Volleyball season opener: What to Watch for?
After touching down in Utah on Thursday evening, the Missouri volleyball team sits less than 24 hours away from its season opener at the BYU Molten Classic in Provo, Utah. Missouri, who is set to face Tulane, Utah State and No. 20 BYU over the next two days, will see its first live action since a devastating five-game loss to No. 6 Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
The Tigers spend the next three weekends on the road at tournaments, which should give coach Wayne Kreklow plenty of time to tweak his lineup before Big 12 play begins on Sept. 17.
So with an eye toward opening night, here's what to watch for from the Tigers this weekend:
-How do the Tigers react on the road
Beginning in Utah, the Tigers play their first ten matches of the season on the road. In Big 12 play last season, Missouri managed a 3-6 record away from home. This year, Missouri doesn't play a game at the friendly floor of the Hearnes Center until Sept. 21
-How is Julianna Klein progressing
The health and recovery of Klein remains a major storyline for this team. If the Tigers are to replace the offensive production of Na Yang, a lot of it is going to funnel through 6-0 outside hitter. In the Black and Gold match, Klein looked fairly fluid and agile, but admitted that she's having to relearn the little things. Her production in the Saturday match with BYU should be very telling about the development of her recovery
-What will we see from the freshmen
How Kreklow manages his four freshmen in non-conference will play a large part in his confidence in the group come time for conference play. Freshmen Brittney Brimmage, Priscilla Armendariz, Annie Lopez and Allison Johnson can do themselves big favors with impressive showings in Utah this weekend. The wild card in this rotation is Brimmage, who is unrefined but loaded with size, power and potential on a team that is searching for firepower
-Will the new rule changes come into effect
Previously, NCAA volleyball matches were played best-of-five games, with the first four games played to 30 and the fifth game played to 15. Now, the games are termed "sets," with the first four sets now played only to 25, in accordance to international federation rules. With the rule change, teams can't afford to put themselves in a deep hole early in sets. Missouri is no exception