Nov. 12, 2009
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Match Info: Mizzou (16-11, 7-8 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma (7-18, 2-14 Big 12)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Time: 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Arena: Coors Event Center
Gametracker: www.MUTigers.com or CUBuffs.com
Streaming Radio: www.MUTigers.com
Series Information: Mizzou trails the all-time series with CU, 31-15, but have won the last six and 13 of the last 17 meetings, including a 3-1 win at the Hearnes Center on Oct. 7.
This Saturday
After picking up a huge win over Oklahoma on Wednesday, the Tigers will hit the road in search of their second Big 12 road win of the season as they take on Colorado at the Coors Event Center. The match is slated for an 8 p.m. (CT) start. The Tigers beat CU, 3-1, earlier this season at the Hearnes Center and won the past six meetings with the Buffs.
Mizzou now looks to control its own destiny as it heads into the final five matches of the season. After knocking off Oklahoma - who was just outside the AVCA/Bison Top 25 at No. 26 this week - the Tigers now sit at 16-11 and 7-8 in the Big 12. Mizzou plays the No. 10 and No. 11 teams in the Big 12 standings over its next two before returning home for a crucial stretch that features three teams ranked in the nation's top 30. Two of those three matches - against No. 8 Iowa State and No. 20 Baylor - fall at the Hearnes Center where Mizzou is 11-2 this season. The final match of the regular season is shaping into what looks to be a crucial match at Texas A&M on Nov. 28.
Last Time Out
The Tigers played arguably their most complete match of the season as they swept the Oklahoma Sooners at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday, giving them a huge win on their NCAA Tournament résumé. Oklahoma came into the match in fourth place in the Big 12, but the Tigers dominated them in nearly ever facet of the game.
Paola Ampudia hit the 20-kill mark for the fourth time in her last eight matches as she paced the Tiger attack with 21 in the match, one shy of the Big 12 three-set high this season. Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco continued her fine setting as of late, passing out a Big 12 three-set high 45 assists in the match as Mizzou posted 53 kills in the match, a three-set high for the Tigers in 2009.
The Tiger Back Row Comes Alive
After corralling only 67 digs in back-to-back matches with Nebraska and Texas two weeks ago, the Tiger back row shined on Wednesday against Oklahoma, pulling in 66, nearly eclipsing its total from the two previous matches combined. In fact, the Tigers pulled in four more digs than OU, who came into the match ranked second in the league in digs per set. Caitlyn Vann was the key for the back row as the Tiger libero pulled in a team-best 15 digs in the match, her best since posting 19 at Kansas State on Oct. 14. Annie Lopez finished the match with 10 digs, two off of her season-best, while Weiwen Wang pulled in a career-best eight.
Setting the Table
Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco spread a Big 12 three-set high 45 assists in the Tigers' win over Oklahoma on Wednesday. She handed out a set-high 17 in the first frame, 16 in the second and 12 in the third. Over her past five Big 12 matches, Wang-Francisco has passed out 202 helpers, good for 12.62 per set. Excluding the Texas match last Saturday, she is averaging 13.85 per set and has guided Mizzou to a 3-1 record in those four matches. Wang-Francisco now holds the Big 12's top marks in assists in a three-set match (45) and assists in a four-set match (57). She also hold the fourth-best four-set mark in the league as well this season with her 55 dimes against Kansas.
Last Time Against the Buffs
The Tigers topped Colorado, 3-1, at the Hearnes Center on Oct. 7, moving their home record to 7-0 at the time. A trio of Tigers - Julianna Klein, Paola Ampudia and Catie Wilson - posted double-digit kill totals, highlighted by 14 from both Klein and Ampudia. Wilson hit .733 in the match with 12 kills, the ninth-best clip all-time at Mizzou. Mizzou posted 11 service aces in the match, including eight from Klein. Both of those marks still sit atop the Big 12 this season while Klein's eight aces are the third-best in Mizzou history.
