Volleyball defeated, drops to No. 21
Published Oct. 31, 2006
The Missouri volleyball team capped off a tough week with a loss Friday night in Waco, Texas.
Despite leading two games to none at one point and 9-6 in the final frame, the Tigers lost to the Baylor Bears 30-26, 33-31, 22-30, 23-30, 10-15.
After losing both matches in the past week, MU (14-8, 8-5 Big 12) dropped in the national rankings to No. 21, down from No. 16 last week.
Even after having three days to absorb the defeat, Missouri coach Wayne Kreklow said that the team was still hurting from the loss.
"There's a lot of emotions when things like this happen," he said Monday. "Disappointment, anger, frustration — all those things."
Senior outside hitter Jessica Vander Kooi led the Tigers with 25 kills, but it took her 76 swings to get that high.
Freshman Julianna Klein had 17 kills, with junior Na Yang right behind her with 15. Junior libero Tatum Ailes had 31 digs and senior Abbie Booth had 17, a season high for her.
Despite winning the first two games, the Tigers looked uncomfortable the whole match after the first game. Missouri blew a 29-25 lead in game two and struggled to eke out a 33-31 win.
"I was pleased we won the second game but not how we did it," Kreklow said.
Kreklow also said that the team didn't respond to the Bears' challenge after that game the way he hoped they would.
"I was hoping that second game would have scared us, but it didn't," he said. "We were in a position to take control, and we didn't capitalize."
The Tigers have a chance to rebound at home Wednesday night when they play the Iowa State Cyclones at the Hearnes Center. MU has defeated the Cyclones 19 consecutive times.
In light of the losing streak, fans might view this match as a must-have, but to Kreklow, it's no different from any other late-season match.
"At this point in the season, they're all must-haves," he said.