Volleyball notches first conference win
Heading into Wednesday's match with Texas Tech, the MU volleyball team needed a win in the worst way. After dropping four-setters to Oklahoma and Baylor to open Big 12 play, a loss to Texas Tech would have put MU in an 0-3 conference hole.
With its back against the wall, Missouri responded with a resounding three-game sweep of Texas Tech to improve to 1-2 in Big 12 play. Missouri disposed of the Red Raiders, 25-18, 26-24, 25-15, in only one hour and 20 minutes of play.
After Missouri's matchup issues were exposed in early-season matches, MU was finally the aggressor Wednesday night. Entering the match, Missouri was hitting only .183, second-worst in the conference. On Wednesday, the Tigers hit a season-high .337.
Missouri's big hitting night was led by Weiwen Wang, who hit .385 with 11 kills and only one error. Julianna Klein added nine kills and three errors, and Megan Wilson contributed eight kills and three errors.
One of the biggest puzzlers after the first two matches of conference play was the lack of playing time for Brittney Brimmage. Brimmage, a powerful but unpolished freshman, played in two of the match's three sets on Wednesday, finishing with six kills to only one error.
Missouri returns home to face SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday before resuming Big 12 play against Iowa State at the Hearnes Center next Wednesday. Iowa State, currently 9-5, should produce a much tougher test than 5-9 Texas Tech.
The match should serve as a litmus test for Missouri's newfound firepower, as Kreklow continues to tinker with his rotations.