Nearly Perfect at Hearnes
With its win over Oklahoma on Wednesday, Mizzou pushed its record at home to 11-2 this season, making it one of the toughest places for opponents to play this season. The home record is Mizzou's best since opening the 2001 season 11-1. Mizzou has two more home matches this season, both against ranked teams, as it looks to add some quality wins to its NCAA Tournament résumé.
A Nice Defensive Night
Mizzou held Oklahoma - who ranked third in the Big 12 with a .215 hitting percentage - to a .115 clip on Wednesday night, .100 points below its season average. Mizzou posted 66 digs in the match and five blocks and forced Oklahoma into 21 attack errors in the match. Mizzou had four solo blocks in the match, their second-best total of the season.
`Pao-erful' Paola
With 194 kills in her last 11 matches (17.63 per match), no one in the Big 12 has been more important to their team than the Tigers' Paola Ampudia. Her 194 kills in that span are 125 more than any Tiger on the roster and 11 more than the next closest attacker in the Big 12, Destinee Hooker of Texas. Ampudia has hit the 20-kill plateau in four of her last eight matches - including a school-record 35 at Kansas - and has posted three double-doubles in that span as well. Ampudia currently holds the Big 12 three-set high with 22 kills at Nebraska and the Big 12 four-set high with 35 kills at Kansas. The 35 kills against the Jayhawks are also a Big 12 four-set record.
One Kill and One Dig Shy
Ampudia finished Wednesday's match 21 kills and nine digs. Her 21 kills were just one shy of the Big 12 three-set season high, which she currently holds, while her nine digs in the match were just one away from giving the Tiger junior her fourth career kill-dig double-double.
Trailing only Hooker
Ampudia has been creeping into Big 12 Player of the Year discussions as of late as she now ranks second in the league in points per set (5.06) and in kills per set (4.55), trailing only Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Destinee Hooker of Texas in both categories. In fact, Ampudia and Hooker are the only two players in the Big 12 to average at least 5.00 point per set during league play.
Milestone for Vann
Junior libero Caitlyn Vann (Muncie, Ind.) posted 15 digs to raise her season total to 396, passing Naaron Branson for eighth on Mizzou's all-time list. The 15 digs for Vann are her most since corralling 19 at Kansas State on Oct. 14, 2009. She needs 1 at CU to move into seventh on the single season list with 406. Vann now has 1,272 digs in her career and sits just 34 shy of cracking the top three all-time at Mizzou as well.
Brit Steps Up
Sophomore Brittney Brimmage (East St. Louis, Ill.) posted seven kills on .500 hitting in the Tigers' sweep of Oklahoma on Wednesday. Her seven kills are her most since posting 13 against Utah on Sept. 5 while her .500 clip is her best when posting more than five kills since the Utah match as well.
A Seasoned Veteran
Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco (Shanghai, China) played in her 118th career match at Mizzou, tying Sherri Gentry for 10th all-time. She also ranks seventh all-time at Mizzou with 434 sets played in her four-year Tiger career.
Wendy Comes Alive
Junior Weiwen Wang (Nanjing, China) came off the bench against Oklahoma and netted eight kills without an error on 26 attacks, her most attempts in a three-set match this season. She also corralled eight digs in the match, a career-best.
No `Hard-knock Life' for this Annie
Sophomore defensive specialist corralled 10 digs in Wednesday's win over OU, two shy of her season-best. Over her last eight matches, Lopez ranks third on the team with 62 digs, trailing only libero Caitlyn Vann and Paola Ampudia. Lopez has hit double-digits in digs in three of those matches, including hitting her season-best 12 on two separate occasions.
Scouting the Buffs
Colorado comes into Wednesday's match at 2-14 in Big 12 play and 7-18 overall this season as they have struggled in head coach Liz Kritza's first season at the helm. The Buffs rank in the bottom two of the Big 12 in each of the major statistical categories and have let opponents serve up and 1.51 aces per set this season. CU is the same team that was aced by Mizzou 11 times at the Hearnes Center earlier this season.
