger Paola Ampudia at Miami Dade Junior College.
Rosa Medrano
Tallied 23 kills, six digs and two blocks at the UVU La Quinta Invitational over the weekend ... Named Tiger Invitational Tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 43 kills (4.30 per set) and 28 digs (2.80 per set) and accounting for 47.5 total points ... Posted 19 kills, 14 digs and a .424 hitting percentage in the Tigers' sweep of Ole Miss, all career-best numbers ... Had a career-best and team season-high 43 attacks in the Tigers' four-set win over BYU ... Added a season- and career-best three aces in that match as well ... Hit a respectable .221 from the left side during the weekend and led Mizzou with 104 total attacks, 27 more than the next-closest attacker ... Her 19 kills against Ole Miss are the third-best three-set mark in the Big 12 this season ... Her three total aces in the BYU match is the third-best single-match mark in the league this season and tops in the a four-set match in the Big 12 ... Posted a team-best eight kills while hitting .500 at the annual Black and Gold scrimmage ... Teammate of current Tiger Paola Ampudia at Miami Dade Junior College.
Kate Harris
Passed out a career-best 15 assists while playing in the final two sets of the match against No. 17 Utah ... Entered the Utah match in the third set when the score was 19-14 in favor of Utah and finished the set with five assists, four of which were to different attackers ... Came back and started the fourth set at the setter position and passed out a set career-best 10 helpers ... Nine of those assists came on quick sets to middle hitters Brittney Brimmange and Weiwen Wang ... The other came on a right-side set to Paola Ampudia ... Added a dig in the Utah match as well, tying her career-best, set earlier in the tournament against Washington State ... Handed out five assists in that match against WSU while playing in only the final 11 points of the third set.
Paola Ampudia
Had her best weekend as a Tiger at the UVU La Quinta Invitational where she tallied 23 kills while hitting .274 ... Collected six digs and added two blocks in the tournament and registered the first service ace of her career ... Overall, she accounted for 25.0 total points while playing primarily on the right side ... Played in 10 of the 11 Tiger sets at UVU and posted eight kills, a career-best, against both Utah and Washington State ... Had seven kills with only one attack error while hitting .400, a career-best, against Utah Valley ... Played in six sets during the Tiger Invitational and posted seven kills while adding three total blocks (two solo, one assist) while accounting for 9.5 total points on the weekend ... Best match came against BYU when she tallied five kills while hitting .200, two solo blocks, three total blocks, two digs and 7.5 total points, all season-best marks ... Had a season-best nine attacks against Texas State ... Was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and was the 2007 National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Player of the Year ... Played on the same team - Miami Dade College - as current Tiger junior Rosa Medrano.
Priscilla Armendariz
Had 26 digs at the UVU Invitational, highlighted by a season-best 14 against Utah Valley ... The 26 digs moved her season total to 49, which ranks second on the team behind only libero Caitlyn Vann ... Pitched in eight digs against Utah and added four against Washington State ... Added another service ace to her ledger against Washington State, pushing her season total to two ... Posted 23 digs in three matches at the Tiger Invitational, averaging 2.30 per set, both of which ranked third on the team behind Caitlyn Vann and Rosa Medrano, during the Tiger Invitational ... Had a then season-best 12 digs in the Tigers' win over BYU and posted six against Ole Miss and five against Texas State ... Added an ace in the Tigers' match against Texas State ... Played in all 115 sets during the 2008 season while starting in 21 contests ... Racked up 250 total digs on the season and finished the campaign with the fourth-most digs on the team.
Annie Lopez
Collected 16 digs at the UVU La Quinta Invitational, moving her season total to 29, which ranks sixth on the team ... Her best match of the tournament came against No. 17 Utah when she tallied seven digs and posted a season-high two service aces ... Boasted a .947 reception percentage over the weekend while committing just one reception error on 19 attempts ... In fact, she has just one reception error on 42 attempts this season ... Finished the Tiger Invitational with 13 total digs, including a season-best nine in the Tigers' four-set win over BYU ... Pitched in three digs against Texas State, helping limit the Bobcats to a .061 hitting percentage, and posted one dig against Ole Miss ... Saw action in nine of 10 sets over that weekend and handed out one assist ... Totaled 242 digs in her first season as a Tiger, a mark that ranked fifth on the team in 2008.
Weiwen Wang
Was a key contributor for the Tigers at the UVU La Quinta Invitational after playing in only five sets at the Tiger Invite ... Posted a .412 hitting percentage and totaled 16 kills on 34 attacks with only two errors ... Her .412 attack efficiency was second on the team during the weekend ... Now hitting .386 on the season, which also ranks second on the team and fifth in the Big 12 ... Posted nine kills while hitting .348 during the Tiger Invitational while playing in five sets throughout the tournament ... Had a season-best six kills while hitting .333 against BYU, a match in which she added a dig and accounted for 6.0 total points ... Posted a season-high 18 attacks in the Tigers' four-set win over BYU ... One of the Tigers' top attackers during the 2008 season, finishing ranked second on the team in both kills (246) and hitting efficiency (.242) ... 2007 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and finished 2008 with 90 total blocks, ranking her second on the team.
Catie Wilson
Hit .338 with 31 kills and eight blocks (four solo, four assists) during the Utah Valley La Quinta Invitational ... Had a career-best 12 kills and a season-high 29 total attacks in the Tigers' match against Washington State ... Added a career-best two solo blocks against Utah Valley and added 11 kills in that match while hitting at a clip of .381 ... Tied a career-best with 15.0 total points in that match as well ... Named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team after finishing the Tigers' three matches with 21 kills while hitting a team-best .385 and pitching in 10 blocks (two solo, 10 assists) ... Hit an impressive .857 with six kills in the Tigers' win over Ole Miss to pace the team; her .857 hitting percentage is a career-best and the third-best in a single match in Mizzou history ... Had a then season-best eight kills against BYU while hitting .429 and had seven kills against Texas State ... Posted a team-high two solo blocks and accounted for 10.0 total blocks after adding eight block assists at the Tiger Invitational ... Served three aces, moving her weekend point total to 30.0, which ranked second on the team behind only Rosa Medrano ... Earned 83 kills despite only seeing action in 57 sets in 2008 ... Posted a career-best 12 kills at Kansas State last season and finished 2008 averaging nearly 1.46 kills per set while hitting .239, third-best on the team.
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