No. 1 Cornhuskers Come to Columbia For Volleyball Showdown
Oct. 16, 2007
#1 Nebraska at Missouri Volleyball Quick Links Multimedia Coaches Series Matchup Of Note COLUMBIA, Mo.— The Missouri volleyball team (12-6, 5-4 Big 12) would like to do some Nebraska canning of its own as they face the No. 1-ranked Huskers (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) in the Hearnes Center on “Can the Huskers Night III”, Wednesday. Patrons will gain free admission into the 6:30 p.m. match with at least two canned goods that will go to benefit the Central Missouri Food Bank. The Tigers are tied for fifth in the Big 12 entering the match, riding high from a five-match winning streak, and look to upset a top-ranked national team for the first time in 11 tries. Scouting Nebraska … This Cornhusker team may be even better than last year’s team, who lost only one match (at Colorado) en route to a Big 12 title and a national championship. Nebraska has lost only one set all year, coming in a 3-1 victory over then fifth-ranked UCLA. The Huskers have not lost a set in Big 12 play. Nebraska’s team features five All-Americans and the two reigning AVCA National Players of the Year in senior RS Sarah Pavan (2006) and senior OH Chris Houghtelling (2005). Houghtelling sat out all of last year after undergoing shoulder surgery, but has rebounded well, averaging 4.19 points/game, tenth in the Big 12. Pavan is second in points per game in the Big 12, averaging 5.66 points/game. Nebraska’s amazing start, however, can not only be credited to Pavan and Houghtelling. 2006 All-American MB Tracy Stalls leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .472, while sophomore MB Kori Cooper is third at .389. Sophomore S Rachel Holloway leads the Big 12 with 13.84 assists/game. Junior OH Jordan Larson, another 2006 All-American, is second on the team with .373 kills/game. The Huskers lead the Big 12 in every offensive category, and rank in the top five in every defensive category. The Huskers have won 63 of 66 matches against Missouri, with the only Tiger win coming in an upset victory in Lincoln in 2003. Fifty of 67 matches all time have resulted in sweeps by Nebraska. -- Blair Miller Ailes Is Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Week Mizzou now has back-to-back conference award winners for the first time in program history as freshman Weiwen Wang won the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week award last Monday. This award is also Ailes’ first weekly award from the conference. Ailes won Big 12 Libero of the Year honors in 2005. In Wednesday’s match versus Texas A&M, Ailes notched 19 digs while fielding 23-of-24 serve receptions. At Baylor on Saturday, Ailes had 21 digs to go with 15-of-16 serve receiving attempts. In addition, Ailes added two aces in a row in game one to give Mizzou the game one lead over the Bears. Mizzou has now won five straight on the way to a fifth-place tie with Iowa State in the Big 12 standings and will host No. 1 Nebraska Wednesday and No. 7 Texas on Saturday. Tigers Made Quick Work of Baylor Saturday As a result of No. 16 Kansas State’s win over Iowa State, the Tigers move into a tie for fifth place in the Big 12. Mizzoi has the third-longest winning streak in the league, behind No. 1 Nebraska and No. 7 Texas, both teams the Tigers host next week. Sophomore Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) scored 11 kills as Mizzou’s second-leading scorer. Amanda Hantouli led the Tigers in the blocks category with four. Senior Tatum Ailes (Bellevue, Neb.) scooped 21 digs to lead all in the category. Freshman Caitlyn Vann added 15 digs. Ailes also had two aces as part of Mizzou’s five ace night. Like the Difference Between Night and Day… After four conference games, Mizzou was winless and questions remained whether or not the Tigers would be able to rebound after such a tough stretch of games. To put it in perspective, one could look at the Tigers team stats and understand why they were 0-4 in conference play. They were eighth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .187, and they were only averaging 2.1 blocks per game. And the Tigers were not helping there own cause with unforced errors and having a block differential against their opponents of negative 16.5. More importantly though, the Tigers lacked cohesion with the six they put on the court night-in and night-out. Mizzou tried many different lineups to spark a winning trend, Weiwen Wang was moved from middle blocker to outside hitter, true