Outside hitter Becah Fogle has been a bright spot for the Buffs as she is averaging 3.27 kills per set this season as she leads the team with 258 kills in 2009. Two other players - Rosie Steinhaus and Kerra Schroeder - have posted 200 kills on the season as well with 226 and 203, respectively. Steinhaus leads the trio with a .202 attack percentage.
CU has pulled in an average of 12.81 digs per set this season, nearly three less than its opponents and have posted only 11.00 kills per set, 3.05 less than its opponents. As a team, CU is hitting just .160 this season while allowing opponents to hit .251.
Help is on the way for Kritza who just inked six recruits to her first signing class at Colorado on Wednesday. Mizzou trails the all-time series with CU, 31-15, but have won the last six and 13 of the last 17 meetings, including a 3-1 win at the Hearnes Center on Oct. 7.
Catching up With Catie
Heading into Saturday's match with Colorado, junior middle hitter Catie Wilson sits just three kills shy of 195 on the season. That number is important because it is the number of kills that she had in her first two seasons as a Tiger combined. Also, in her first two season, Wilson committed 79 attack errors while this season she has committed only 48 on 90 less attacks this season. Heading into the season, Wilson was a career .236 hitter and she has raised her career clip to .265, which ranks 10th all-time at Mizzou.
On the season, Wilson is hitting .324, which ranks seventh amongst Big 12 student-athletes while her .320 clip in league play ranks sixth.
It's That Time of Year...
...to start looking at the Tigers' NCAA Tournament résumé. Wednesday's win over Oklahoma will go a long way to helping Mizzou's tournament chances as it marks a win over a team that held a No. 34 ranking in the latest RPI ranks. Oklahoma also ranked just outside the AVCA/Bison Top 25 at No. 26 this week, making the win one of the Tigers' best of the season.
Also, with the selection committee placing an increased emphasis on what teams did in the non-conference part of the schedule, Mizzou should feel pretty good as it racked up a 9-3 mark against non-Big 12 opponents, including one win over an RPI top-100 team and a 4-1 mark away from home. Staying on the RPI topic, Mizzou has earned five wins over RPI top 100 teams this season and has taken sets from thee others that rank in the top 40. Mizzou does not have a loss to a team ranked outside of the RPI top 100 this season. Finally, the Tigers have played 13 matches against teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA/Bison Top 25 poll or were ranked at the time that they played. Mizzou plays three teams ranked in the RPI top 42 - two of which come at home - to close out its season as it has the potential to rack up several quality wins as the season winds down.
Ace in the Hole
The Tigers currently rank first in the Big 12 with 1.26 service aces per set this season. Mizzou's 117 total aces leads the Big 12, three more than the second-place team. Both Caitlyn Vann (third, 0.29 per set) and Julianna Klein (sixth, 0.27 per set) rank amongst the Big 12's top 10 this season. Klein has posted the most service aces in a match by a Big 12 player with her eight against Colorado, while Vann's six aces against UMKC comes in ranked second overall. Mizzou posted a season-best 11 aces in the win over Colorado and also hit the 11-ace mark against UMKC. That mark is tops in a Big 12 match this season.
52 Kills
Mizzou posted a then three-set season-high 52 kills in its win over K-State (Oct. 28). That mark is even more impressive when considering that Mizzou was just three shy of a season-low in attack errors in the match as they hit .333. Eight different Tigers posted a kill in the match as four Tigers posted at least seven. In addition, Mizzou limited K-State to just 38 kills in the match.
Monkey off the Back?
The Tigers' win over Kansas marked Mizzou's first Big 12 road win of the 2009 season as the Tigers went 0-5 in the first half of Big 12 play on the road. Despite coming close at Oklahoma and at Kansas State, Mizzou had not won a true road match since September 5, when it knocked off Utah Valley. Mizzou won only two Big 12 matches on the road last season. Mizzou looks for its second Big 12 road win this Saturday at Colorado.
Season-Best for Mizzou
2,721 fans filed into the Hearnes Center against K-State, a season-best for the Tigers. Over the last four home matches, Mizzou has seen 9,317 fans have packed into Hearnes, averaging 2,329 fans per contest.
Performance of a Lifetime?
The performance by Paola Ampudia at Kansas on Oct. 24 will likely go down as one of the best - if not the best - single-match effort in program history. Ampudia's 35 kills bested Yvette Buhlig's 20-year school record of 34 kills, set on September 5, 1989. The 35 kills are a Big 12 four-set record and she joins Buhlig as one of only two Tigers to post 30 or more kills in a four-set match. Her 78 attacks in the match are also a school-record - tying the mark set by Julianna Klein earlier this season in a five-set win over Texas A&M - and are the most-ever in a four-set match at Mizzou. Ampudia also pulled in 11 digs in the match, her second-best total of the season, to earn her third career double-double. Her .282 clip in the match is also her fourth-best of the season.
Weekly Honors for Paola
For her efforts three weeks ago, Ampudia was named Big 12 Player of the Week, her fourth Big 12 weekly honor of the season, the most by any Tiger in a single season. The Player of the Week laurel is the first of her career while she has taken home Big 12 Rookie of the Week three times. She is the only player in the history of the Big 12 to take home Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors in the same season. Ampudia averaged 7.29 kills per set that week while hitting .274 with 15 digs.
Nice Night for Lei
Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco passed out a season-high and Big 12 four-set high 57 assists in Mizzou's win over Kansas. This season, Wang-Francisco has 112 assists against KU as she passed out her previous season-best 55 against KU back in September. The Tiger setter also pulled in 10 digs at Kansas for her team-leading sixth double-double this season.
Wilson Goes Wild
Catie Wilson had one of her finest weeks as a Tiger against Colorado and Texas Tech as she hit .750 with 19 kills, four service aces and three blocks. Wilson hit .733 - the ninth-best clip in program history when totaling more than 10 kills - with 12 kills on 15 attacks. Her .733 clip is the second-best mark by any player in the Big 12 in a single match this season. She followed that with seven kills at clip of .778 and four aces in Mizzou's win over Texas Tech.
Relentless Attack
With 49 attacks at Kansas State earlier this season, junior outside hitter Julianna Klein passed Gwen Mullens for eighth-place on the Tigers' career attack list. Klein now has 2,878 total attacks at Mizzou, the most among active Tigers. She also is the active leader in total service aces (73) and kills (944).
Career Night for Klein
Julianna Klein posted the 1,000th point of her career in the Tigers' win over Texas A&M on her final kill of the match. Klein has the most points among active Tigers and with 170.0 more, she will crack the all-time top 10 career point list at Mizzou. Klein also posted a school-record 78 total attacks in that match.
No. 22 Nationally in Average Attendance
The 2,549 fans that watched Mizzou host Texas helped bump Mizzou's season average to 1,775 fans per match this week, ranking the team 22nd in the nation this season. Mizzou has ranked in the top 10 nationally in attendance from 2004-2008, prompting Volleyball Magazine to rank Hearnes as one of the top-10 toughest places to play in the nation.
Holding `em In Check
The Tigers had their best defensive match of the season against Texas A&M. The Aggies came into the match leading the Big 12 in hitting at .301 and the Tigers - due in large part to season-highs in total blocks (18.0) and digs (96) - limited A&M to .111 hitting, its worst output of the season. Mizzou is 12-0 this season when hitting at a better percentage than its opponents. Mizzou held UMKC and Texas A&M to a combined .055 hitting percentage that week, highlighted by a -.065 clip by the `Roos.
Quite a Comeback
In MU's match against Texas A&M, Mizzou rallied from down 2-0 to top the Aggies, 3-2, in its only five-set match of 2009. The win marked the first time since Oct. 1, 2005, that the Tigers have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a five-set match. The Tigers also limited Texas A&M to a then season-low .111 hitting. A&M entered the match hitting a Big 12-best .301.