freshman Catie Wilson was inserted into the everyday lineup, having to play the outside hitter position for the first time in her life, and Mizzou even began running a 6-2 offense with Lei Wang and Luiza Jarocka splitting the setting duties. The latter was something that Mizzou volleyball coaches Susan and Wayne Kreklow have never implemented on a full-time basis during their tenure at Mizzou. Change was good for Mizzou volleyball in this instance, however. And the chance to knock-off the then-co-conference leader Oklahoma also added a little motivation to turn the tide of their season. After a thrilling five-set victory over No. 25-ranked Oklahoma, Mizzou began their “new” season in the Big 12 Conference and have won five straight entering Wednesday’s home match against Nebraska. The 6-2 offense was a key difference in Mizzou’s play and several Tigers have stepped-up their game since the four-match losing streak. With Na Yang being a consistent threat on the outside for most of the season Megan Wilson picked up the slack over the last five matches by averaging 3.74 kills per game and 0.95 blocks per game during the winning streak. She recorded 11 solo blocks during that stretch, equaling the 11 solo blocks her teammates combined to record. During the four-game losing streak to open conference play, Wilson was only averaging 2.69 kills per game and 0.75 blocks per games. Also, the 6-2 offense meant that Lei Wang was going to be an even more integral part of Mizzou’s offense as well. Primarily being a setter for her entire career at Mizzou, Lei’s role has greatly increased over the past few games. In short, she has played every position on the court except libero and defensive specialist. During the winning streak, Wang has recorded 1.58 kills per game, 9.00 assists per game, 2.95 digs per game and 0.95 blocks per game. Wang has grown accustomed with her new role as Mizzou has produced better on the court. As a team, it helps that Mizzou has got off to a fast start against their opponents recently as well. Over the last five matches, Mizzou has won each of the first two sets. Though, the quick start is directly related to their more efficient offense and scrappier defense. Mizzou now ranks third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .244 and second in digs per game (16.66). -- portions by Ryan Dunaj and McClain Thompson Last Time We Met … Missouri-Nebraska Vander Kooi also added 11 digs, and moved to third all-time at Mizzou in the category. Senior Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) was next in the Tigers scoring lineup with 13 kills. Mizzou was outhit on the evening .425 to .160. In game two, Mizzou hit .310 in a 30-23 game loss, but only managed a -.020 percentage in the third and final frame. On a side note, the Tigers trip home had an unexpected twinge. The charter flight home had to land in Springfield, Mo., as fog prevented the team from landing that night in Columbia. A 1 a.m., arrival in Springfield and a 9 a.m., arrival back in Columbia was not what the doctor ordered in a mid-week experience The Tiger then had to turn around and fly to Waco, Texas, and lost to Baylor in five the day after. Klein’s ACL is a Sideliner In the third of four games against Houston, with the Tigers up 20-12, Klein went to attack a ball and then came down in pain. Klein was leading Mizzou with 4.44 kills per game, up from her 2.75 average her freshman season and stood fourth in the Big 12 in the category. In addition, Klein’s defense showed much improvement as her digs-per-game shot from 0.75 her frosh campaign to 2.85 this season, resulting in the first five kill-dig double-doubles of her career. Along with leading Mizzou with 0.48 service aces per game, Klein was third in the Big 12 with 5.30 points per game, behind only 2006 National Player of the Year Sarah Pavan of Nebraska and All-American Destinee Hooker of Texas. Despite not playing in the final match of the CenturyTel Premier against host Texas State, Klein was named the tournament’s MVP, scoring 5.67 kills per game on a .342 hitting strike for the Tigers while adding 3.33 digs per game and scoring 6.67 points per game. Klein was also named to Ole Miss’ Magnolia Classic All-Tournament team, opening the season with a career-best 26 kills against the Rebels. Big 12 Report The Baylor Bears continued to struggle in conference play, dropping both matches last week, being swept by both Missouri and Texas. They will try to change their ways when they travel to Kansas and host Colorado. Colorado will be looking to pick up their first conference win, after losing both matches 3-1 last week, dropping matches to both Kansas and Texas A&M. Despite being 0-9, the Buffs have been competitive in all of their matches. This week, they will host Iowa State before traveling to Baylor. After going through their roughest week of the conference season, where they got swept by both Texas and Nebraska, Iowa State will try to get back on track when they travel to Colorado and host Texas Tech. Kansas, in need of a win to break its three game losing streak, got it when they hosted Colorado. They bested the Buffs 3 games to 1. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks their next match was against # 7 Texas, who ended up sweeping them, three games to none. Kansas will look to get back into the win column when it hosts Baylor before traveling to Nebraska. After losing two crucial matches the week before, the Kansas State Wildcats were hoping their Wednesday off would help them recuperate for their only match of the week. The extra rest paid off as the Wildcats swept Iowa State. The sweep moved Kansas State into sole position of fourth place in the conference, while dropping Iowa State into a fifth place tie with Missouri. Kansas State hosts Texas Tech before traveling to Oklahoma this week. Despite almost dropping their second game all season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers continued their streak of sweeping all of their opponents, as they swept both Iowa State and Oklahoma. The Huskers will be going to play at rival Missouri this week before hosting Kansas. Oklahoma continued its consistent play last week, going 1-1, losing to Nebraska, but also defeating Texas Tech. The Sooners, who were predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference, have been the surprise of the conference this year, as they are currently in third place in the Big 12 and are ranked in the Top 25. This week will be huge for not only Oklahoma, but the Big 12 as well, as the Sooners host both second place Texas and fourth place Kansas State. Just like Nebraska, the Texas Longhorns continue to make things look easy, sweeping both Baylor and Kansas last week. The Longhorns will be tested on the road this week, however, when they travel to both Missouri and Oklahoma. Texas will be looking to stop a seven game losing streak against Missouri in Columbia, when it travels to play the Tigers on Saturday. After being swept by Missouri, the Texas A&M Aggies returned to the friendly confines of G. Rollie White Colliseum to the tune of a 3-1 victory over Colorado. The team will go out of conference play as they host Sam Houston State before traveling to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. -- Mike Wojtychiw Television For Iowa State’s Visit to Columbia The Wednesday match is slated for a 6:30 p.m., start, and will be the third televised match of the season. FSN Midwest and FSN Rocky Mountain will air live coverage of Mizzou’s match at Colorado on October 3 while CSTV will air live coverage of the Tigers’ visit to Nebraska on October 31. Schedule Change Notes to Keep in Mind … 2006 Revisited Preseason Impressions The national impression of the league is also striking. Nebraska was the coaches’ preseason pick to at national No. 1. Texas is also expected to have a big year, they ranked 4th in the preseason national poll. The Tigers had a No. 20 preseason ranking with Oklahoma, mentioned earlier that they were picked to finish ninth in the league, had a No. 22 preseason standing, ending the 2006 season with a No. 12 ranking. Texas A&M, Colorado, and Iowa State all received votes in the poll. “Wendy” Wang Earns Big 12 Acclaim – October 8 For the record, Weiwen’s Tiger teammates call her “Wendy”. At Colorado, Wang broke school records in blocks (13) and most kills without an error (19). Wang tallied a season-high 28 points in addition to recording the second-best attack clip (.559) in Mizzou history. The Nanjing, China native also contributed six digs and two aces to the Tigers’ effort. Against the Red Raiders, Wang posted 13 kills on a .476 hitting percentage with five digs, three blocks and two aces. Wang was the first Tiger to win the honor since Jessica Vander Kooi’s second career nod on September 25, 2006. In addition, she is the sixth person from Mizzou to win the honor in the last six years and the first Tiger freshman to win the award since Shen Danru did on September 9, 2002. Senior Salute Both Ailes and Yang were named