Downright Defensive
In the Tigers' match with UMKC, they limited the `Roos to only 39 total points, their best mark of the season, and held the `Roos to -.065 hitting, their best mark since holding Alabama State to -.250 hitting on Aug. 25, 2006.
Return to Sender
In its win over Texas A&M, Mizzou posted a season-high 18.0 total blocks, their best since sending back 14.5 against Texas State in the 2009 opener. Senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco led the Tigers with a season-best six total blocks in the match while Catie Wilson, Weiwen Wang and Rosa Medrano each accounted for five in match.
Rookie of the Week Part Three
Junior Paola Ampudia was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second-consecutive week on September 21, 2009. Ampudia is the first Tiger ever to take home back-to-back Big 12 weekly honors. She became the first-ever Tiger to take home four Big 12 weekly laurels after being named Player of the Week three weeks ago.
A Full-Team Effort
In Mizzou's win over UMKC, every student-athlete on the Tigers' 14-player roster saw action. That was the first time this season that that has happened as two Tigers - Marissa Ferri and Lindsey Petrick - saw their first action in a regular season match this year. Ferri posted her first career dig in the third frame while Petrick entered late in the set and earned her first career solo block and registered three total attacks.
Dig `em Pip!
Sophomore Priscilla Armendariz was a silver lining in the Tigers' loss at Kansas State earlier this season. Armendariz pulled in 24 digs - a season-best and the Tigers' second-best individual performance - in the loss. The 24 total digs are also a personal-best for Armendariz who currently ranks second on the team with 214 digs.
Big Night for Brit
Brittney Brimmage tallied 13 kills with only one error on 20 swings in the Tigers' four-set loss to No. 17 Utah. That stat line gave Brimmage a .600 hitting percentage in the match. The .600 clip is a career-best for Brimmage as she becomes one of only 27 athletes in school history to post a .600 hitting percentage with more than 10 kills.
The 700-Club
Team Kreklow (Wayne and Susan together) earned its 700th career win after topping UMKC. The 700 combined wins dates back to their time as the head coaching tandem at Columbia College, where they mentored both the men's and women's programs. The pair has won 198 matches in their 10 seasons at Mizzou.
Mr. 400
With the Tigers' win over Fairfield earlier this season, head coach Wayne Kreklow earned his 400th victory as a head coach. Dating back to his time at Columbia College, where he coached both the men's and women's teams, Kreklow has compiled a 409-112 record as a head coach, including a 356-88 mark coaching women's volleyball. 90 of his 355 wins in women's volleyball have come during his time at Mizzou.
A Former Tiger Sees Success on the Beach
Former Tiger defensive specialist Juliana Evans (formerly Juliana Godoi) has been making quite a name for herself in the professional volleyball world. The 2003 Big 12 Defensive Specialist of the Year and former crowd-favorite won the US Open of Beach Volleyball with her partner Kim McGiven on September 27. The tournament is one of the largest in the nation and was started by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly. Evans and McGiven finished in the top five in every tournament that they played in this season during their first year together. The pair also was one of six teams in a 64-team qualifier to advance to the AVP Open in Hermosa Beach.
Active in the Community
Over the past several weeks, the Tiger volleyball program has taken time to give back to community. The Tigers visited the MU Children's Hospital and mingled with children and their families for hours before their match with Texas A&M. After that, Mizzou let nine-year-old Piper Osman celebrate her ninth birthday with 20 of her closest friends inside the Tiger locker room. Mizzou also hosted a Girl Scout youth Clinic and offered an elementary youth league that gives elementary school children a chance to play volleyball with Mizzou before school.
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. Also, all Big 12 road matches can be heard live on www.mutigers.com.
Tigers on Television
Mizzou's match at Texas Tech has been chosen for a live broadcast and will air live on Fox 34 in Lubbock, marking what will be the final televised match for Mizzou.
Next up
Mizzou heads to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in Mizzou's final televised match of the season. Mizzou then returns home to face Iowa State at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21, following Mizzou's football game with the Cyclones. Admission to that match is free and fans are encouraged to make their way to the Hearnes Center following the football game.