to this season’s Preseason All-Big 12 team, and for Ailes, she became the first defensive player in league history to earn such an honor. Ailes (Bellevue, Neb.) returns for her senior campaign fresh from an appearance on Team USA's A2-national training team this spring and returns to the team having been the Tigers' starting libero for three seasons. Meanwhile, Ailes has already made a lasting impression on the Mizzou program as the squad's all-time leader in digs and digs per game. In 2005, the coaches of the Big 12 named Ailes as Libero of the Year. Yang (Shan Dong, China) is in her senior campaign as well and has an accomplished record from her previous three years at Mizzou. Yang has shown prowess during the regular season, but her numbers in the post-season are the outside-hitter's bread-and-butter. In eight NCAA Tournament matches, Yang has averaged 4.10 kills per game on a .304 hitting percentage. Sophomore Surge Setter Lei Wang is already going into her second full year of leading the Tiger offense, coming off a successful frosh season in leading the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament with a 12.46 assists per game, 2.39 digs per game, and 0.98 points per game average. During the Big 12 season, Wang averaged 12.86 assists per game, ranking fifth in the league. Wang recorded 63 assists in the five-game NCAA second-round match at Stanford and was a crucial component of the Tiger game-four comeback, as Mizzou hit nearly .500 (13-2-24) from when the Tigers were down 16-10 to when Mizzou won the frame 30-25. Keota, Iowa, native Julianna Klein stepped up during her true freshman season, finding a starting role in 18 matches last season. Klein scored 10-or-more kills in 16 matches last season, including scoring a season-high 21 kills versus Baylor on September 27. Against Stanford in the NCAA second round, Klein carded 14 kills and six digs. In addition, Klein’s serve caught several opponents off guard early in the year as she scored 18 of her 23 aces from the season in the first 11 matches. Klein racked seven aces in an early-season tournament match against Villanova. Amanda Hantouli started 25 matches last season as a redshirt freshman, finding her first playing time since an ACL injury sidelined the Omaha, Neb., native during her senior year in high school. Now a sophomore, Hantouli contributed 10-or-more kills in four contests and five-or-more blocks in six matches last season. Her play against Stanford in the NCAA second round gave many a picture into the possible future as she scored 10 kills on 15 attempts (.533), adding three blocks. Megan Wilson will likely see quite a bit of playing time as a right-side hitter this season. The 6-2 sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., exposed much talent as a server as well last season. Against Stanford in the NCAA second round, Wilson added three crucial aces and served many points in efforts to throw the Cardinal offense. Wilson had three matches in 2006 with two-or-more aces. Sparkling and New Newcomer Caitlyn Vann comes to Mizzou from Muncie, Ind., and Burris High School. Vann, along with fellow newcomer Catie Wilson, was one of 35 to be named to the inaugural AVCA High School Senior All-American list. Vann was a three-time All-State selection at Burris, earning first-team honors in her junior and senior seasons. While Vann was recruited as a libero, she played as a left-side hitter in her years in high school, tallying 442 kills and 368 digs as team captain in her recently completed senior season. Vann was also a part of USA Volleyball’s Junior National Training Team in 2006 and was before a two-year member of USAV’s Youth National-A2 team. Weiwen Wang comes to Mizzou from Nanjing, China, and is the fifth Tiger to come from the country. Wang was captain of her national-champion high school team and was a member of her country’s team that won the 2006 World School Volleyball Championship in Porec, Croatia. Wang was also a member of the Chinese 15 & Under Youth National team that took third. Catie Wilson (no relation to Megan Wilson) comes to Mizzou from Omaha, Neb., and Gross High School. Wilson, along with Vann was named to the AVCA’s inaugural High School Senior All-American Team. In addition, Wilson was a four-time All-State selection, earning first-team honors in her junior and senior seasons. ### |
Camps2008 SeasonLearn More/Get InvolvedHistory & Records2007 NCAA Tournament2007 SeasonLindsey Hunter with
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